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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

[ this is immediately suspicious and uncomfortable. aspen looks like a doe-eyed courtesan, flitting between his personalities as if he doesn't recognize who laurent is. laurent's gaze settles on the half-eaten cake as if it's poison. ]

I should go drown you in the lake. [ grudgingly, he slips the map from the inner pocket of his jacket and spreads it on the table, turning it toward aspen's bleary gaze. it's a sketch of the palace, only the outer areas — doors and windows marked, a general estimate of the height of the towers assessed in laurent's neat hand. he watches his face. ] I saw your back. Does that not hinder you?

[ he's never brought it up before this, but it seems important to clarify now. ]

Edited 2022-10-09 16:18 (UTC)

Mmm, many people would be mad if you did.

( aspen makes a joke of laurent's icy claim, rolling off of his back like water on a duck. he has to blink a few times to look at the map clearly, and breathes a sigh of relief. )

Thank the gods it's Common...

( he turns his full attention to it, only idly responding - )

Why would it hinder me? It hasn't hindered you.

[ he suppresses a biting response, doubtful that anything can fully penetrate aspen's mind at this point. with a sigh, he rests a hand on his cheek and glowers at him, picking up the cake to sniff it with disdain. ]

Common? [ his eyes flicker to the map, then back up to aspen. ] It seems like wounds that severe would hinder flight. Especially if they're located on your back. If I flogged a bird I doubt it would take to the air right after.

They're quite sweet. ( he warns when laurent sniffs at the cake. ) If you don't have a sweet tooth, I'd suggest the nuts.

As for my scars... they're healed. Well - not on the surface, ( he looks up, but not at laurent - to glance up at the structures around them, as if measuring the height. if he cares about divulging his secrets now, it doesn't show. ) but my master was a petty man, and he refused to let the scars heal completely. Surely no one would try to buy me from him if I was so badly marred. The scars burn with his fire magic, certainly, but they are... nearly a decade old by now. Some perhaps a bit more recent, but I've been able to fly just fine.

( he even gives them a wayward flap, light and quick, and finally slides the map back to laurent. ) With a clear sky, it will be easy. Rain or wind will be more difficult, and snow or a storm will be impossible.

[ a decade old. with aspen being surely not far in age from him, that means the wounds were given to him as a child. for some reason aspen doesn't hide this shame now when laurent remembers clearly how he'd tried to cover his injuries at the brothel. his mind drifts to the slaves at the palace, to erasmus and his burns so severe he'd developed a fear of fire. if erasmus had been gifted to prince damianos as planned, he wonders how different his life would have been.

not different at all. a slave is still a slave, no matter how ignorantly noble the master might claim to be. the thrum of his anger rises, beating to the steady cadence of his heart. ]

How did you repay your master? [ he folds the map and tucks it back into his jacket, pushing the cake aside without sampling it. ]

Repay?

( he echoes it quietly, bewildered. ) I don't know what you mean. How did I get free? Or... how did I... seek justice?

The latter. [ he gestures with a hand. ] Clearly, you've gotten free. What's stopping your master from doing the same thing to others? Or do you think yourself so special that you're the only one?

He's dead.

( though it's a simple answer, it's not unkind - yet his brows still furrow, gaze far off. )

... not by me, but - I suppose, by my hand nonetheless. It should... would have been my hand, if childish fear hadn't taken over. I imagine most of us would have some pause in trying to kill our masters.

[ for a long moment, he doesn't respond. there is a part of him that still believes when it comes down to it, his uncle would not kill him. his uncle, his only family. it's a childish, foolish dream he hasn't been able to detach, hasn't been able to grow out of. before this, he was doing all he could to unseat his uncle politically, to claim his rightful place on the throne. but would he have been able to sink his blade into him and watch the life go out of his eyes? he's killed many before. never his blood.

if they continue this conversation, laurent's mood will plunge into something dangerously unsavory. he moves his gaze to the festivities. ]

What did you have? Everything here is poison. You have no mind for self-preservation.

( aspen laughs gently, closing his eyes and pillowing his head again. )

Don't be silly, none of this is poison!

I would know. My magic won't let me die to poison. I would be convulsing though!

Mmmm... I had a disgusting meat pastry - it was so rancid, terrible, so the stall owner gave me a fruit punch to drink! It was a bit spicy and wonderful.

The cakes you see here as well. Ahh, I didn't get to taste the nuts? They were reccomended often.

You could be a king's cupbearer, with that gift. [ this is useful information to have in case laurent ever wants to drink something questionable. the little bird is so handy in different ways, not that he would ever tell him that.

as if the universe is conspiring to meet aspen's every ridiculous want, one of the sellers stops by with a paper basket of the freshly roasted nuts, each one as large as laurent's fist. they emit a savory aroma, and laurent finds himself wanting for food, but he frowns at the nuts and makes no move to touch them. ]

Don't eat them. We have no idea what they might do.

( aspen's eyes light up when the scent reaches his nose, only for him to frown - pout - and semi-sulk. )

That was one of my duties. I caught many a cupful of poison before it ever touched the Peacekeepeer's lips.

You can't go without food or drink entirely...

[ dry — ] Amazing you're not dead.

[ and here... aspen makes a point. but this place dredges up memories like no other, sipping on sweet drinks given to him by his uncle, his eyes still swollen with grief, promises that it will soothe his hurt — only for it to render him a plaything for his uncle's use under the guise of comfort. the poison dulled the senses, made everything feel softly faraway. a feeling he can't contend even now, appealing in part if only to put a stop to the ceaseless tensions of his mind, but fear is a strong deterrent. the loss of control is more terrifying than any blade, any threat of death.

but he lifts his eyes to the festivities once more and sees only innocuous behavior. affection. languor. some people have even fallen asleep in the grass, likely much needed. this isn't the viper's pit in arles. and he is hungry. ]

Your time ingesting poison doesn't seem to deter your habits now.

I didn't die because I was poisoned. As I said, I can't die due to poison. Why should I bother?

Be-besides, if I do find something poisoned, I can warn others. And build a natural understanding for any poisons I find!

( he presses his face down against his folded arms, though he still peers at laurent. his head's hurting, gaze still hazy, but he's considerate. )

You shouldn't speak plans out in the open. You'll get hurt, or arrested. Would you like to learn sign?

[ there is quite a bit of unasked for information being dropped right now, and aspen is not exactly being subtle. laurent looks at him through a gap in the enormous nuts plaguing the table. ]

Then how did you die? [ he picks one of the nuts up, carefully examining it between his fingertips. he ignores the question, but relinquishes a bit of information in good faith, or perhaps just because it might be helpful for aspen — or anyone — to know. ] I'm probably going to be sent to the Gallows.

I... was...

( his brows furrow. is it the drink or his memory playing tricks on him that makes it hard for him to remember...? )

The Gallows? You can't be left th-there.

[ the answer doesn't come, and it doesn't bother him that it doesn't. to know such a thing feels like an unearned intimacy, an assumption made between friends. laurent doesn't have friends. he brings the nut down with force onto the table, cracking it open with a sharp sound. it splits neatly, two halves in his palm, the soft center revealed. ]

Maybe they'll have me pick up bird shit for a year instead. [ he's not as concerned with his looming punishment as he is with the fact that D might be forced to join him. he doesn't want company. ] I doubt it'll be any worse than where I came from.

Of course it will be worse. You were a prince at home. You would have sp-special accom... acc...

( his nose wrinkles. )

Ugh. I want another drink. ( to which, he promptly gets up - and wobbles, flailing with his wings slightly. he only barely keeps on his feet. ) Do you want one?

Special accommodations. Of course. I'll certainly miss all of those.

[ his pale brows arch up as aspen rises with limited success. ]

You don't need another drink. You could probably do with some food. [ he pushes the open nut to aspen's side of the table. it smells like a normal nut. he hasn't seen anyone on the ground convulsing, anyway. ] Sit down. You look ridiculous.

( ... aspen looks at the nut, and then at laurent. )

Feh. ( that's probably the most petulantly annoyed sound aspen's actually made at laurent. since the world is spinning, he'll sit right back down properly.

when he hesitantly takes a bite - thanks to laurent's warnings, despite... laurent trying to make him eat... - he calms. hesitation turns to enjoyment. )

Mmm - this is about as good as I was expecting!

[ he waits for the convulsions to begin. for aspen to fall on the ground unconscious. for his wings to start shedding, grotesque. none of it happens. his eyes instead light up — still hazy — and his expression turns to one of joy. laurent doesn't budge. ]

Well? Tell me how it feels to die. It only makes sense that I familiarize myself with the signs.

Mmm, I don't think you'll die how I did. It wouldn't make sense to warn you.

( it's blithe - a strange sort of peace. )

You should try these. They're much more filling than I thought they'd be. Savory but with a sweet aftertaste. I don't taste any poison.

People didn't pay whores because they were good at thinking.

[ his way of saying tell him anyway.

he supposes aspen would know the taste of poison, and despite the questionable footing of their relationship, he doesn't believe the little bird is at the point of plotting his demise just yet. he is well acquainted with the signs, anyway.

against all his better judgement, but perhaps because his decisions have already led him on a path that likely leads to the gallows in the end, he brings the nut to his mouth and takes one careful bite. chews. swallows. fastidiously wipes his mouth with the edge of his finger and waits.

it's calm. everything feels calm, which is unnatural in itself, because the inside of laurent's head is never calm. his outward impassivity is just a front for the constant pull of tension, a hundred rushing thoughts plaguing him at every moment, the stress of keeping his walls not only erect but reinforced at every given moment so that no one catches a peek at the damage or unfulfilled needs within.

a bit of strain unlocks, a sliver of relief. without thinking, he takes another neat, careful bite. ]

It's adequate.

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