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Entry tags:
- ! mod event,
- arknights: shalem,
- bleach: grimmjow jaegerjaquez,
- bleach: jugram haschwalth,
- danganronpa: fukawa toko,
- encanto: bruno madrigal,
- ennead: set,
- fe3h: claude von riegan,
- fe3h: felix hugo fraldarius,
- ffvii: vincent valentine,
- genshin impact: tartaglia (childe),
- genshin impact: the traveler (lumine),
- hades: zagreus,
- htwmho: rudbeckia de borgia,
- jjk: fushiguro megumi,
- jjk: itadori yuuji,
- naruto: uchiha sasuke,
- orv: han sooyoung,
- orv: jung heewon,
- shadow and bone: the darkling,
- stranger things: steve harrington,
- the last of us: joel miller,
- vld: keith
(no subject)
I. PUSHING UP DAISIES
cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror
The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.
It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:
II. DO NOT PASS GO
cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity
Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.
If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.
When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.
III. TO THE RESCUE
cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror
The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.
It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:
► PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL ATTRACTION & REQUITED LOVE
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.
► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.
► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.
if your character has heard of similar diseases in their home world, they're absolutely welcome to share their insight on the netherwork or anywhere else
the evolution of the disease can be as gradual, as fast or as severe as you wish it to be
a mini quest to retrieve ingredients for a cure will be available in december or january
by february, all characters should be cured
II. DO NOT PASS GO
cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity
Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.
If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.
When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.
► Ironically, a magical barrier around the Gallows prevents magical/spiritual abilities from functioning. However, characters who roam free still can absolutely sneak in! Be careful not to get caught, though!
► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!
Luckily for you, there are so many prisoners it's a difficult task for the Hierarchy to always keep track of all of them. Your brand, however, is a dead giveaway, so you might as well try and find a way to get rid of it; you might hear through the grapevines that the dead skin of Badaliscus can be used as bandages, and overtime, the brand will fully heal and disappear.► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!
III. TO THE RESCUE
As you attempt to escape, or perhaps once you’ve successfully snuck in, you come across a terrifying spectacle: in front of you, impaled through the shoulder by a spear, a weary humanoid figure covered in blood. The body is being restrained by additional shackles on each arm and leg, which are linked to chains anchored within the walls. There's a guard nearby, armed to the teeth… and still you decide to free them.
The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.
The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”
Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”
It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.
The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.
The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”
Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”
It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.
so you’ve chosen to free him, which in turn has generated a future plot point that’ll occur some time in february. some of you WILL see him again.
what he says to you is a clue.
you can answer his question OOCly right here. it’ll have some bearing on the way your character will be approached re: future plot point.
if you've voted no and would still like to participate, you could always allow your character to be convinced or reluctantly dragged by another!
ooc note
► As always, check out the Notice Board if you'd like additional prompts! Older quests from previous months are always available as well. You'll also find the Calendar right here.
► You'll find already answered questions just here, and if you'd like to ask new ones, ask them here!
► For fun's sake and similarly to the puck adventure, you may play it out in different groups or on your own, and still obtain the same results as everyone else whether your characters threaded together!
no subject
He's glad Hibiki can't hear that particular thought, and his Shadow is even happier. Fighting for his life does wonders to loosen Kaito's ironclad control over his impulses, and it definitely doesn't help that:
A) Claude is ripping through guards left and right,
and B) One of the assholes gores another Restless through her chest.
G̵i̶v̵e̶ ̷m̸e̷ ̴t̶w̸o̵ ̴s̷e̴c̷o̸n̵d̶s̶ ̶w̴i̴t̵h̶ ̴'̷e̷m̸.̵ ̴I̵'̸l̶l̵ ̷e̴v̷e̶n̴ ̶p̵l̴a̶y̶ ̶y̶o̸u̶r̷ ̴g̴a̸m̴e̸ ̴a̴n̴d̴ ̵g̵o̵ ̷f̸o̶r̶ ̶t̸h̵e̶ ̴d̶i̵s̶a̴b̷l̷e̴.̷
During the heat of the moment, Kaito merely nods. In a flash, he crosses the gap, blade dancing across the exposed skin of the guards' arms. Arteries remain intact, but their muscles and tendons are cleanly severed. The muscles on their legs are next to be lacerated. His Shadow's brutal, flawless execution is over in a blink, and the empath takes control back in time to plant his heel into his enemies' chests and knock them over.
Tucking his sword behind him, Kaito finally rushes over to the skewered woman, biting back his grimace and the cold fury that his Shadow considers goading. Sharp golds flick to Claude. ]
Barely. The fact that she's breathing at all means the spear just missed her vitals. But she can't be moved like this. [ A glance to the bloody weapon. ] ...We have to shorten the haft, or any movements she makes might cause it to jerk around.
[ Finally, with the guards' blood staining his face and gear, Kaito turns his attention to the other prisoner. The intense stare he'd shot to his impromptu companion softens considerably, and he reaches to slip her hand in both of his. ]
Stay with us. We can get you out of here alive—you can make it, but this is going to hurt. [ Kaito pulls out... a small diary? Some gauze, too—he wraps that around the book. Finally, what looks to be a serrated knife. It wasn't meant for woodworking, but it'll have to do. The wrapped journal is held near the woman's face. ]
I need you to bite down on this as hard as you can. Don't let it go, no matter what. Can you do that for me?
no subject
So it feels pretty hopeless, but he's seen people survive too. On battlefields just as dour as this.
Not the guards though, Claude slices the throat of one with his knife before crouching down beside another, ] Do you have any medical supplies around here?
[ Asking is a long shot, but he might as well try. He gets little in the way of a response save for spit that doesn't quite reach him, and he drives his knife into their throat to end the exchange. Briefly, he thinks that it kind of sucks he can't take these guards to be soulforged.
But it's a brief thought, and he's quick to refocus on their charge. She's managed to take the book into her mouth, which stifles her whimpers, looking about seconds from passing out.
Claude grips the spear on both sides of her to keep the weapon steady. ]
Let's hope those muscles of yours aren't just for show.
no subject
He gingerly sets the Restless into an upright sitting position while Claude finishes what his Shadow started. Despite the urgency of their situation and the unavailability of his empathy, Kaito still takes the time to carefully note the other's demeanor and poise as he ends the guards' lives.
When the brunet approaches, he unslings a small pack that he'd tightly wrapped over his shoulders. It lands by his feet with a firm thud. ]
I doubled up on bandages and salve before coming here. Once we stabilize her, we can dress the wound site. [ A beat passes. Some of the adrenaline has started to simmer off, and Kaito manages a faint smirk while tightening his gloves. ]
There's no charge to look, [ he teases before returning his attention to their impromptu patient. ] Keep breathing. Scream when you need to, but don't drop the book.
[ After taking a deep breath of his own, Kaito adds one hand to the haft closest to her back and begins sawing. Fortunately, this twunk isn't just a gym rat—despite the serrated teeth of his knife showing clear signs of wear, he makes good progress in cutting through the (frankly shoddy) spear's body within the first minute. ]
no subject
Clever, calculating, but still decisive.
The prisoner groans a wordless scream against the book clenched between her teeth, the sound soon giving way to breathless sobs as Kaito begins to saw. From where he's crouched, Claude has too close of a view of the desperation in her face fading to surrender. Her hands bunch over the rags she's dressed in, and he thinks if she had the strength, she might shove them both away from her. ]
Easy, we've got you. We're almost there.
[ A lie, but he's sure that she's too delirious with pain to really grasp the concept of time right now.
More blood wells around the spear, running down the shaft and staining Claude's gloves, but he hardly notices as he looks around them. ]
We'll need to find a way to keep her steady to get her out of here. Maybe repurpose a table... Unless you've got a stretcher in that pack of yours.
no subject
Kaito doesn't dare pull his gaze away from his work, but his lip twists in thought. ] That's going to be tough, especially when we run into more guards. I don't even know if I have enough gauze to bandage her up, let alone sling her along.
[ The back half of the haft suddenly bends down. Kaito's cutting has loosened it enough that it's just a few saws away from being severed. Thank the kami. Once it's finally removed, Kaito drops the knife and starts grabbing for bandages. ]
Good job. You made it. Breathe slowly—the worst of it is almost over. [ The empath gingerly takes his book back before beginning to unravel the spools of gauze. Golds flick up to Claude before he closes them and sighs. ]
See if you can't find any rags lying around. It won't be optimal, but we're going to need a lot of cloth to keep things padded. And... if anyone unfriendly comes by, please make sure they don't get the jump on us while I patch her up.
[ Unspoken but woven into his words: Don't hesitate to kill them.
His Shadow beams a
metaphysicalgrin. ]no subject
We might be able to avoid too much trouble if we're careful.
[ He doesn't say it aloud, but there are certainly louder and more noticeable Restless storming through the Gallows. Even if Claude doesn't want to use them as a distraction, he can concede that the majority of the effects would be focused around those larger groups.
... Though perhaps it was a bad idea to remember them, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. While he has faith in the strength of those captive, he doubts they're impervious to the handicap of being imprisoned and left without weaponry or magic.
Still, he shuffles down a nearby hall, half his attention on what lies ahead, and half listening to where Kaito and the prisoner are, in case any footsteps come their way. He finds a room with a bed without any trouble, grabbing the pathetic little pillow and the sheets. He doubts they're clean, but they aren't openly stained with anything unsavoury so he takes what he can get.
He's just about to leave when a guard catches him in the doorway of the room, and it's pure luck that Claude whips the pillow at his face to cut off his shout. It falls to the ground harmlessly, but Claude's axe cuts through his neck before he has a chance to retaliate.
The blood stains the pillow, which is a shame, but at least when Claude returns to Kaito, he offers him another spear alongside the bedsheets. ]
I really hope we're not the ones in jail next month.
[ Completely unaware that Kaito has never killed a man. ]
no subject
Prison makes for a terrible vista away from our Doors, [ he mutters dryly when the other returns. Eyes flick to the spear, but his hands grab at the sheets. They're rolled in a similar manner to his coat before he arranges them over the woman's chest in a pattern that will keep the spear from jerking around.
Now he can finally gauze her up. It isn't perfect (there isn't enough material to perform the same padding job on the exit wound), but it's going to have to do. Kaito looks up while hooking their charge's left arm over his shoulders. ]
Let's help her up. If the information I got is trustworthy, there should be a hidden exit somewhere on the prison grounds. We're looking for a red arrow painted into the walls.
[ With that, he finally takes the spear in hand. Aye, he's never killed.
Not in cold blood.
Hopefully that won't have to change today. ]