EVENT PLOTTING #2

[oblivium]

PLOTTING POST | EVENT #2

Welcome to Nightfell's second plotting post! You'll find the whole thing in its entirety just below, rather than a summary, which we figure will help you decide exactly how you'd like your character to react to certain things, etc. This is not the event log! The actual log will go up on the 7th.
Please use the form below in order to plot for the event! If you're a new player, you can comment here !

SUBJECT LINE: YOUR HANDLE <b>Player:</b> intro if you're new! <b>Contact:</b> <b>Time zone:</b> <b>Character (s):</b> <b>Canon (s):</b> <b>Info (if necessary / a link is fine!):</b> <b>Plans for the event and/or in general:</b> <b>Anything else?</b>

LOG EVENT #2

I. PUSHING UP DAISIES

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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.

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

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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.
► As you attempt to escape, you might 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: do you stop to help and free the prisoner, or do you keep running? Vote HERE.
► 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.

the puck's blood, a friend's or an enemy's all count as "spilled blood not your own", whether it was played out or handwaved
even if your character chose otherwise, you're absolutely free to become a prisoner if you wish. it's clear the hierarchy makes mistakes anyway! in the same vein, participation is NOT mandatory, whether as a prisoner or a helper
you may vote OOCly based on what you think your character would choose in that specific moment. future outcomes are 100% influenced by your choices, whenever we ask you to vote.
the voting period will end a little before the log goes up! if you unanimously decide to leave the prisoner to their doom, those who attempt to save him will find themselves unable to defeat the guard. if, on the other hand, you unanimously decide to save the prisoner, we'll let you know how it unfolds when the log goes up! 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!

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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.
► If you have questions, please redirect them here.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[oblivium]

[paraselenes]

hi mods!! this is very neat, love slowly dying from flower lungs

for the "positive feelings" re:hanahaki, could it be not romantic attraction or attachment to someone? for example, feelings of care/concern/support for someone, wishing you could be soulmates or being tempted to be, that sort of thing?

oh shit wait more questions sorry, can there be more than once source of Feelings? and can hanahaki be triggered by like... say you're hanging out with someone and experience a Passion like because of gratitude or something nice like that, can you get hit by it then?

also, closes eyes, are there trees around the gallows areas?

[oblivium]

oh absolutely! any kind of emotional attraction goes, romantic or otherwise. if you care for someone in any way, that's all you need! the curse can also definitely be triggered by a Passion!

and... yes, but mostly withered. you'll find vines on cracked walls as well, moss on the ground, weeds.

[acknowledgement]

Questions...

1. When attacked, did the Headless Horseman bleed?
2. Would the Hierarchy imprison a PC who made the Horseman bleed?
3. Do monsters (gargoyles, etc.) count as enemies, re: spilled blood?

Thank you!!

[oblivium]

1. He did not!
2. On the contrary, they'd be considered an ally!
3. Yes! Anyone or anything that wasn't you can count!

prison related q

[craters]

hi mods!

you say the prisoners will be in rags — do they get to keep their phones? will there be an opportunity/room where they can retrieve their things on the way out or are they gonna be SOL?

[oblivium]

Hi!!

They don't get to keep their phones WITH them but they'll absolutely be able to retrieve it, along with everything else, in a giant bin not too far from the mausoleum!

[windsongs]

Quick question regarding spilling blood during the event. If a character allowed someone to kill in front of them, would this count as a punishable offense?

[oblivium]

GUILTY. Yes.

[chokuto]

questions about the hanahaki disease prompt!

1. will NPCs have any knowledge about the cause of the disease and will they share it with PCs if asked?
2. progression of the disease is up to us, but is the cure also up to the player? like, could i have my character cured more quickly than february? (i assume so but wanted to double check!)
3. do we have to use the flowers in the prompts or can we choose our own with associated symptoms? just wondering about creative freedom here!

[oblivium]

1. They do! It's happened before, and they'd definitely tell the characters what they know. Except Amun, probably. 0/10 do not recommend.

2. Yes, if there's a confession involved (or in the lesser version's case, reaffirmations of your affection). Otherwise, the cure won't be concocted until February, as the necessary ingredients aren't yet available. A small quest in December or January will remedy that.

3. Go wild!

[nagano]

Regarding the prison's nullifying barrier: will it also hinder/nullify the connection between Soulmates? Will prisoners be unable to broadcast their thoughts and feelings while inside?

[oblivium]

Soulmates are intact!

[terraria]

is the hanahaki only soothed by native healers/doctors, or can PCs also fashion effective soothing (but not curing) answers for it?

and would it be officially winter in stygia, ie are most plants/trees "dead" aside from... greenhouses and the like? i'm confused on if everything's still growing despite the colder weather or not.

[oblivium]

Go for it, Aspen! Or anyone else with healing abilities!

Seasons in the Netherworld aren't really consistent, so it's never officially anything. We'll usually try to give you a global idea of what's going on weather wise, and as for this month:

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 [...]

So the weather sucks, but the vegetation is going strong overall. For now!

[orobashi]

hello mods! for new players to get involved in the prison plotting, is it ok to find ways to break in/help others/help the mysterious prisoner too? kokomi is a great strategist so she'd notate the routes of the guards, their habits, the type of structure and its stability, etc, and find the best way to sneak in... if possible!

[oblivium]

Hi!! It's super okay, help your fellow Restless!

[invinciblemikey]

hi mods i love ruining my characters thus i gotta ask

can they have both curses.

[oblivium]

y...............es?? I MEAN. technically the second version of the curse includes the lesser one but you can make it as terrible as you want!

[unalign]

hello modlings, how persistent will the guards be in trying to capture and drag people to the gallows? what if someone tries to run away and/or fight back?

[oblivium]

While some of them are terribly afraid to fail in their mission and face dire consequences, some others really couldn't give a damn. If you'd like your character to be able to run away, it's entirely possible! Some are definitely more aggressive than others, but if you're lucky, they won't give chase.

[fallendragon]

Sorry if these are confusing.

1.) Would it be considered unrequited if the two people felt the same way but one person truly believed that the other person couldn't love them because nothing could ever come from it? Arrakis knew he was going to die young so he distanced himself from love knowing he would just end up hurting the people he left behind.

2.) Does the magical barrier around the gallows cause magical/spiritual abilities to vanish completely or do they technically still have their magic but the barrier prevents them from using it? Arrakis is half magic, which turns poisonous if too much builds up in his body so I'm curious how much to make him suffer.

[oblivium]

It's super fine!

1. Yes! The moment anyone has doubts, it can absolutely be considered unrequited.

2. They still have magic! They're just unable to use their skills.

[arrancar]

hi mods! i have two event questions:

▪ would characters with a healing factor be able to naturally heal the brand themselves?
▪ what would be the consequences for killing the guards?

and one less related to the events but grimmjow's stupid antics:

▪ would he be able to eat a reaper and, if so, what would be the consequences for it?

[regression]

hello mods!! unrelated to the november event, but i wanted to ask if characters were to ask denizens in the stygia about the scorpion painting on the paper and the blue dust found around the corpses from october, would they be given anything substantial?

also, whenever characters find some breathing room, would hunting spectres be possible?