lostcarnival | ⇨ THE MASQUERADE

Who: Everyone! Attendance is mandatory.
When: Late Day 65
Where: The Celebration
What: The Masquerade arrives, and so does the carnival's enemies. For more info, check out the Draculas 101.
Warnings: Further party hell. Also, vampire violence, mind control, etc.

THE HOST & THE HORDE↴

The time of the Masquerade arrives. You've been given free reign of the place up till now, but a few hours before the party commences the Host will inform you that your presence will be required, and will assist you (forcibly, if need be) to sort out any last minute costuming concerns you might have if you've left it until now. When masks and outfits are sorted, you'll be left to your own devices until you are summoned on the evening of Day 65.

The Masquerade will start off normally - relative to everything else in this place, at least. Everyone in the Celebration will be called in for this event, centered in a grand hall with side rooms offered to those that need them for whatever reasons might come up. The food and drink is especially ambrosia-esque this evening, and the music will stir your soul, even if you're not usually a music person. Enjoy it if you can - the peace won't last.

► MASKS: Though the masks seemed only mundane before, once within the Masquerade atmosphere, they will magically begin obscuring people's identities beyond what a normal mask should be able to do. When a person is wearing one, it would be supernaturally difficult to figure out who they are - maybe you forget what their voice should sound like, or maybe the other details escape you. Of course, it's possible to figure out if you look for it, based on general shapes and personality traits, but unless you know someone well it could be a challenge. Of course, you can just take your mask off and remove the enchantment entirely - though the Host will hassle you if they notice you going without. Stop ruining the party!

► TEMPTATION: Though it's felt easy to be whisked away by the draw of pleasure and luxury during the rest of the week, that feeling will seem to come to a head at the actual party. If you are aware of what needs to be resisted then it's possible to fight back and ignore it, but more than ever it feels all too easy to just dance your life away. Nobody seems to be dying from it, at least, or 'burning out' any faster as a result - it's mostly just extremely distracting from other concerns. Like vampires, for instance.

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE↴
It's during the latter half of the party that things will start to go bad. Though it will go unseen by the carnival, the Masquerade has gained an additional set of guests - the vampire's of the demon lord that has been chasing them for the last several months. The Host doesn't discriminate, and anyone is welcome to attend the Celebration, provided they don't start a fight.

Right. About that.

► THE KINDRED: The vampires don't like to play fair, which means that they are going to be attacking with stealth and trickery - taking advantage of the way that the party has dulled the alertness of many of the carnival's workers. They'll be using that lack of inhibition to lure individuals into places they can be attacked or turned in private - their primary goals are to capture the Supervisors and to turn as many of the Ringmaster's workers as possible before escaping back to their dimension. Some of their targets will be gone before anyone has a chance to notice.

Remembering that they will be avoiding big public confrontations, so if anyone starts one of those it will probably by the carnival members striking back. This is going to wear on the Host's patience extremely quickly.

► COLD IRON: Oh, right, and they are definitely bringing iron weapons - as pure as they could get. They'll have things like iron collars or shackles to try to trap people with, as well as iron daggers and guns with iron bullets. They'll have to be on the down low with, but they are going to exploit that weakeness as much as possible. Those that have only been in the carnival a few months will mostly just feel discomfort at the touch of it - as if they are touching something that is slightly too hot or too cold. Veterans that have been around for years will find its touch to be burningly cold - the type of temperature that would threaten to destroy flesh after prolonged contact. Those that have been here for up to three years will take it the worst. See the Transformations page for more details!

► TURNING THE TABLES: Being turned is a mixture of pleasure and pain, and is often hard for mortals to mentally reconcile as it happens to them. Being drained by these vampires is simultaneously impossibly satisfying and extremely terrifying - once they've started in on your, the way it overwhelms your mind and body can make it nearly impossible to stop them without help. Once you are dead or dying, they will feed you their blood - at which point your body will go through a painful transformation as the demon spirit takes its place inside of you and your dead body is violently resurrected.

As soon as you wake up, freshly changed, the bloodlust will set it - it will be extremely hard to control, and at first all you will think about is wanting to sate that hunger. Combined with your sire having direct control if your mind through your blood connection, new vampires will be mostly incapable of doing anything but following the whims of the rest of the vampire pack and seeking nourishment. This blood lust will begin to fade after they've fed. Killing isn't necessary to feed, but it can be hard to stop yourself, as a neonate vampire.

► CLOSING TIME: Before the party is officially over, the Host will have had enough. Before you can pursue all of the vampires or take back the people they've stolen, the lot of them will have escaped back to their dimension, and the Host will have kicked the entire carnival out for participating in so much violence. If you want to make any final moves before you go, this is the time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ginko's awareness of his surroundings, let alone his ability to move around, is... sort of erratic right now. Gradually, though, he's made his way back to the central hall of the masquerade, supporting himself on whatever walls or furniture he can.

He's stopped for the moment, leaning against a wall, catching his breath with a hand pressed over the bite wound on his neck. He can't stop for long, he's got to find out what's happened to everyone else--

One of his ears twitches when he hears his name. Ginko pushes off from the wall, raising a hand to get the Psionic's attention.

"--Hey! I'm-- I'm over here. Are you alright?"

He hurries over towards Ginko as soon as he hears his response. He doesn't seem him at first. It's not until Ginko pushes away from the wall that he catches Psi's attention. Immediately he's concerned. Ginko's hand is pressed to his neck the same way Psi's hand is pressed to his side. He staggers over, trying his best to look as though he isn't in pain.

He puts a hand on Ginko's shoulder, looking him over. Immediately he's overcome with the urge to breakdown and shove all his concern and panic Ginko's way. This isn't the time though, or the place, and there were people he still had to look strong for.

"I'm- I'm fine... Listen, we have to find the rest of the workers, people aren't, they aren't safe here anymore!"

Well that sure is an obvious lie, but it's not like Ginko has room to object without opening himself up to the same. Even if his hand and efforts to support himself weren't obvious tells, Psi can probably see at this distance how his skin is just a little paler and closer to the blueish side of green than usual.

"Yeah, so I've noticed." Apparently his shitty sense of humor is still intact. "Have you seen the Ringmaster anywhere?"

They both know they're in bad shape. It's not worth commenting on right now, because they both have more important things to do. He's glad Ginko seems to understand, because it means he doesn't have to waste anymore time explaining.

"Listen, we need to get everyone together so they're easier to defend. Have you seen anyone else familiar yet?"

He talks quickly, his lisp even coming out on some words, though he long ago learned how to avoid letting it show.

"Uh..." Ginko pushes his fingers through his hair, thinking. "Th-that guy, uh... Foster? He saved me, but I don't know where he went. I just got back in here."

"Foster?" Forgive the Psionic for looking so surprised, but he really wouldn't have expected that considering what he knew of the kid so far. He looks around suddenly as though that will make Foster appear. He looks back to Gink, noticing the palor of his skin. He wasn't human, but even amongst trolls that wasn't a good sign.

"Shit. Can you even walk?"

Ginko nods, as if confirming again that yep, it was Foster - then stops because ow okay that isn't a great plan right now apparently. It takes him a moment to register the Psionic's question.

"Kind of. I can get around, but I'm gonna be slow."

He sighs, staring at the ceiling before collecting himself and looking to Ginko again.

"Listen. I know you hate flying, but we have to find the others quickly."

"What?" Ginko's ears pin back against his head. "No, I-- I can't do that. I'll just look from down here. Or I could... stay here and let you know if I see anyone."

"Ginko! There's no time. You look like you could pass out any second! I need to get you somewhere safe!"

"I'm not going to pass out." He says as if he hasn't been hovering between 'a little out of it' and 'very out of it' for the past several minutes.

"Look, I'll be fine here. There are plenty of people around. And if we look separately we'll be able to find people faster."

In his defense, Ginko has never seen a horror movie in his life.

"No way." he responds, voice stern. He stands up straight, looking Ginko square in the eye. "Against a faceless enemy we're stronger together."

He will manhandle you if he has to Ginko, don't make him.

"If the flying is the problem, at least let me carry you on my back."

Ginko hesitates. Contrary to what some may (perhaps reasonably) assume, he's not a complete idiot. He knows that he's in bad shape, and that sticking together is probably safer, if not more efficient - especially if they stay on the ground.

However. Speaking of being in bad shape.

"...Are you sure you're up to that?" Now a little more of his concern starts to slip into his voice.

His hand pressed harder against his side, as though concealing the wound will make it disappear. He knows his injury looks bad, and it hurts like hell. Honestly, he's having some trouble moving. He doesn't know if the knife has punctured any of his organs, but he isn't going to bleed out. As long as they can make it back to the carnival he should be fine, right? After a moment he nods.

"I'm fine. It just hurts." he hopes Ginko will actually believe him, they really didn't have the time to argue over it. "I can use my psionics to make you light, so taking you with me won't be a strain."

"...If you're sure. But if you start having trouble, I want you to put me down right away, alright? And don't bother trying to hide it from me."

He nods.

"I'm sure." and he honestly won't hide it from him, he is too worried about everyone else right now to bother with lying. "Try and keep an eye out for other workers alright?"

"Yeah."

Ginko will let himself be lifted onto the Psionic's back, holding on weakly with his arms around Psi's shoulders and his legs around his waist. He presses his hand back over his neck with a wince.

"This is weird. Usually I'm the one carrying other people."

⇨ THE MASQUERADE

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