⇨ HOME AGAIN

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone!
When: Day 68 - Day 72
Where: Carnival grounds.
What: Everyone makes it back to the carnival after their adventure in hell. The Ringmaster makes a new lake to celebrate, apparently.
Warnings: A notable absence of torture.

TO HELL AND BACK↴ The rescuers and the liberated captives will emerge from the portal like bats out of hell. Much like their previous return, this arrival will be met with a flurry of medical activity as everyone gets their injuries seen to, particularly those that had been held prisoner within Morningstar's hell fortress. It will still be night when they arrive, and the rest of Day 68 will be clouded over completely, for the benefit of the new vampires as they get settled in. After the immediate panic is dealt with, the Ringmaster will disappear into the forest until the morning of Day 69. It will be raining off and on during her absence. ► RECOVERY: Unlike the last time, the Ringmaster will be supplying the carnival workers with some healing potions from her private hoard, given that most of the healers are already wounded or spent. Damage caused by iron poisoning will not be cured by healing magic or healing items though, unfortunately, and those who have spent a lot of time in contact with iron will take at least a week to fully recover. However, regular healing remedies like bandages and herbs may help speed things along if the patient is suited to them. ► A BRAND NEW LAKE: On the morning of Day 69, the Ringmaster will return the forest to announce that she's built a new lake into the carnival grounds, only a short trail's distance from the backyard. Unlike most of the forest, this area won't just lead you in circles when explored, meaning that it can actually be modified and developed as the workers see fit. The water is always clean and just the right temperature for swimming, though it gets a bit cooler the deeper you swim. At the far side of the lake, there is a warm, stone pathway leading up the side of the mountain, that will eventually take you to some bangin' hot springs. Brought to you mostly because the Ringmaster doesn't know how to say sorry with actual words. At least it gives you something to play with while you try to shake off the trauma. ► FRUITS OF VICTORY: On Day 70, all the workers who came to hell for the rescue mission will be given a gift from the Ringmaster. Each of them will receive a bright green, glowing seed, about the size of your thumbnail. She will tell you that, when planted, the seeds will swiftly grow into a small citrus tree, which will grow fruits with regenerative properties. More details about these plants will be written up in a separate post, but for now your characters can ogle them and decide if they are going to plant them or not. ► TAKE ME TO CHURCH: Staring on Day 71, the Ringmaster will be starting to work on removing the vampirism from those infected with it, which apparently involves a lot of... meditation? She will take the newbie vampires out into a shady area of the forest and encourage them to look inside themselves and attempt to separate themselves spiritually from their demonic beasts. How well you character masters her teachings over time will determine whether or not she is ultimately capable of stripping out your demon soul and returning you to life. Of course, not all demons are made equal, and some will be more difficult to separate than others...

Comments

[osteothropy]

His hands are stuffed in his pockets, and he's close enough to the water that he can look out at it without being anywhere close to getting wet. His response to her greeting is a bit delayed, perhaps unsurprisingly... he slowly turns to blink at her, momentarily clueless of what to do or say.

And then, he shrugs a shoulder helplessly, his expression returning to a more neutral grin. His neck is still wrapped in bandages, sickly blue infection still tinging his jawline.

"I've seen worse," he says, with more levity than he really feels.

[fourthscribe]

She huffs out a breath of a laugh, arms crossing as she turns one pair of eyes over the lake, taking in the view. "And better, but the optimist in me is leaning towards the silver linings."

Tanyuu's smaller pair of eyes focuses on the bandages for a moment, but her expression remains pleasantly neutral. "What do you think of the newest addition to our home?"

[osteothropy]

"I think..."

He looks back out at the lake, hesitating for a bit before giving his answer. He could say something rude about how the Ringmaster is obviously compensating for something... but right night he doesn't even feel like doing that.

"It's gunna be a huge hassle to patrol. Besides that... I guess it'll be nice to have a bit more leg room."

[fourthscribe]

Oh, she has an idea of what Sans would have said--he's never made a secret of his displeasure about their boss's tendencies. Tanyuu can hardly blame him, considering her own arguments with the woman in the past. A ghost of a smile passes her lips, and she hums an agreement.

"It is nice to have a place to retreat to if we need it. Though maybe you should start looking into scrying spells to help keep an eye on things out here." Her smile grows wider with a hint of mischief. "Or have one of your patrol do the legwork on that for you."

[osteothropy]

Well, scrying wouldn't be far off his skill set. Spacial manipulation and all. Maybe he should? Maybe learning something new would take his mind off things for a bit. It feels almost impossible to distract himself, as it is.

"Hey, doing my job without sitting up, sounds like my style," he says, but it falls sort of flat for him. He keeps making jokes about this stuff, but that hasn't even been how he's been operating lately. Yet, everyone seems to believe it, and maybe he does too.

"Gunna have to check out the peaks," he adds, which is a more optimistic thought. "It's been a while since I saw snow."

[fourthscribe]

Less belief, and more of calling back to a familiar joke. Tanyuu may not know everything about Sans, but she'd like to think she's fairly perceptive about him; he cares much more than he's ever claimed, and he hasn't taken his position as Warden lightly. If recent events haven't made that clear, well...that's not an issue of his performance.

"I was thinking the same thing! Eternal summer is nice, but I do miss seeing everything covered in white out the windows." And this time around she might even be able to go out and enjoy it for a while! "I'm sure the youngsters around will be eager for an excuse to have a snowball fight."

[osteothropy]

"It was eternal snow, last place I lived," he says, his grin twisting very slightly into a more genuine smile. "And before that... eternal lava? Goes in cycles, I guess."

At least hell hadn't been that surprising to him, visually. Hotland was extremely volanic, and he'd spent more than enough time there. Which will be awkward if he ever goes back there now. The aesthetic has been sort of double ruined, by now.

[fourthscribe]

Tanyuu's antennae twitch in surprise, her eyebrows lifting up. "Eternal lava? That seems...hazardous. Though I'm guessing it's less fanciful than the floating platforms I'm imagining at the moment."

[osteothropy]

Sans considers that for a few moments, scratching at the bandages on his neck.

"Nah, that's pretty much spot on, actually," he says, after thinking about it. "And these machines that just kind of rocket you between lava islands. Except, you gotta do them in the right order, or you won't get to where you're trying to go."

Monsters are stupid, sorry.