⇨ 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

[whattaprick]

It does taste terrible, or it would, if Lambert wasn't already used to his own shitty culinary skills. In any case, he grunts at the explanation and focuses on picking the fish clean of whatever's salvageable, then discarding the bones nearly to the side, to be cleaned up later. What's really impressive is how quickly he does it, but that does mean he's out of things to occupy himself with, and the fish still isn't done. He doesn't have any alcohol on him, either, so...

Conversation it is.

"Looks like your face healed up all right." He can see it pretty well from here, especially with the fire casting its light on Childermass. "What happened with that, anyway?"

[atouts]

Well, he's already given up hope for a quiet evening without having to talk to anyone, so...

"Well enough," Childermass agrees, "And it was the stage manager. Miss Ashleigh and I went to find him while we were all in the vampire's realm." He doesn't want to call it hell. It's really weird, thinking he's been to a hell, so he just won't say it. "He attacked, but a knee to the face was as bad as it got."

[whattaprick]

Lambert thinks about that mental picture for a moment, and can't help barking a laugh in response, because ... what else do you do about traumatic experiences but laugh at them once they're over?

"Nice hit. Didn't see it coming, did you?" Imagining bony, flashy Joker throwing down like a street thug is hysterical, honestly. Not that it's all that impressive to hit Childermass in the first place, but from a certain perspective you had to admire how cleanly Joker would have had to land one to do that to his face. "The doctor and the head cook didn't give us as much trouble. Warden was a different story, though."

Said with super casualness. No big deal, happens all the time.

[atouts]

"I didn't think he would attack me," Childermass will admit that much. Or at least he assumed any attack that came would be directed at his neck once he realized Joker was a vampire, but having a knee to the nose was probably the better outcome there. "A mistake I won't make again."

Although he honestly hopes it won't ever come down to Joker trying to attack him, like, ever again.

But moving on, as Childermass hardly wants to dwell on his own minor screw ups, mention of the warden earns a quirked eyebrow from him.

"Is that so?"

[whattaprick]

"Might not be able to fix it next time," Lambert agrees -- though whether he's thinking about another knee to already-injured nose, or something more permanent and potentially fatal is anyone's guess. Could be about even odds.

With nothing else to do with his hands while the fish cooks, Lambert pulls the dagger out again, running his hands along the blue-sheened surface and checking the edge for nicks as he speaks.

"Vampire we were up against had an affinity for controlling beasts. Just so happens the Warden ended up under her influence." What with being a werewolf and all, or maybe just because he's so animalistic already? Lambert's been wondering about that, wondering if the fledgeling vampires they have running around will display the same talents or not -- and if so, what implications that could have for the rest of the Carnival's members. If it's the damn Warden's job to defend them, and he couldn't resist the lure ... hell, he can put down workers if he has to, but he'd rather not.