lostcarnival | ⇨ WYLD HUNT

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⇨ WYLD HUNT

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 100
Where: Shabondamashii
What: The Wyld Hunt unexpectedly crashes the Shabon's dimension, leaving chaos in its wake. Those that have been with the carnival for a while might recognize it as the personal army of a fae called the Huntsman - also known as one of the Ringmaster's age old rivals, whom she dethroned thousands of years ago. The last we heard of him, he was pursuing the carnival, and it turns out he found them faster than anyone thought.
Warnings: Violence, theoretical cannibalism.

THE AUTUMN MOON↴

There isn't any warning. You might not even notice what's happening at first, with the approach of the threat happening as spontaneously as a zombie uprising. You're minding your own business, enjoying Shabon, when a random alien charges you on foot with sudden and aggressive intent. Whether or not you can throw them off or defeat them, you'll soon find they weren't alone. An entire army is descending upon the city now, and the carnival is the target.

► THEY ARE LEGION: The Wyld Hunt comes in all shapes and sizes, with beasts and men from all kinds of different universes having been caught up in its sway. Those that have been in the Hunt for a long while have more or less completely lost themselves - they now function only as part of a pack, hunting whatever the Huntsman wishes and consuming what their prey leaves behind upon death. Some members of the Hunt are newer and more unsure, but they are all a part of a psychic hive mind that compels them to move as a unit. Everyone in the Wyld Hunt instinctively know what the Huntsman wants them to do, even if they never speak to him.

Their skills, powers, and physicalities are all over the board, but there are a notably large quantity of Wyld Fae among them, often being used as mounts by more powerful humanoids within the Hunt. When NPCing members of the Hunt for threading purposes there is a lot of flexibility to what you face, including entities and beasts from your own worlds - provided they are creatures capable of functioning independently.

► HUNT OR BE HUNTED: When set upon by the Hunt, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Unfortunately, in that situation, the only way to beat them is to join them. Beginning to hunt alongside the others will immediately pacify them against you. As soon as you start to follow, the thrum of the Huntsman's will will start to take over - the more you hunt, the harder it is to turn away from it. If you do stop, or successfully oppose the compulsion, they will be quick to set upon you again. Like the others, you will feel the craving to consume any individuals the Hunt has felled - you must resist this, because once you have eaten the prey of the Hunt, you'll be trapped within it indefinitely.

► WORN OUT WELCOME: The people of Shabon are used to crisis, but this is a bit beyond what even they are prepared to tolerate. The Hunt will be causing collateral, both of the human and the material sort. While the workers in Shabon have very well practiced escape procedures in the event of something like this, the other guests are not as fortunate. Plenty of them are capable of fighting back on their own, but they will not always be capable of avoiding the hordes. The longer this goes on, the worse it will get. Eventually, the Shabon workers will realize who the Hunt is after and start actively trying to turn carnival members over to them in order to make it stop.

► IN TWO PARTS: Tragically, this turn of events and the realization that she's managed to put everyone in danger once again will be what finally causes the Ringmaster to split in two. One side will immediately become disinterested in using violence to counter this problem, while the other will be desperate and reckless. This will also completely screw her ability to get anyone back to the carnival in time. There will be at least one Megathread dealing with her actions during this.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a conflict the carnival is meant to survive, not win. The main point of this is to get the plot rolling in a new direction, so don't worry about figuring out how to defeat the Huntsman, because in this moment it basically won't be possible. Have fun threading out the crisis, and see where it leads. I wanted to be up front about that, as opposed to letting everyone grasp at straws to prevent a result that will be inevitable, even if the details will shift.

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Rita scrunches her brow as she considers the fae's words.

"...Why?" she asks after a moment. "Wouldn't it be better for you if we all got wiped out by their forces?" Especially if the Huntsman is an ally of the Courts...

She doesn't dismiss the idea immediately, though. Things really do look bleak, and while Rita doesn't know what the Ringmaster intends to do to counter this attack... she's not sure even she has the power to save everyone from this.

"And... if you 'claim ownership'... what does that mean for us, exactly?"

"I don't know," he says, glancing to meet Rita's eyes and then looking away again. "I would have to figure something out if I made it past the deal part. I don't have much interest in owning any of you..."

His expression is grim.

"But my other half might."

Strange opens his mouth, like he's about to make a valuable contribution before getting nuked by the posting order, but Ignatius's words make him change his tone entirely.

"Shit. You're still split, aren't you?"

This is now the biggest problem. "Someone find me a reflection, I can try to scry for the other Ignatius."

"You're still--" Yuya's of the same mind as Strange: they really need to find his other half, before he goes rogue or--or dies in all this chaos.

"I came from a mirror, it's over there!" He points back the direction he came, looking between everyone to gauge who's going to come along to try and locate his other half, before his gaze settles on Ignatius.

"I--I don't want to be owned by any Fae." He says it plainly, and he doesn't consider his contract with the Ringmaster an ownership at all. "But we definitely can't agree to it if you're going to change your mind about it when you're one person again. We have to find him."

He says that as much for himself as anyone else here, although he doubts anyone's jumping at the chance to be owned by the Summer Court.

Oh. Great. Rita knew Ignatius had split, and knew it might still be the case, but with everything happening, she wasn't thinking at all about the other one.

"You what?" she can't help but say when Yuya mentions coming out of a mirror, but she doesn't wait for an answer, as that couldn't be farther from the top of their priority list at present.

Folding her arms, she frowns. "I can't believe I'm even considering this, but..." She grimaces. Yeah, this really is the last thing Rita wants to think about. "The Ringmaster's contracts are for limited periods of time. If -- and I'm only saying if -- we agreed to something like that, would it be possible to make a short-term agreement?" As opposed to the usual lifetime deals the Summer Court seems to default to.

"Yes," he says, focusing on Rita now. He doesn't seem that concerned about his Light side, or maybe he's just too lethargic to care. "I could make it short. But I would have to have my Heart returned. No Fae would accept my state as anything less than a threat."

"We all know my stance on the matter," says the person who has constantly and obnoxiously advocated for Ignatius to get his Heart back. "I'll scry for the other Ignatius and see if I can find a reflection to open a doorway when I spot him."

And so, Strange heads off in the direction of the mirror that Yuya spotted and starts casting the magic he said he'd do. It's a little bit awkward trying to scry for half of someone, but after a week or so of practice, Strange has a pretty good idea of how to do it.

"The heart thing might be a little bit difficult to arrange given all the chaos that's going on right now!" Peridot snaps. She's trying to listen, but her ears are also angled towards some of the destruction happening nearby, and her panic is understandably rising. She holds her hand out behind her, palm up, and makes a beckoning gesture. "Yuya if you're not going to make the call, give me the radio back!"

Yuya watches Strange go, although he's still listening to Rita and Ignatius' explanation. Would any deal even hold up if only one half made it...?

He can't dwell for long before Peridot snaps at him, and he jolts slightly as he remembers what he was holding.

"S--sorry! I'll do it now!" He turns around so his back is to the group, turning on the radio and switching to the public channel so he can make the call.

Meeting Ignatius's gaze, Rita's eyes widen and the color seems to drain from her face as she comprehends the full implications of what's being proposed. Of course. His heart... Carrying out this plan would mean agreeing to give Ignatius everything he needs to secure his freedom from the carnival. Not only that, but it would put their very souls at his mercy... even if for a limited time.

She'd have to trust Ignatius, like Strange and Yuya apparently do. But she...

Rita's arms fall to her sides, and she fidgets with her hands before balling them into fists.

"Why are you proposing this to me?" she asks suddenly, having only just fully realized he doesn't seem to be addressing the others as directly. "I'm not an authority here, and if you want someone who'll give you the go-ahead, you know you've got that bozo," she points out with a glance at Strange.

"You have the most reason to distrust me," he says. "I'm not trying to trick you, and I don't want to give the impression that I am forcing this arrangement on anyone. I am telling you what I am capable of doing. You can do with that what you will, but I would prefer if you survived this."

Yuya doesn't exactly make a long and wordy message, his gaze drifting up over the crowd before he turns back around. This time he offers Peridot her radio back as he looks between Rita and Ignatius.

"... I believe you." At least, that this part of him isn't trying to trick or capture them. He's apprehensive about making any decision right now, though. They don't have terms, they might be forcing this on everyone in the carnival, or--wait.

"Where's the Ringmaster?" He says suddenly to nobody specific. "She can get us to safety in the carnival, right?"

She's never left people behind before, so there's a sudden expectation in him that she'll grab them and run like she has before. Surely she's noticed what's happening... right?

Peridot growls, low and uncertain, watching Rita and Ignatius with a dubious expression.

"Lucky for you all, I am an authority here," she cuts in finally, twitching her tail impatiently. "I'll try to reach the Ringmaster. You all need to focus on getting him--" she jabs a claw in Ignatius's direction, "--in one piece again. This half might be trustworthy and willing to help us, but that doesn't mean the rest of him is going to be so keen and cooperative!"

Knowing what she knows about what triggers people to split, and having been in a somewhat similar position to Ignatius before, it's not too hard to figure that this Ignatius's helpful intentions might be separated for a reason.

Syrlya twists quickly on his heels to face Strange, his body tense for a fight even before he arrives. At Strange's declaration, he raises a brow.

"So you've led them right to me? Well, I suppose that makes my job easier." His attention snaps up the way he came, and as soon as he sees the group in range he casts one of those clock-like circles on the ground--this one designed to slow their pursuit through it, making them easier targets.

"I'm sure the Ringmaster could," he says to Yuya. "But if the Huntsman is here... I anticipate his intention is to slay her. They have been mortal enemies since before I was created."

He makes a helpless gesture.

"So, it really depend on if she survives." He looks over at Peridot. "My other half is extremely uninterested in rejoining, for the record."

"Yeah? Well if he wants his... I mean, if you-- Rrrgh. If you BOTH want YOUR heart back, he better start being interested!" she snaps, looking up from fiddling with her radio.

She's going to turn around and make a frantic call to the Ringmaster now.

Rita takes some time to mull over the fae's words. He's appealing to her because she distrusts him? That's... stupid. He can't...

And yet, she doesn't quite doubt him. Even though there's a part of her that wants to dismiss him, and another part that was only recently shaking with fear at the thought of what he might do to them... when he says he wants her to survive, she believes him. Even if she doesn't understand it...

"If we think about it the other way around... if we can get this half to agree to favorable terms, then the whole may be obligated to follow through," she begins, then stops... and lets out a deep sigh.

"But if we do that, we won't exactly be negotiating in good faith..." Which a united Ignatius might resent, and furthermore, Rita doesn't care for it. If Ignatius is willing to take the hard road by presenting this deal to the one person who hates him most, what would it say about Rita if she took the easy way? "Fine. Peridot's right. Even if the other Ignatius won't make it easy, we need you back together."

Edited 2018-09-18 17:22 (UTC)

Yuya wants to argue that of course she's going to survive, but--the chaos has thrown him off, and the gravity of everything fills him with just enough doubt that he can't quite confirm it even for himself--not until he hears from her. He covers his mouth, looking down as it feels like something pulls inside him... but he takes a deep breath and shakes the thought away.

"He won't get her that easily." That, at least, he can feel confident about. She's the one who stood against him all this time, isn't she.

"We'll talk to the other you. Your soul is probably split, and even if he doesn't like these feelings--you know what it's like to be broken that deeply. It's not good to stay this way." Especially when his heart has already been severed. He looks back up at Ignatius. "If we have to, does everyone have to be yours? Or can you protect the carnival as... an extension of one of us being yours?"

"I could only fight for leniency against those under my care," Ignatius says simply, though he's looking at Rita as he does. He doesn't have a lot to say to her suggestions, but he's actually pretty interested to hear her work through the problem. "Which means that every individual would have to make the choice for themselves."

So, don't try martyring yourself or anything, Yuya.

"If getting our Heart back is a possibility, then he could probably be convinced. He wants that more than anything."

The good thing about them being at a spa is that there's water everywhere. And in the current chaos, pools have been splashed, basins and vases have been overturned, and drinks have been dropped. Even considering the limited zoom capabilities of his scrying, finding a reflection near the other Ignatius is easier than Strange expects. And now that he knows the reflection exists, it's easy enough to magically link them.

He can only hear snippets of the conversation: Strange is mostly focused on the magic. But he's well aware of the gravity of the situation. Nevertheless, there's definitely something that the rest of the team needs to know before they go deal with other Ignatius.

"Do we have a plan?" he calls out, still standing in front of the mirror as he finishes up and holds the magic. "Because I've found the other Ignatius and he's armed."

"Come on, commander," Strange gently teases. "We can handle this."

Especially now that there's someone else here who doesn't have pointy breakable bits all along their insides.

Syrlya's magic catches the group. As they're slowed down, Strange tosses the fireball he's summoned. He continues muttering a spell as two more fireballs shoot from his hands in the vicinity of Syrlya's spell. Two of them hit the already on fire wolf straight on, while the other fireball eats some dirt as the flames lick their enemies' feet.

Syrlya becomes caught in place, although not simply to let Strange make the first blow so he doesn't get incinerated getting in the way. It's what he calls him that makes Syrlya stop, turning his head to him with surprise. It sound foreign, and he's sure Strange has never called him that before. He doesn't remembering telling him, not so much because he never would but because of how easily he loses track of the details of himself he's left behind. Especially when lately it's been so often drunk.

Or maybe it was just a lucky guess.

There's a faint distance to his expression, before he simply purses his lips with a tense not before snapping his attention back to the hunters. He teleports forward, shield pushed forward as he thrusts his sword up in an attempt to pierce one of them in the chest.

It's partly a lucky guess, partly hazy memories of the two talking about Syrlya's world months ago, partly Strange giving Syrlya shit about what he views as Syrlya never shutting up about being Lambert's second in command.

Strange completely ignores Syrlya's brief moment of confusion as he kneels to the ground and starts casting a different spell. The ground shoots up from where he's kneeling, spiking up in a jagged, wall formation. At the moment, the earth wall is only two or so feet high: the wall spikes up and moves forward as Strange tries to block off the exit.

Syrlya succeeds, and the hunter lets out a cry of pain: he's alive, but not doing so hot. One of the wolves goes for Syrlya, as he attempts to chomp down on his ankle. The other hunter, the wolf that's on fire, and the third wolf start making their way towards Strange.

Peridot glances up from her radio with a panicked look; she has a vice-grip on the device. She has some bad news of her own to go alongside Strange's.

"She's not answering her radio. The Ringmaster-- I'm not getting any response from her! It's--"

She breaks off. She can't be having a meltdown in front of these guys when she's supposed to be the supervisor here! She takes a deep breath.

"I'm sure it's fine though, she's probably just on another call! Definitely, that is what she is up to, she's definitely on another call and NOT busy fighting her sworn enemy to the death, I'm sure of it because I'M A SUPERVISOR!" Peridot babbles, plastering a fake smile on her face.

Syrlya yanks his sword back forcefully, his gaze going sideways slightly. Just before the wolf manages to latch onto his leg, his whole body seems to warp in and out of form, magic condensing as the wolf phases right through him. It's only brief, so Syrlya quickly twists back to put more distance. It's easier to pivot than simply go straight backwards, it makes it harder to the wolf to immediately follow--and it puts the rest of the battle in his periphrial vision.

He sees the three making their way to Strange, and he loses focus on himself. He draws his sword hand out to cast again at the ground below them, trying to strike them raw with magic and hopefully inhibit them with an electrocuting feeling.

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⇨ WYLD HUNT

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