ringleaders: (Default)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] lostcarnival2019-01-16 02:56 pm

⇨ THE WYLDLANDS

Who: Everyone pursuing the Huntsman.
When: Day 134 - Day 140
Where: The Wyldlands
What: Working as scouts from the Summer armies, the carnival makes a dangerous trek into the Wyldlands to find the Huntsman, defeat him, and save the Ringmaster from the Hunt. The day descriptions below are an outline, and details may change based on actions earlier in the week. Overall, though, it will keep the same general locations. You can make up encounters with Wylderkin at any time.
Warnings: Probably violence and gross Huntsman stuff.

HUNTING THE HUNTER

Upon first arriving in the Wyldlands, the carnival will find themselves in a scene much like the picture above - strange mountain ranges rise up around them, while thick forest cling to the land between. Every so often, giant silhouettes of Wyld Fae will fly overhead. Thankfully, the Summer Fae have picked an area with plenty of cover to hide in to begin their infiltration, and as the carnival is arriving via teleporation, there will be squadrons of Summerland and Summer Court Fae spreading out and concealing themselves within the trees. They will be following the carnival's trail as they move deeper into the Wyldlands, looking for their guidance to avoid the maw of the Hunt.

The carnival Supervisors will be given several golden scrolls that unfurl into small light elementals. These will transmit information between the Summer armies and the carnival at speeds similar to sending a text message. They takes various forms, but most of them are abstract motes of light with wings and tails. When delivering messages, they take the form and voice of whoever gave the message, like a custom hologram that disappears immediately after finishing.

After the carnival has been debriefed one more time, they will be sent off ahead to begin their scouting duties. Through a mixture of augury and expertise, the Summer Fae have narrowed down an area the Huntsman should be, as well as designated a general route that will mostly have ground cover. Who knows if it will stay that way, though, with how quickly the Wyldlands change. Much like in the Summer Court, time here is subjective - all sense of time varies between individuals, and the only solid way of knowing when a day is over is to have the light from the sky disappear. All time pieces will perform erratically while here.

The carnival will still need to eat and rest, as well, which means that they will have to figure out the best times to set up camp. They have sufficient rations, at least.


► DAY 134: The carnival heads deeper into the forest on the first day of their scouting mission, told to head for a giant tree that they can see on the horizon. Apparently, this tree is a landmark that will remain consistent for the time being. Someone will have to check above the canopy every so often to keep everyone on target, which risks gaining the attention of flying Wyld Fae. There are plenty of Wylderkin around (lesser Wyld Fae that behave more like standard fantasy animals) but overall the journey through this section will not be hugely perilous, as long as they remain cautious and hidden. There will be a Megathread on this day, dealing with some optional and only mildly important Summer Court NPC interactions.

► DAY 135: Early during the next day of travelling, the forest will begin to fill with more and more magical fungi until giant shrooms have almost completely replaced the trees. At first they will seem innocuous, but as their presence becomes more inescapable, it will gradually become apparent than many of the mushrooms are poisonous to the touch - and eating them will be far worse! Those with empathetic connections to plants may be able to determine which are poisonous and which aren't, while some fungi may even have beneficial effects, if they get lucky enough to find and identify them. Generally speaking, though, there are few non-plant creatures around here, due to the fact that everything is toxic, including the swampy water that covers large sections of the ground. There will be no mod directed interactions during this period, besides handling general investigations.

► DAY 136: During the middle of this day, the carnival will finally reach the giant tree. On one hand, the plant-life has become relatively safe again. On the other, the giant tree is the lair of several neutral Wyld Fae who probably won't like the carnival's presence. On the other other hand, maybe those Wyld Fae might be willing to help or offer them directions? It's up to the group to decide if they want to attempt diplomacy, or to stealth past the tree and find their own way. There will be a Megathread on this day, based on however the team decides to handle it.

► DAY 137: Past the area surrounding the big tree, the lush foliage of the forest will begin degrading until nothing is left but dark naked trunks filled with glowing pods of various sizes. It's here that those with a connection to the Hunt will start to get a sense of the Huntsman's presence, and will be drawn in a vague direction. Unfortunately, this will also be their first major brush with the Hunt itself. Hunt patrols skirmish with neutral Wyld Fae in this forest, and the collateral damage of their warfare can be seen all over. The carnival will want to either map out a path through the trees that the fighting can be avoided for the sake of the Summer troops, or give them enough data to be able to handle the threat. How this portion goes will partly depend on the outcome of the previous day's Megathread.

► DAY 138: The forest will open up into the beginnings of a mountain range, with flowing water, luminescent plant life, and the occasional cluster of crystals sprouting from the earth. There are large parties of Hunt controlled Wyld Fae patrolling this area, and so making it through will require careful navigation. As the path becomes more and more mountainous, it will be possible to find routes that mostly avoid the patrols - this information will need to be communicated back to the Summer troops. There will be a Megathread here dealing with a Hunt patrol encounter.

► DAY 139: The mountains will continue to steepen, and the crystal formations will grow more huge and consistent. The air is always cloudy, and the air condition is bad, making it harder to breathe. Weather will become more and more unfavorable the higher into the mountains the carnival gets, with cold winds and lightning that frequently strikes the crystals and causes them to send out bursts of destructive energy. Paths will occasionally crumble. There is still a heavy Hunt presence, here, though they keep to safer trails - the best way to avoid them may indeed be taking the most dangerous routes. It's probably better than being mauled to death by beasts, though. Some distant mountain tops look like the might be volcanoes. There is almost no plant-life here, besides the most stubborn of brambles. By this point, the pull of the Huntsman has grown much stronger.

► DAY 140: The sky clears enough to show a deep red skyline. Barren cliffs are punctuated with rivers of lava, and paradoxically vibrant trees and foliage in erratic spurts. The those in the carnival with a connection to the Hunt will find themselves drawn to a valley in the center of the rocks, absolutely filled with Wyld Fae and other slaves gathered from around the multiverse. This will be the final encounter, and the carnival may have to trust in their Wyld Fae disguises to make it through. There will be multiple Megathreads here, detailing the encounter with the Huntsman and bringing this log to an end.
starseedling: (there goes my self esteem)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-24 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh," he says. He isn't sure he can argue with her. He has no idea what they did to make it work like this, and the idea of tampering with it having her be shattered is pretty horrifying. His tail flicks back and forth as he looks at the pink trails, his hand falling over his gem, left exposed by his armor.

"They took my gem away for a few days. I don't really know what they did, either."

stompadour: (DISDAINFUL LIP CURL)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-24 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
"...Peridot told me about that," says Jasper, somewhat awkwardly. It had horrified her at the time, and the idea still does. Her eyes linger on Steven's exposed gem, and her brow furrows. "But they just-- put it back afterwards."
starseedling: (i'm never wearing pants again)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-24 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
"No... Yuya and Lambert helped me steal it back," he says, glancing away. The whole thing had been very stupid of him and he was very embarrassed at the time, but maybe it needed to be done. "I don't know if they would have given it back without that. Maybe."

He looks down at his gem.

"But it was still connected to me... like how some of the others had their tails separated from their butts. The stuff they could do with gems was... really weird."
stompadour: (? ? ? ?? ??? ?)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-24 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, that's news to her; Jasper's eyebrows go right up, and she stares at him.

"What?? And you just walked around without it?"
starseedling: (he helped me when no one did)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-24 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"Apparently!" he says, uneasily. "There was just a big indent where it was before... I couldn't really see it through the suit, but when I took that off it was even weirder."

"I never thought I'd see that."
stompadour: (???)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-24 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Jasper's face twists into a grimace that shows a WHOLE bunch of her identical rectangular teeth. "That's sick," she spits.
starseedling: (but everyone is so stupid)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-29 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah," Steven agrees, exhaling. "It is. I'm sorry that you're having to go through this stuff, too."

He knows it probably doesn't mean anything to her, but some new context to her situation has him feeling even more sympathetic than he did before.
stompadour: (pic#12875256)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-29 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hnh," says Jasper, eyeing him sort of suspiciously. She doesn't argue, though, so that's... something? She looks away. "Like I said. It doesn't hurt."
starseedling: (the creepiest pasta is lasagna)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-30 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"...This probably seems really unimportant right now, but..." he starts, uncertainly. "You talked to Blue Diamond, right? Before she left. Did she tell you about what her contract was for?"
stompadour: (?)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-31 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
Jasper looks back at him sharply.

"What? Yes. Why?"
starseedling: (but everyone is so stupid)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-31 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
He really doesn't know how to say this. His anxiety is palpable. He looks away.

"It... um..." He rubs his hair. "It might not be necessary anymore."
stompadour: (i dont understand this board game)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-31 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
She straightens up, ears pricked, surprised -- and then narrows her eyes, leaning down a little to peer at him with intense suspicion.

"What does that mean?"
starseedling: (please stop)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-31 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Amethyst... Amethyst went home for a while, and she saw things from our future," he says. Damnit, everything Jasper does makes him more nervous about talking. Part of him feels like he shouldn't be saying this at all.

"And... Rose Quartz... turned out to not be who everyone thought she was," he says. It's tempting to stop there, but that would just be cruel. He pushes himself on. "Rose Quartz... was Pink Diamond. The whole time. She shapeshifted, and pretended to be someone else... because she wanted to protect the Earth."
stompadour: (???????????? ?)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-31 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
Jasper just stares at him, uncomfortably intense, for an uncomfortably long time. Honestly, it's just because what he's saying is so nonsensical that she has to take that time to get it lined up in her head so she can even understand it.

"...That's ridiculous," she says at last. "Why would... That doesn't make any sense."
starseedling: (i'm never wearing pants again)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-31 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
He tries not to look at her because it's honestly way too nervewracking.

"I know," he says. "That's what I thought, too."

He runs his hand over his belly, wondering.

"But... when my gem got taken out... I saw it from the outside. It was... shaped differently than all the other Rose Quartz. And even Lilith told me that it was a diamond... I thought it was some kind of fae magic that did it, but with what Amethyst says... I know she wouldn't lie about something like this."
stompadour: (???)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-31 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
"That..." Jasper shakes her head. Her ears are pinned back, now. "But it has to be a lie. That's impossible. Rose Quartz opposed Pink Diamond. If they were the same person why would Pink Diamond have tried to destroy the rebels??"
starseedling: (eating a single dorito)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-31 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't know," Steven sounds, sounding just as lost. "I guess... so she could keep up the act, and make the other Diamonds think she was doing her role the way they wanted. She faked her own shattering so she wouldn't have to anymore."

He looks at his feet.

"You don't have to believe me. I know it sounds crazy. I just thought... you deserved to know. She was lying to you, too."
stompadour: (???)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-31 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
Jasper paws the ground with her hind hooves, seemingly unaware she's doing it. He seems sincere, she can admit that, but what he's saying is incomprehensible.

"Your amethyst must have gotten something wrong," she insists. "This doesn't make sense."
starseedling: (mommy is it true we live in a society?)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-01-31 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't think so," Steven says, shaking his head a little. "But... I understand why you'd feel like that."

He's genuinely not out to get anything from this. Even if this seems anticlimactic, he doesn't want to push her.

"Maybe sometime soon we'll get to go home, and we can talk about it then."
stompadour: (nothins coming up jasper)

[personal profile] stompadour 2019-01-31 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
She shakes her head. Maybe sometime soon they'll get to go home? No -- she's been determined since the Carnival took her on that she wouldn't leave until she'd paid off a second contract, to fulfil the request Blue Diamond had made. If the Ringmaster can no longer grant such requests, then...

Well, then going home isn't an option, for Jasper. If she can't redeem herself by bringing bank Pink Diamond, then she has nothing to go back to.

But if what Steven is saying is true --

Well, it can't be.

"No." Her fists clench. "I'm only going back if I can restore Pink Diamond."
Edited 2019-01-31 05:51 (UTC)