Lost Carnival Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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lostcarnival2019-01-16 02:56 pm
ringleaders) wrote in lostcarnival2019-01-16 02:56 pm
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⇨ 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.
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. |
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"In other words, how we got this shit is a long fucking story!" He shouts back, finally raising his voice to actually address the Bird. "But the power the Huntsman's holding -- you're talking about the Red Beast, aren't you? The wood and its rot, birth and decay. The stories make it sound like it disappeared into the Wyldlands. The Huntsman must have found it."
And made it his own creature -- somehow. After all, if it's got a mind, it can be corrupted. Lambert blanches a little just thinking about the thought. A non-sentient Miracle is bad enough, but one that can hunt after whatever the Huntsman chooses? No thanks. Though that now raises the question of why he didn't just use that power against the Carnival before...
"How long has he had the power you're talking about?" he calls, knowing time is hugely meaningless to beings that live for centuries, but it'd sure be nice to have a ballpark estimate of whether they're up against a few thousand years of corrupting influence or not to know just how screwed they are.
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Also, it seems like Lambert is onto something more important. Steven glances at him, and then looks up to the Thunder Bird, mirroring the question with his gaze.
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"THIS POWER HE WIELDS IS NEW TO US. IT HAS SHIFTED THE LANDSCAPE WHERE HE RESIDES. IT IS A SIGN OF DARKER TIMES."
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“Darker times or not, you don’t plan on spending the rest of your lives in that tree while he fucks up the Wyldlands, do you? This is your home.”
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"YOU MAY ENTER OUR DEN," the Thunder Bird says. "THERE IS MUCH TO SPEAK OF."
The sky brightens as the clouds disappear, leaving an open path to the crack-shaped gateway down the tree's front.
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“Well,” he sighs, “Are we all going in the hole?” He glances at Ignatius— assuming the fae is serious about guarding them from further altercations, he can at least guess one person who’ll be going.
“Either way, we should probably know the rest of Summer know where we’re heading. The last thing we want is them to attack the tree while we’re in it.” This is going to be one of those ‘bigger on the inside’ deals, he just knows it.
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"WE'RE OKAY!" he calls, then looks at Lambert. "I'll go in. I think they really do just want to talk. Somebody will have to go get everyone else, though..."
Lambert, you don't have to go in the big scary tree if you don't want to. This child will do it for you.
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Childermass looks back the way they came, towards the rest of the party, then to the tree again.
"I can go get them if you'd prefer," he says, gaze shifting from the tree to Lambert this time. "Or go with Steven. You can get around just as well as I can now."
Or close enough to it.
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"Me an' Kuro wanna go in the tree! Lambert-san, you don't gotta go in if you're chicken."
Definitely running in before he can get yelled at for that.
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Lion abruptly warps into the party, and Steven hops up on his back. He glances at Peridot, extending a hand.
"Do you wanna come, too?"
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As discussions begin over who's heading in and who's not, Rita opts to weigh in on Lambert and Childermass's exchange. "I suppose whoever's going to update our allies ought to have one of these on hand," she suggests, holding up her own hand to indicate her texting ring. She doesn't really know who else has them, besides herself and these two. "Personally, I could go either way, but..."
Her gaze drifts to the entrance they've been invited to enter through. "I have to admit, I'm curious."
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Saying so, he’ll take a moment to yank out the magical scroll courtesy of Summer.
“Childermass, Rita, and Syrlya, stick with Steven and the rest. Try to ask them why the Hunt hasn’t gotten them yet, if you get the chance. I should probably stay out here anyway — I don’t know if I’ll be able to feel them in there.” He glances to the forest beyond the tree, then shakes his head and settles down on a root, pulling the scroll open.
While the others work on getting inside, he’ll rattle off the general gist — the Wyld Fae seem open to negotiation and they’ve been invited to their den. It’s too soon to say if they’ll fight with them, but in the meantime, it should be safe to proceed up to the tree. Could Summer’s forces keep an eye on their surroundings for potential sign of trouble? And tell any Carnival members that have hung back they’re clear to come forward and join the party if they want.
Message finished, the light sprite takes off.
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But since he's being bid to go with, that's what he'll do. He turns to go, only looking back one more time to tell Lambert, "Try not to find more trouble while you're out here." Which is more or less 'be careful'.
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But then again, when do they ever expect the worst. Oh well.
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"If they're inviting us to talk, then we'll show them how serious we are about this." They sure won't make a case by backing away at the last second. They're already facing potential death with the Huntsman, who means them even more harm.
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"Amethyst! We're one Shorty Squad member short!
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"Might be better if I got back to the others staying behind."
Plus he won't necessarily have to miss much of how talking with the Wyld Fae goes thanks to a certain 'twin' connection.
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They aren't exactly friendly, but they will spend the rest of the day making plans with the carnival diplomats. Who the carnival is are doesn't seem to matter much - they have access to powers of the Miracles, and with how wary these fae are of the Huntsman, they seem desperate to strike back and stop having to hide. Wyld Fae hate being the underdog.
Some of the more personable Wyld Fae will offer to let the 'small ones' stay in the tree during the night, but it is up to them whether or not they accept the offer. Regardless, the Wyld Fae, led by the Thunder Bird, will commit to joining the carnival on the rest of the quest, and potentially in trying to full some more of their still-free kin over to their side.
The next section of the journey will be made much easier by the Thunder Bird's brood, as they will be able to defend against Hunt attacks and skirmishes. By cooperating with them and the Summer armies, it will be possible to cut directly through the forest with only a few major fights, that the carnival members themselves will be mostly able to avoid. (Though you can make threads around the concept of close calls/almost getting mauled if you like.)
Upon Day 138, however, the larger presence of the Wyld Fae comrades will draw the attention of Hunting parties in the upcoming mountains. The next megathread will begin there.