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. |
no subject
"We want to help you!" he calls up to the giant red eyes, obviously still a bit shaken. As he calls out, though, the eyes loom even closer - and a pair of giant, skeleton talons emerge from the darkness and plant themselves on the 'ground' at each of their sides. Everything shakes with the weight of it. Everything shakes with the weight of it, and Steven stutters. "Th-The Huntsman is there too, right? I..."
He can feel the presence there. More than this creature, that's what leaves him shaking. As Steven tentatively begins to reach out a hand, the environment seems to grow darker still, as something long and black slithers behind the silhouette of the supposed Beast. As it moves, Steven looks transfixed, the obvious threat numbed by his seeming paralysis.
All at once, the dark serpent lunges for him, inky fangs stretched wide.
no subject
She reacts to it's arrival on pure instinct, but maybe in a way, she's just doing what she wishes she'd been able to do back in Shabon. The snake strikes, and she lashes back with the raw intent to protect both herself and Steven by inflicting as much harm to the wretched thing as possible, yelling and throwing her hands out in front of her. The follow-through of the motion manifests her will, creating a ridiculous buster-sword sized version of the vorpal blade that she thrusts toward the creature as hard as she can. Fuck right off, Nagini.
no subject
If there is one thing he has an advantage in, it's size, and with his vines and body combined he moves, the former snatching at Steven to yank him back and the latter jumping forward to act as a human shield- all this while Peridot is slamming a massive dream-sword at the thing. His metal arm is raised for defense all the same.
Better safe than sorry.
no subject
Syrlya crouches to the ground and puts his hand to it. He's done it before, stretching the reality of his limits, so if it's all will he can do it again. Crystal vines like the Rose's erupt from the ground, except they seen to illuminate with light. Some of them strike up to catch the snake while others unfurl along the ground to try and light their surroundings--including the Beast and the Huntsman, if he can.
no subject
"Gon!" Steven gasps, realizing what Gongenzaka just did for him, and how easily that attack could have gone unstopped. He reaches out his hand, joining Syrlya's spell and pushing more of that Blue Rose power at the serpent, which holds back in return. Glowing blue roses unfurl on vines spiked with glassy thorns, the nest surrounding them thickening in a vibrant wall of defense. The sword has pierced the serpent's body, causing it to recoil, but it's far from enough to stop it.
"They have it," something not quite like a voice says - more like a collection of thoughts and intent. "The Blue Rose. The other parts..."
There is a certain reluctance to the sentiment, seemingly coming from the red eyed beast, as if it isn't sure that's what it wants. It pulls back, growing smaller in the group's mind's eye. A pair of feathery wings, glowing with internal red light, spread in the darkness.
"This is enough. Stop..."
But yet, the black serpent lashes forward again, his fangs clashing against the wall of thorns.
no subject
What follows is not at all a conscious decision; Peridot has always been kind of impulsive in high stress situations, but the subtler mental changes that her time in service to a wyld fae have caused have really only made that worse. Her fight or flight instincts are on a hair trigger, so when the snake continues to strike, and no sensible contribution springs to her mind? She goes full berserk beast-mode and turns into a dragon, crouching low and screeching at it defiantly, on the defensive and ready to spring to intercept if it happens to break through.
no subject
It is when that hesitance rises that his eyes widen, and he gasps. "...That feeling...did you catch that?" He asks the others, glancing at Steven- resident empath and all- in particular. "It feels...as if we are meeting with a collective, and yet within that..."
That hesitance- it was surely individual. And so rather than double down on ferocity, Gongenzaka feels out for that hesitant spirit among the wave around them, forcing himself to focus on them rather than upon what strikes the barrier. "...I, the man Gongenzaka...am going to try and 'speak' to them," he tells the others- and they have perhaps one or two seconds to make him do otherwise.
For if they do not, then as best as he is able, Gongenzaka reaches out for that more individual spirit with all he can muster, trying to reach out to them with
his spirit. Addressing them with firm, but warm emotions- They are here, to offer peace and freedom- they are here 'For them', rather than 'for Them'-
He fills his emotions with nothing but kindness and hope, and with his heart asks...
What do they want, truly, separate from the beings around them?
no subject
He doesn't miss the silhouette of wings. So the beast is a bird, is it?
no subject
Steven is putting his all into it, too, but the thorns will begin to shatter.
"We have to go," Steven gasps. He can feel the serpent's intent, and it's to kill. As shards of crystal breaks away from the vines, the red wings of the beast brandish once more, blowing the four of them back into the darkness before the serpent can get through.
All four of them will abruptly wake up.