lostcarnival | ⇨ THE WYLDLANDS

Entry tags:

⇨ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

After some discussion with the River Dragon, it was decided that the Wyld Fae would travel separately, staging an assault against the opposite side of the mountain range while the carnival lead the Summer armies to the heart of the Huntsman's territory. Travel has been hard, but with the distractions provided by the Wyld Fae, the amount of hunting parties has diminished significantly - with so much effort focused on staving off an attack, there's barely anyone to watch for the small team of mortals, and the Court fae that follow behind them.

After two days of perilous travel through the mountains, the carnival and the Summer armies have reached the edges of the end - the ring of stone surrounding a toxic looking valley, filled with Wyld of all shapes and sizes and surrounded by black rock that sprouts both blossoms and streams of lava in equal measure. Down below, there is grim looking fog, thousands of enemies, and a towering fortress made of bone and hide.

To those attuned with the Hunt, the layout is obvious. The Huntsman rules from the fortress, while his many followers guard everything surrounding it. His voice is so loud here, it's hard to focus on anything but resisting without help. Still, without this intelligence, would any of them have made it this far at all?

Thunder cracks and water ravages the valley below, and the River Dragon and Thunder Bird can be seen leading their pack of Wyld Fae against the Huntsman, a battle of titans that seems more likely to result in one being crushed underfoot than anything else. Thankfully, the carnival's objective was never to fight - it was to lead. And now they have arrived, with hundreds of Summer Fae behind them. On a separate peak, the Summer Maiden emerges, leading her Summerland troops, while an unknown Court generals lead their armies from another.

The results of Wyld and Court Fae of this power clashing is near cataclysmic. More than to fight, the carnival is preoccupied with surviving... making it to the Ringmaster before her power can be used against them.

While the center seemed obvious from up on the rocks, from down below it is chaos. Enormous beasts of all elements wage war against the godlike magical strength of the Court. All the while, these impossibly bold changelings slip through the cracks of a war that never could have happened without them.

Navigation is difficult. The howling of the Huntsman's commands demands for those attuned to fight, not to travel. With monsters towering overhead, it seems like any wrong move could end them for good.

The cover of the battle is the best they can hope for. Normally they're not the quietest, most stealthy group--but even they don't match the sheer chaos that fae vs fae can cause around them.

It doesn't mean their path is easy, however. So once they've agreed to their mission and the battle begins overhead, Syrlya takes to the front of the movement--before falling into stealth and disconnecting from the group.

He's using his ability to teleport, sending himself to spots that allow him a chance to recon the battlefield without having to run around. Without the hunt pounding in his skull, his focus is clear.

And then he teleports back to the group, a constant alteration back and forth to give them updates on the patch they should take, dangers ahead while trying not to get accidentally crushed in the battle up above.

They formed their plan ahead of time- as much as they could, at least. Those affected by the hunt were becoming more and more focused upon simply staying on the right side as it were, but for now at least their connection helped to steer them the proper direction through the main grounds. Which was good-

Because frankly, it was absolutely as chaotic as he expected a battlefield to be. As the fae clashed above and around them, Gongenzaka could not help but feel as he did in his later days in Wismuth. Small, small enough to be trod upon perhaps, and absolutely without power. But then again power was not what they were here to contribute in the first place.

He presents his idea early- while their plan is being strung together. It is only with the quiet agreements of what is and isn't worth the risk then, that he goes through with it. Perhaps before his time in Polaris this would be impossible- Yuuya was one thing, but others? That required focus.

But it was a focus he trained, and with the same ease he employed in the final battle at Polaris, Gongenzaka moves forward not only physically but spiritually as well. In body, he moves according to his allies- following Syrlya's warnings, as well as the guidance of those with him while doing all he can to remain low. Zangetsu sits upon his back to make ever more certain he does not go astray- and if by any chance Gongenzaka does need to dedicate his full focus to what he is doing, there is the agreement that Zangetsu will do the 'steering'.

So his body does not falter. And with his soul, he therefore searches- desperately perhaps, for the spirit he recalls from within the dreamscape with Steven, Syrlya, and Peridot. He reaches out until he catches a sense of what he connected to before.

And when he finds it he grabs for the connection immediately, pulsing forth an immediate sense of calm lest the connection be just as quickly rejected. Calm. Dedication. And hope-

And gently, a plea of sorts. Do you remember them, Ringmaster? Please tell them you do...

Zangetsu keeps his sword drawn with his other hand wrapped tightly into Gon's vines. It would be Gongenzaka's duty to call out to the Ringmaster, and it would be Zangetsu's to protect him.

Some bit of flaming debris falls toward them from above, and Zangetsu swats it away with his blade.

"You can do it, Gon! She's gotta be in there, somewhere..."

He'll do what he can to boost the range of Gon's abilities, to try and hone them without losing focus on defending them both.

The closer they get to the heart of the Huntsman's territory, the louder his will grows in Lambert's mind. More than once now, he's had to stop, fangs grinding together as he sets his jaw and focuses his concentration on pushing the call of the Hunt back. At times, he's had to be physically pulled back from turning away, all with colorful cursing to follow once he realizes what he'd almost done.

All in all, what it means is that he's in a poor position to fight, all the energy he has right now mostly expended on wrenching himself away from the Huntsman's will. The Ringmaster must be doing the same ... otherwise, why isn't she out here with the rest of the Hunt too?

"Why does that bastard have to be so fucking loud," he hisses, hand to his head as he stumbles -- or is carried, depending on whether anyone's elected themselves for the duty of carrying his ass around -- along with the Carnival. For safety's sake, he's somewhere in the middle of the group rather than ranging out like he normally would, much like a very pissy princess with an escort. He tries to tamp his own consciousness of where they're going and what they're doing down, in case it serves to alert the Huntsman to their sneaking around, but he's also trying to sense the currents of that turbulent hive mind, see if it might give him some idea of where to turn.

"I know you can ignore him," Childermass does his best to encourage Lambert. He hasn't much left the witcher's side once it became all too apparent the pull of the Hunt was back. Perhaps not in full force, but enough to be worried. While he's sent out his shadow birds to look ahead, he's very much focused here and now instead of casting about for a path.

He keeps a hand on Lambert's shoulder as they carry on through the grim, embattled valley, steadying him whenever he might stumble. On the off chance he tries to bolt, it also happens to put him in the best position to simple shove him into a shadow and keep him from harm, though that's a point he hasn't bothered to make out loud.

Lambert's other shoulder is occupied by a Peribat. With all the chaos that comes from the titans clashing around them, it's better for her own safety to stay extra small and out of the way, and this way she can stay close at hand to help Childermass out by keeping an eye on their surroundings, while the magician keeps the witcher focused on fighting the Hunt's influence.

Plus, she is absolutely willing to bite Lambert on the ear if his focus should falter, and he somehow manages to get away from the group.

Apart from that she keeps her eyes and ears alert for incoming danger, at the ready to assist the others if they come across any obstacles that call for one of her inventions, or the vorpal sword.

"Would it help if I tried to be louder?" she offers half jokingly, the attempt at humor undercut significantly by the strain in her voice.

Sans has been using his teleportation liberally for scouting purposes up till this point, but upon entering the valley... well, he's been having the same problems as Lambert. He doesn't dare get too far away from the party at this point, lest he forget what he's here for and end up joining in on the fight.

He doesn't know what he's supposed to do. Any kind of fighting will just make it harder to resist, and if he can't split from the group...

He growls softly, pressing a hand to his head, the bones in his hands shifting and cracking slightly as they react to the repeating impulsive to take on his beast form. Anybody near him will probably be able to hear the occasional staccato if cracking and grinding bone as he tries to hold himself back. Overall, he's less inclined to openly complain about, though, like an animal hiding their pain.

Steven has been riding on Lion's back, mostly so that he can afford to flit out of consciousness without falling over. Gongenzaka has more consistent tracking abilities, but every so often he's trying to extend himself into the astral plane too, hoping that he can find her mind again.

If they are going to stop her from using her power, to help her remember who she is, then forming a connection with her is critical. As he looks up to see the battle raging around them, he can't help but think of the Cluster, moments away from destroying the Earth.

Though after what happened last time, the idea of going too deep and getting caught is terrifying.

"We'll shut him up," Rita murmurs in response to Lambert's complaints and Sans's obvious discomfort.

She moves with the group, watching for incoming threats as she does. Her gaze keeps getting drawn back to the direction of the creepy-ass fortress, however.

"So what do we do when we actually get there?" she asks the group. "Think we've got enough distractions for us to bust right in, or...?" Frowning, she looks up to see a pair of fae clash, their forms indistinct from a distance, but an unmistakable feeling of magic force resounds in the air around them.

Edited 2019-02-11 23:57 (UTC)

Peridot winces as two magical explosions of equal force crack off of each other in the distance, pausing before responding to Rita.

"Um... Well I can always try to slice us a way in, if we can't find a decent pre-existing point of access," she suggests uncertainly.

"Or... you could follow me."

It's a familiar voice, to some. In a swirl of fluttering pollen, a tiny purple pixie appears before the group, a hand raised to her mouth conspiratorily. She arrives straight out of the chaos, unseen until this moment.

"You want to get inside the fortress, don't you? I know we've had our differences, but I've got just the ticket."

Rin, astride giant-sized Kuro once more, glares at the DUMB LITTLE PURPLE LADY!!

"You've done nothing but make trouble for us! Why the hell would we trust you now?!"

~~Aw hell it's this shit again~~

Gongenzaka is still more focused on his communication reaching more than anything of course- but the appearance of Nightshade is hard to miss. It makes sense however- Nightshade had worked at the behest of the Rose Queen, who in turn was very much Summer Court. Theoretically, if the Summer Queen herself gave the order, Nightshade would thus also be here.

(He very briefly entertains the idea that the Rose Queen would try something, but the Summer Queen's own actions in that encounter make him fairly certain that won't be the case)

And he sure can't see Nightshade working for the opposite court...

He has his own thing to keep working on though. So with a grunt in the face of other's protests, he adjusts his back somewhat- a sign to Zangetsu that he's not going to be getting involved in this more than just following lead.

Contacting the Ringmaster and making sure they don't get nuked to hell and back seems more key for him to work on.

Gongenzaka gets a pat in response. Don't worry, man; he's not gonna get involved in Nightshade's little ploy either.

Peridot's initial reaction is just raw instinct; she squawks and basically falls off of Lambert's shoulder, changing back to normal before she hits the ground. She hisses like a cat, spitting little tongues of flame, and flashes her teeth and claws at the pixie.

She does hissing when Nightshade makes her offer, opting to squint suspiciously at the tiny fae instead. And then she scoffs. "Oh do you? Well I think I speak for the whole group when I say that exactly none of us are interested in accepting tickets to ANY event you might be running!" the gem snaps.

Steven jerks awake on Lion's back with a yelp, seeing whose arrived. Lion growls warily.

"Nightshade...?!"

"Pft! Well, we're on the same side, aren't we?" she says incredulously. "Why do you think I'm here? You're practically taking orders from my Queen..."

She glances at Steven and rolls her eyes.

"You can calm yourself, boy. For once, I'm not here for you."

"Of all the pixies to send along..." Childermass mutters, attention drawn away from Lambert, though he'll remain firmly at the witcher's side. "And just what is this ticket of yours? You know there's no way we're following you on a blind whim."

If they even follow her at all.

"Hhhooohhh no," says Amethyst, who's been settled defensively on top of Steven while he sleeps, shaped like a cat. Conveniently, this allows her to puff up her tail as soon as she catches sight of Nightshade, perching on Steven's shoulder and hissing. "No way. We are not following her."

Ignatius has been following along at a distance to try to avoid drawing attention, while still remaining close enough to defend them if necessary. Nightshade showing up seems to trigger his need to step up.

"Nightshade," he says. "No one in Summer told me anything about you."

"No need to get so defensive!" she says, putting up her hands. "It's just that everything is counting on you lot, and you're taking so long. I have a path set aside that cuts straight to the fortress. The Huntsman has the subterranean landscape well guarded, but I guess none of them felt the need to watch for someone as trifling little old me."

Peridot makes a disgruntled noise, lashing her tail unhappily. Ignatius's presence is at least some reassurance, though; Peridot doesn't trust Nightshade in the least, but Ignatius has probably worked with the pixie for far longer than any of the rest of the group has even been alive. So, she addresses him specifically.

"Do you believe what she's saying?" the gem asks skeptically. Nightshade has caused a great number of her friends an immense amount of pain, and she really doesn't relish the idea of working with her... But there was a time where she didn't really trust Ignatius either, and she absolutely does now. If he vouches for Nightshade, she'll go along with this.

"I am not inclined to trust her," he says. "But by the same hand, time is of the essence, and I cannot fathom what she would gain from betraying us."

Nightshade merely puts her hands on her hips, waiting.

"It's not as if I want the Huntsman to win," she says.

"The fae aren't prone to lying," Childermass points out. "Though that doesn't mean it won't be so dangerous to the point that it's just as deadly."

⇨ THE RED BEAST (MEGATHREAD)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject