EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES

[diceofthegods]

INTO THE WOODS

Click Clock Wood (Spring) by Grant Kirkhope

2:05 / 4:59

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Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

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After making your way through the tiny farming town of Ich and out towards the rim of a massive raised crater, you will find yourself being led through a narrow split in the canyon wall. Inside, glow worms cling to the ceiling and create the illusion of a thousand twinkling stars above the moistened rocks.

When you finally emerge, it is into an impossibly lush landscape of massive, redwood-sized tangling trees and a soft moss carpet. Life abounds here. It feels like an oasis of birdsong and animal activity.

A short walk leads you to the prepared party-grounds. A large clearing with quaint huts all around decorated with strange flowers for partygoers to rest or otherwise entertain themselves.

There appear to be several games and stalls set up, the sweet and savory scents of delicious food fills the air, and so do the patrons of the forest. Seemingly hundreds of Fae folk zip around and greet the newcomers excitedly by placing garlands of vines and crowns of flowers atop their heads.

Glowing flowers and toadstools light your way here. It also seems that even the animals get in on the festivities! Really, just about everything talks here. Almost everything, anyways! Talking to a tree stump might not yield many results but you're welcome to try.

Each entrant is also provided upon arrival a copy of The Rules. A rolled parchment that resists water or any other damage. It also prevents you from writing on it so you can't just do what you want.

The rules read as follows:

DO:
⁂ Accept gifts from the Fae.
⁂ Sample the food provided at the party ONLY.
⁂ Play games with the Fae.
⁂ Feel at ease to rest in the provided huts.
⁂ Keep tabs on your shadow lest it wander.
DO NOT:
⁂ Make a TRADE with the Fae.
⁂ Provide any personal items as gifts or otherwise to the Fae.
⁂ Provide your true name to the Fae.
⁂ Wander away from the designated party area.
⁂ Ascend any staircases you find in the woods.
OTHER ITEMS TO NOTE:
⁂ If you see an old woman hiking through the area, feel free to stop her and lie to her. The more brazen and obvious the lie the better. She appreciates this!

GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT

Amongst the games and attractions are a variety of fun possibilities!

GAMES

⁂ Battleship! (Fae Style!) A number of Fae will be hiding on a large grid of flowers. You guess the locations and if you are correct then you will win a small prize! It is a cup of nectar that refills endlessly, and numbs any pains you may have. This works even outside of the forest and can be taken home.

Every time you miss though, you receive a small 'curse.' Nothing harmful! Maybe you’re just rotating in place for the next hour, your ears become daisies, or you grow a tree out of your head? (Feel free to come up with your own silly ideas!) All of the curses will dissipate after a time or upon leaving the forest and none will do any harm or cause pain. The Fae are all about fun tricks, not hurting anyone!

⁂ Dress Up Darlings! You enter a booth and allow the Fae to decide your outfit! Upon the agreement that you'll wear it the rest of the party, of course, no matter how silly or ridiculous it is.

⁂ Bobbing For Onions! Yes, you read that right. Bobbing for onions. There are onions floating around... in water. You have to catch them with your teeth. The prize for success is a Bag of Onions. This bag never runs out of onions. They are always fresh and always onions. Not always the same kind of onion, but always onions nonetheless. This bag works outside of the forest and can be taken home.

⁂ What's In The Box? There is a box. There is something in it. Maybe it's frogs. Maybe it's slugs. Possibly bugs? Maybe apples. We don’t know. Stick your hand in the box and take a guess at what you’re touching! If you’re right, you win the contents of the box!

We'll let players decide via coin flip, rolls, or however they want if their guess is correct! Any items won though will be common, every day items like mentioned and nothing especially exciting. Unless you're really into frogs. Then it's your lucky day, apparently!

ENTERTAINMENT

⁂ Slayd & The Possums! Slayd is here and he’s throwing down the banjo tunes with his possum pals. Feel free to join him if you are musically inclined! The Fae will provide any instrument your heart desires! They can't grant you the ability to play it though if you don't know how.

⁂ The Crowning of the King of Misrule! Randomly chosen by the Fae, enter a lottery to be chosen as the King of Misrule for the evening. You will be dressed in a stupid outfit and granted Fae wings for the night! You also have the insatiable urge to play harmless pranks on people. The Fae will also give you a "Special Gift" at the end of the party...

FOR THE FOOLISH

Ahh, but there are rule breakers amongst us aren't there? If you choose to sneak away from the party, chances are nobody will stop you; however, you are now on your own in the Talahee Forest.

FIRST LAYER

Rak'tika Greatwood Theme ( Civilizations ) by Masayoshi Soken

4:34 / 5:15

▶︎

Click here to listen.

"Civilizations" prominently features a female vocalist. The lyrics are in the Ronkan language, and has not been officially translated.

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The first layer of the forest is very much similar to what you have already seen. Everything is coated in a thick mat of moss and trees wind away like a massive birds nest to form the canopy above. The faint sounds of animals can still be heard. Up here, you may encounter Fae who did not attend the party. They'll ask you your name and other personal details.

Best that you lie.

SECOND LAYER

Click Clock Wood (Autumn) by Grant Kirkhope

1:12 / 4:11

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

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The further in that you head, the darker the forest gets. It seems you are following a downward slope. The trees get bigger here, as do the insects and toadstools. Bioluminescence rules down here it seems. You may encounter stranger creatures here. Ones that will try to make very tempting trades for your personal belongings. Things that will seem like an amazing deal to you. They offer magical items of great power, or even personal effects from home.

Don't be fooled though. These objects are cursed, and are not at all what they seem. You have the distinct feeling of being watched at all times here.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Owlbear, Displacer Beast, Giant Badger

THIRD LAYER

Saint Mocianne's Arboretum (Hard) by Masayoshi Soken

2:50 / 5:10

▶︎

Click here to listen.

...hordes of aggressive plant life exposed to the strange substance stand between you and the information you seek.

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Are you getting smaller or is everything else getting bigger? Were Slayd here, he would have told you about the concept of Deep Forest Gigantism. The deeper you go - just like the ocean - the larger that the flora and fauna get.

You are dwarfed by the mushrooms here in the pitch darkness and only guided by the latent glow of the creatures and fungi that dwell here. Bugs the size of house-cats skitter in your wake. Are you sure you want to be here? Should you encounter anything larger, you’d best stay silent. Or run!

⁂ Possible Encounters: Giant predatory Elk (RUN), Rodents of Unusual Size, Extra Large Bugs

FOURTH LAYER

Poison Tree by Grouper

0:30 / 3:16

▶︎

Click here to listen.

'Poison Tree' is a meditation on the complexities of anger and the internal conflict it causes. It draws inspiration from William Blake's poem of the same name.

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The trees seem to clear out here as you reach the bottom of the forest. There is no light here so hope you brought a match. The landscape down here is a blanket of moss dotted with countless shallow pools. Looking into one of these pools, you will see your reflection... though it may look different in some way.

You will feel extremely compelled to reach down and touch the reflection in the water. Should you give in, you feel as though your world is turning upside down. You could receive memories not quite your own. Memories of a different version of you, even! (CRAU, Canon Update, or Canon AU!)

Yet, you will be experiencing them as your own. A long time could pass in your mind while only seconds have only elapsed in reality. Upon waking, you will find that you have been ejected from the party and the forest entirely. You find yourself at the entrance to the crater. Disoriented, and compelled not to re-enter, you have only yourself to blame as you must shamble your way home with this burdensome knowledge.

Notes

⁂ For the game prizes, we're using the honor system here! So long as you clear the roll then you can receive a prize with no mod permission needed.

- Battleship: If you roll a d20 above a 13, you can receive one of the nectar cups.
- Bobbing For Onions: If you roll a d20 above a 10, you can receive one of the bag of onions. En...joy...?

⁂ To sign up for The Crowning of the King of Misrule, comment here! We'll RNG the winner likely within a few days to a week to give folks time to participate if they want!

⁂ The plotting post for this event/November is up!

⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available to people read about updates, clarifications, and a poll to participate in!

⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!

⁂ Full Navigation ⁂

Comments

QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK

[diceofthegods]

[miniroth]

What happens if they give their name to the fae.

[diceofthegods]

Could be something. Could be nothing. If you give your true name to a Fae, it means they have some measure of power over you, but to what degree and detail depends on the fae and the person. Ie, if that does happen, contact Owen and we will figure it out together.

[miniroth]

It might be fun, I'll put a pin in it if a reasonable opportunity to do something phenominally stupid arises.

[sleepinglyra]

For the strange creatures offering tempting trades in the forest, are there any details about how the items are cursed? Do characters know the item is cursed after the trade has been made or is this something they find out later?

[diceofthegods]

It would be a surprise decided by the mods as to what kind of item is received. It is absolutely something they would find out later. Fae are tricksters and if you are accepting a trade, especially deeper in the forest, chances are, you're gonna have a bad time.

[sleepinglyra]

Intriguing! Sheliak suspects it's a bad idea but he can't resist a certain item from home. I look forward to playing with the consequences! Is there somewhere where we ask the mods about the curse or will that be revealed later?

[diceofthegods]

You can ask us here if you plan to obtain something and we will gladly provide the details!

[hammerbearer]

So mention is made of the older woman hiking through the area but I haven't seen any further way to interact with this element. I was wondering what's up there please!

[diceofthegods]

You can write her interactions in if you like, or handwave having met her. She is a minor luck diety, so lying to her as she enjoys will provide potentially good fortune!

[giftoffamily]

If I include some prop potions or other functional doodads on Gethen's costume, do they do anything unusual, or are they just potentially-tasty drinks? Assuming only for the duration of the event if yes, but correct me if I'm wrong!

[diceofthegods]

For now just tasty drinks! If you want to be assigned a cursed object obtained via trade with the fae, we are happy to facilitate!

[errant_knight]

Pspspsppsps mod Owy, can I have a government assigned fey please?

[stormfeathered]

Slayd leads him to a private clearing in the forest. The music from the fathering now a faint din behind them. He leaves Ravus for a moment to step further into the clearing. One can practically feel the flow of magic through this place, especially when it's quiet.

"Sorcha Bláthnaid. Your mortal is here to treat with you." Slayd's tone is far more formal than his usual drawl. After a moment, a radiant light grows within the clearing in front of him before exploding into a flurry of petals. A fae surges out of the space, flitting straight past Slayd and weaving quick lines around Ravus, examining him thoroughly.

"Ná hAbair! This is the one! Good heavens Slayd you bring this common knotweed before a flowering tree? All is well, we can fix it up! We can!" She? They? Sorcha titters excitedly. "Yes, yes. He will do. I think he will do nicely. He has a broken piece needs fixed yes? Ahh, I see it there. Poor dear. Never fear! Your radiant flower is here to rescue the bird with a broken wing!"

Slayd clears his throat.

"Meet Sorcha Bláthnaid. They're- they volunteered for to be your patron of sorts. I'm here to act as witness and make sure all parties enter a fair contract, as it were. To start, if you would give them your true, full name, as you already have theirs."

"-Oh but do call me your radiant flower, please!" Sorcha cuts in, settling atop Ravus' head.

"Well. Do you still wanna proceed with it?"

[errant_knight]

This place reminds him of home, where the floating, mountainous forests of Tenebrae grew thickest. Magic and life, older than recorded history, pulsing like a heartbeat beneath the foliage. It's a lovely place, but Ravus' focus isn't on the nostalgic pang in his chest.

Instead, his mismatched gaze has to rapidly follow about the darting fae that suddenly appears.

"Common knotweed?" He mutters under his breath as he's thoroughly examined (and feels a bit like a horse at show with the unknowable scrutiny he's given). He's supposed to be a prince, but he doubts it means much here.

"Err, right." He says when Sorcha sits atop his head like they very well belong there. Well, at least he's quite used to deference. So Ravus clears his throat, and speaks up. "Yes, I am still sure. Thank you for volunteering to assist me, my most radiant flower. I am Ravus Nox Fleuret, first son of Tenebrae."

[silver_soldier]

So Seph is accustomed to being lied to, and he knows the fae are tricksters so he's extra on his guard here. On the off chance one ran into the old woman, what would happen if someone cautious and earnest showed her their copy of the rules and asked her if the information about her was accurate? Seph isn't any good at lying, but he'd be inclined to try if it made someone happy...BUT he is wary that the information the fae has given them about the old woman is a setup and that lying to her is actually not something she likes at all. So he'd be inclined to check first, like a good boy.

[diceofthegods]

Slayd assures you that yes, you should absolutely lie to her, she is a very minor luck deity and you will have good fortune from doing so.

[silver_soldier]

Okay then! Once assured of this, Seph would make his best efforts to lie convincingly to her. And probably be terrible at it, but hopefully she gives A's for effort.

[orbicularis]

What happens if you, say, teleport one of the fae in the deep woods Away. Hypothetically.

[diceofthegods]

You would probably end up going with them! And you'd end up somewhere stupid.

Re: QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK

[miniroth]

can people sign up other people for the king of misrule thing. ..is there even a signup or does it just happen ICly at random

Re: QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK

[diceofthegods]

Yes they can! With the consent of the player OOC.

[avanture_time]

If you use the nectar as a sweetener in baking, etc, will the result still numb pain?

[diceofthegods]

Yes absolutely!