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

[zodiheart]

"I was. It is easy for me to find joy in the action, that is, in cooking and baking. The decorative aspect is perhaps more than is needed for the final products, but I have found that the visual spectacle communicates something it otherwise would lack. That is, the sheer pleasure of serving something beautiful as well as delicious and nourishing to one I care for." The smile on his face is small, proud of himself but not egotistical. "Perhaps you may understand?"

Elidibus runs the tips of the fingers of one hand across the palm of the other in slow, delicate circles. How can one explain that his tether to his physical form is something tangible? That being here, being real, allows him to do far greater things than he could within the Simulation?

Instead, he nods and takes the praise for what it is. And resolves to explain simply. "Thank you, it gladdens me to know you believe so. In truth, having a true body serves to make the effort far easier for myself than it otherwise would. Save for sheer power, it has been the same in almost every area."

[parer]

"Indeed." It's not very open, as Ignis very rarely is when it comes to such positive emotions and to those who are mostly still strangers (in his mind), but he does smile. "The visuals are as important as anything else when it comes to a meal. Of course, to the ultimate goal of survival, there are times when one cannot be fussy... But the best meals feed your eyes and mind as much as your stomach."

It's one of those little things he's always quite liked, as he got better and better with cooking. The appeal of making it come into the proper arrangement on a plate or in a bowl, the colors that went into it....

Baking is an even stronger arena for that idea, in his mind. There's already so much effort put into making sure it all comes out perfectly.... dressing it up only makes sense.

As for everything else... He tilts his head to the side thoughtfully. "That is right... I had always noticed that something was off in relation to my senses when in the simulation. The affect that it had on powers, one's own body in a far deeper way than merely the physical... It had never been a problem I had to deal with."

[zodiheart]

"Feeding the eyes as well as the stomach." His smile is tilted, and he nods.

Then his smile fades as he thinks about the Simulation. Not in any negative way of feeling, merely of delving into his thoughts. Of how to explain.

"The senses were a more obvious aspect, yes. But the rest... imagine that you are aware of what makes you an individual. You can feel your life, your very soul, and how it inhabits your physical form. Your soul and mind work in perfect sync with your body to create the being that is you." He touches his palm again, small circles.

"To not have a true body throws yourself into dissonance. Imagine that each of your senses is muffled in a way, that there is a lag between when you move your leg with your mind and your leg actually moves. That there is a disconnect within the heart of you. All feels stagnant. You are real, but at times you do not feel it to be so. It diminishes you."

Now he spreads his arms wide in shrug. "That is how it felt, to me, with that false body. Each and every waking moment." It is why he enjoyed going to those other worlds so often. A breath of fresh air."

[parer]

In some ways, Ignis almost thinks he can grasp on what Elidibus means. While the full depth of it is impossible for him, well, he did experience the simulation in his own way. The muffling of his sense of smell and taste, how something about his sight and hearing were at just the slightest mismatch... If he thinks of that amplified to a hundred times worse, perhaps it is just a step closer to what Elidibus experienced.

"...I see. Then, I am glad for you that you are able to experience things a little more freely in this place, even with certain..." A small frown, and he purposefully keeps his scaled hands still in place. "Strange changes that we are all once again going through."

Ignis would really have rather not had these two nickels, thanks.

"Hopefully it does not get in the way of your regained freedom of sense and spirit."

[zodiheart]

"It does not, though your well wishes are noted and appreciated. In truth, I am no stranger to transformations. My own transformed state is humanoid, rather than draconic, but there are many individuals among my people whose transformed appearances can hardly be described as 'human.'"

Wings, four arms, feathers... he isn't a stranger to appearing inhuman.

"I much prefer this, with the hope that I am able to control the changes in the future. The process, however, does leave much to be desired."

The itching is terrible.

[parer]

"I believe I recall you mentioning that, in a prior conversation." One of their first, as a matter of fact - certainly their first that was in person. Ignis finds it somewhat interesting, truth be told... but as something he didn't have to deal with in any capacity personally.

Then again, this is certainly a bit different from what Elidibus described himself.

Ignis resists the urge to touch his own hands in any way, although that urge is certainly there within his chest. Instead, he nods his agreement, frowning just a touch. Always so controlled, or at least trying to be. "I wonder if the strange manner of it has to do with our body adjusting to the presence of something else being contained within, or if this is what all draconic souls would do no matter the container."

[zodiheart]

"In this world? It is possible that you are correct. There is precedent in this place for draconic souls invoking transformation - though I am unsure how similar the process was to our own."

Elidibus gives a shrug and a smile.

"I speak of those prior champions. Charlie had mentioned them in the past, though I was not personally involved in that conversation. I only know that they, too, were paired with a draconic entity each, and that they, too, underwent transformation. It would be worth investigation."

Their identities had seemed to be something of a secret. Whether that was intentional or not was what drew Elidibus's attention - why omit their names other than to protect them?

[parer]

"Indeed... If they were particularly legendary and of such note, then surely there would be many tales about them." Whether written down, which Ignis hopes, or whose deeds were passed along orally, which will almost certainly be true either way. People do love to talk, and have since the dawn of time.

It's just that tracking down any oral information would be incredibly annoying.

"Have you inquired with Charlie about their names and the like?"

[zodiheart]

"I have not done so myself, no. It is my understanding that he has been reticent regarding information concerning them. Why that is so could be due to a number of reasons, but I have my suspicions."

Ignis is as thorough and trustworthy as one could hope for, so Elidibus sees no reason to hide his thoughts.

"Protection, most likely. If Charlie knew them personally it would be akin to protecting his own, though he does strike me as the type to do so even if he had not known them on that level. The world being in the tenuous state that it is - that is what makes the most sense to me."

[parer]

"Indeed... It makes the most sense to me. And as well, while he is quite determined to look after us considering the situation which has occurred, the fact of the matter is that we are still strangers to one another, and so Charlie has no reason to trust us with such details."

Something maybe not helped by Ignis killing a man, but, in his defense: fuck Ardyn Izunia.

"Perhaps in time and with patience, we might learn more. I suspect we will have to rely on such regardless, with the situation being what it is."

[zodiheart]

"That is the truth. I hope to become friends with Charlie given enough time - he reminds me of myself in certain ways, and I would assist him where I am able." Becoming part of a deity is a sort of singular experience, after all.

Elidibus has no idea that Ignis has, in fact, killed Ardyn. Not that he would take offense to the act having occurred - he knows several details that would spur Ignis into such a thing - it is not his business to do so in the first place.

"It is unfortunate, but the truth. That does not stop my desire to do something in the meantime, however. I suppose all we may do is take care of ours and remain ready for any future events."