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

[orbicularis]

"Both." Mithrun shrugs. His aesthetic sense may be out of practice, but he's fairly sure of that much.

He nods, scratching idly at a sprinkling of scales on his cheekbone. "Of course. Having your appearance changed against your will is never going to be pleasant."

In that regard, he supposes he should be grateful that things happened the way he did - that he could never be properly horrified by the end result of his own mutilation. Even now, he's sure his feelings on his own changes will be dampened.

[hasitsthorns]

Right. Right, he doesn't... She has to remember that he doesn't really get sarcasm. That's fine. She can adjust.

"Yeah, well. My appearance is all I've really got anymore, so." Or it was. Here? It doesn't seem to mean much of anything to anyone and so she's been just a little lost. Having her looks altered so drastically was just kind of the nail in the coffin.

[orbicularis]

"Mm. Believe it or not, I may know a little of how that feels." He knows, of course, that he certainly doesn't look it now - and he doesn't think he could rightly claim his charm was all he had left when he joined the Canaries.

In theory, he had his title, even if he was a bastard sent to die.

He had his brother, even if he was too stupid to appreciate Obrin's support when he could.

What he had then that Rosie also has now were others in the same position. The lucky ones of Mithrun's comrades never learned a single real thing about him. Rosie might do better, but he already knows she doesn't want to.

He wonders whether he should move closer or stay put. He isn't sure, so he stays put. "I'm guessing you've already noticed how many people here aren't concerned with that. I wouldn't have known how to respond, either."

cw: ageism, ableist mentions

[hasitsthorns]

It is a little hard to believe, but Rosie's seen a similar sort of phenomenon first hand. Mithrun may not have aged but she imagines he might have looked "better" at some point. Part of the reason she was so desired by older men specifically was because their wives were also older. Even if it wasn't age, it might have been an accident or something that limited them in some way- But Rosie was perfectly in her prime, beautiful and bright and every shallow thing they selfishly still wanted from their partners instead of loving them regardless. It was a horrible double standard she hated, of course, but had to swallow for the sake of what needed to be done. While she never wanted to hurt those women or make them feel lesser, she knows she did.

"It's hard when it's all I've known for a while, yeah," she admits. "And like, sure, there's more to me but-" It's never been enough. So why would it be now? "-it's just hard for me to adjust. Everyone acts like I should just be able to and focus on other things but I don't know how."

[orbicularis]

"When something seems so natural to most people, they can have trouble grasping how... unreachable it can be to some." Like eating and drinking when you don't feel hunger or thirst.

Or finding a business that's just across the street from where he works.

Mithrun lets out a breath - a faint, tired sigh. "...If I had advice, I would give it. But I never exactly adjusted. So-- what I can say for now is that I know it will take some time."

[hasitsthorns]

"Yeah," she agrees. If she could just feel or act differently, she would have by now. It's going to be a process, she knows, but also hates feeling the weight of everyone's expectations. Especially so in terms of what the other her might have already achieved whereas she's back to square one.

"At least that's something honest," she admits. "It's going to take time. It's going to suck. It's not that I don't want to be better because, like, who doesn't? But still..."

[orbicularis]

"I'm sure others you've spoken to were being honest, too." He crosses his arms, shrugging lopsidedly.

"If you keep spending time around people who want better for you, who support you in what doesn't come naturally... some things will probably get a little easier. Others won't. You'll get a better sense of which is which. It's just that, yes, it will also take time. And suck. And it will get worse before it gets better."

The faintest shade of a wry smile passes over his lips. "That you want it will help things along, but it'll make that in-between all the worse. Word of warning."

[hasitsthorns]

She should probably believe that they were, but- It's difficult. While she wants to trust people mean what they say about her looks being fine or that she'll get through this, it all sounds so far-fetched. Hearing instead that it is going to be difficult or that she'll struggle seems more reasonable. Honest.

"Eugh," she groans, dramatically throwing her head back and sighing. "Well, thanks for the warning at least but. It's not going to make it any better to go through, I'm sure." It's not the first time she's heard something like that either but- It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? That you have to maybe feel worse to get better.

No wonder people struggle to get better.

[orbicularis]

"It won't. Hasn't much for me. But... knowing to expect it as part of the process has been something to hold onto, when I start wondering if I'm actually improving at all."

He tilts his head in thought, searching for an appropriate analogy. "It's a bit like... well, I gather this isn't the case for all realities, but where I'm from, healing magic hurts unless it's paired with illusion magic. The pain is a natural product of the process - it has to be there, if everything is being put into working order."

[hasitsthorns]

That is... something, she guesses. When it is easy to lose sight of things, having a tether like that is important. For her, back home, that was The Morgans whenever things began to burden her too much working for Charlie. Misto, especially, was always able to help clear her mind and make things... quieter, for a time.

She's been missing him a lot lately. Reyson and Feldspar too, of course, but still!

"Oh, that's. Huh. It doesn't hurt where I'm from. Like, yeah, the wound is basically being rapidly healed so that causes some issues but they have, like, an extra layer to it? It feels all warm and tingly so you don't notice the pain. Not a numbing agent, exactly, but- It. Uhm. It's nice." Someone seems

really into healing magic, hm. What were they actually talking about again?

[orbicularis]

Rosie's thing about healing magic is no surprise - actually, thinking on it, Mithrun thinks that might have come up around the whole... fiasco back in Amani. Something to do with that planned meetup that never happened.

That prior knowledge is easier than some to set aside for the sake of a normal conversation with someone he's pretending only to have recently met.

He just nods, and answers: "Some use illusion magic when healing for a similar effect. If you know what you're doing, it isn't terribly difficult to tamper with a subject's senses to change how the pain is interpreted. Not everyone does it, though; some consider the risk of side effects too great, or the extra mana usage wasteful."

[hasitsthorns]

See! There are benefits to pretending they've only just met. Not... many. She can recognize that, of course, but there are some! In this case, she is grateful though it isn't brought up. That does sound like her but to an embarrassing degree.

"Huh," Rosie hums, considering. "Yeah, I'm not sure if it's like that or just... pre-baked in. Every healer I knew could do that on default and it didn't seem like it used any more or less energy to." A small difference, maybe, between their magic systems but notable nonetheless. "To me it was always like the numbing agent they use before, like, surgeries or whatever. You may feel the pressure or, like, what's happening but not the pain with it. In fact, it might even feel a little enjoyable!"

[orbicularis]

"Hmm. If they were used to doing it, they may not have given any sign - I know I never mentioned it when I altered squadmates' senses. But, yes, it's also possible it simply worked differently."

Still a little weird how many worlds just have... completely different rules for magic. Little unsettling with that being one of his most valuable remaining skills and all. But he's used to that by now, he's pretty sure, and won't be unpacking it!

[hasitsthorns]

Now she is curious herself but doesn't have anyone to ask. It also may work entirely different here.

"Yeah, which- I don't know, I think that's kind of neat. Similar stuff like healing magic but how it shows up differently in other places." For all her worries about the multiverse, she has always loved learning about other places and people overall. This was no exception. While she didn't want to know about any other hers more than she needed to, it didn't stop her from being curious about the rest.

"Magic here works a little differently than home too, actually, but I haven't really looked into it too much."