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

[whitewolfsbane]

As usual, the wolf holds for a note of careful hesitation. Returning an introduction in kind is always... interesting.

"Death," he replies with wholesale gravitas. "... I'm not from here either."

[hasitsthorns]

You know, reflecting on her entire life to this point, someone introducing themselves as Death should probably be more concerning. Maybe she should be scared.

Maybe, but she isn't. It feels like most of her life has been narrowly avoiding Death, honestly, so to finally it face-to-face (as it is) feels overdue. After all, considering the last moments she remembers from home before being pulled through the summoning-circle here- It's actually a wonder they didn't cross paths sooner.

"Well," she starts, giving a curtsy in her rainbow tule, "it's nice to finally meet you, for one thing." She straightens up and tilts her head though as she considers. "For another- I guess that not being from here means a restriction on reaping any souls?"

[whitewolfsbane]

"Finally, you say? Well... I suppose I am the closest most people can come to for closure."

Cool and measured. And yet clearly intrigued, judging from the canine way his ears swivel forward. But it's expected that the quickest way to nestle into this particular Death's good graces is to treat him like an old friend.

"However... I would say that, officially, I've been thrust into an extended vacation from my duties."

[hasitsthorns]

"I imagine we just kept missing each other," she says, "but not intentionally on my part! Just dumb luck." She will say 'dumb' because if her Death had looked like this, then why would she be so afraid of meeting him eventually?

As a canine woman herself, technically, she does notice that ear swivel. A good sign. Despite how upsetting her eclectic outfit is on top of her dragon changes, well- Attention from a handsome (wolf)man will always improve her mood.

"Hopefully you enjoy a little time away though! They talk about full-time jobs, but in your case I can only imagine how true that must have been."

[whitewolfsbane]

Death outright laughs, which might bring to mind a modern metaphor about office workers gathered around a water cooler on break.

"You have NO idea," he soon replies. "Try to imagine how often you're herding cats alone when every single one of those little hairballs within your domain has nine lives."

[hasitsthorns]

"Oh, I don't have to imagine," she can't help but admit. "You would have hated my ex. He was actually on his ninth life." Though there's a lot more to hate about Charlie than just that.

"He did make the most of them when he was able, but I do get where it feels like cheating the system a bit."

[whitewolfsbane]

To that, the beastman huffs as if remembering a sour memory. Sour for him anyway. Very good for the offending party.

"I am more insulted," he enunciated slowly with a hiss, though not unkindly toward Rosie, "When such a rare gift makes them think they are above me. Arrogant enough to think they are beyond mortality itself."

[hasitsthorns]

It doesn't bother her. If anything, it proves he takes his job seriously. That's not a bad thing!

"He might have near the end," she reflects, "but it did still catch him in the end." It caught both of them as far as she knows, but- She's not going to worry about all that right now. She's here, whatever that means, and is trying to enjoy the borrowed time.

"So you can at least take comfort in that. No one truly escapes Death from what I've seen."

[whitewolfsbane]

"Yes," Death agreed, though not entirely soothed by the affirmation. "That still hasn't changed."

The wolf takes a breath to properly collect himself at least. "But such things are neither here nor there. There will always be mortals that allow me the opportunity to put back in their place."

Well. With a bit of bending the cosmic rules.

[hasitsthorns]

Some rules were just made to be bent (if not outright broken), she'd argue. After all, what fun is only playing by the rules? It seems like his ire is directed more at those with hubris that holds them too high.

Thankfully, she has no such ideas. Even now, she attributes her being here to again just dumb luck.

"Well, good! I may not get to see you in action here exactly, but I admit that I am not curious- What does Death do for fun?"

[whitewolfsbane]

"Ah, besides drinking in the terror from those I've set as my mark?"

Death please.

Still, if his presence hasn't been unnerving by now for the woman, Death can recognize a truly rare flower when he sees one. Perhaps it's worth building bonds in this land if there are more sorts as intriguing as she.

"Candle making."

[hasitsthorns]

Okay, well, that's decidedly not what she was expecting. He gets a small squeak of laughter and a 'snrk' of a sound snorted as she tries to cover her mouth in a futile attempt to hide it.

"Well! That's one way to pass the time," she offers, showing that she is still undeterred by the fact this creature is Death itself. "And they can go to good use! Romantic mood lighting to come out of a hobby is a plus, I'd say."

[whitewolfsbane]

"That is certainly one fine way to put them to use," Death smoothly agreed, letting the charisma ooze along his tongue. There is nearly a purr in his tone attempting to work its mundane magic

Perhaps, quite simply, because he is feeling charmed in return. "You should see the results that come about if you spend a little extra time and care with the craft."

[hasitsthorns]

Oh. This is certainly veering into some more familiar territory. The woman recognizes that kind of purr, the charismatic response in kind with her own. It means she's doing something right.

"Oh?" she questions, stepping in just a little. Obvious, but not so much so that it makes her look desperate. It's a fine balance to strike, alright! "Maybe you could show me sometime?" It's an innocent enough question, sure, but the promise behind it is what matters more.

[whitewolfsbane]

"I could," he replies as if not also in a bit of awe at the ongoing forwardness. But it most certainly shows on his face for a held moment.

While the canine-shaped reaper probably wouldn't admit to having used his invisibility powers a bit too much back home, interacting with mortals does tend to do some good for immortals regardless of the cons to being... well... eternal.

"... And where would you say your own interests lie?" Death inquired, snatching another chance to once again turn things back onto Rosie. "It's only fair to balance the scales."

[hasitsthorns]

Once she's locked in, look- She's going for it. It's partly because it was her job for such a long time, but even before that she knew what she liked. Also, the importance of not letting opportunity for a possible good time slip by.

"That depends," she admits, "but mostly I'm just always open to learning more about artistic endeavors especially." Maybe not as direct an answer as he's hoping for, but she follows it up with: "It's just a bonus that this one is a bit more physical and I admit to having an appreciation for a man whose good with his hands."

[whitewolfsbane]

"A date with death... Can't say I've ever met a mortal seeking out this meaning of the phrase."

So that's a yes? They've twined themselves this far with words alone and the wolf isn't visibly or verbally pulling away while saying so.