Shadow Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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outofshadows2013-12-29 07:36 pm
shadowmods) wrote in outofshadows2013-12-29 07:36 pm
Entry tags:
Nightmares!
Hello, players! There's a new plot about to take place. This plot will be extremely violent and potentially gory, so please keep that in mind as you read on and if you have any problems with anything, understand that participation is entirely optional. You can participate in all, some, or none of the events listed below. In fact, we've broken the plot up into six distinct events, specifically to allow you to opt out of any that are too much.
During the night between Day 216 and Day 217, six characters (Elena, Herc, Dorian, Peeta, Maria, and Draco) will have vivid, terrible nightmares. Specifically, the nightmares described here. (Feel free to either read them or ignore them completely and be surprised. Whatever works best for your playing style!) Over the next two days, something strange is going to happen. The whole plot takes place over six RL days (two game days, 217-218). An event occurs every morning, afternoon, and evening. In other words, one event every RL day, three events over the course of two game days.
The events are as follows...
Day 217:
Morning (1/6/14): Early in the morning, the light of the artificial sun doesn't seem as bright as usual. A malfunction? There's no kind of announcement explaining what's happened. All you know is that there are shadows everywhere. And they seem unpleasant. They seem ominous. They seem...to be growling. Yes, out of the shadows come soft growls. And as you move closer to them, suddenly, you hear snapping teeth as great, bloody maws appear. As you start to run, enormous, black wolves leap out of the shadows and start chasing after you. These aren't ordinary wolves. You can feel a sense of power and age radiating off of them. And every place they plant their paws, they leave behind thick, red, bloody pawprints. These vicious wolves will chase unwary souls. Like ordinary wolves, they can be killed by any mundane means. Unlike ordinary wolves, these creatures are powerful and it will take a lot of hard work to actually land a bow, magical or physical. Being bitten by one leads characters to suffer horrendous hallucinations. In these unnaturally realistic dreams, you see loved ones, especially family members, standing over you. They reach out to you, begging for help. But no matter what you do, you can't reach them and can only watch helplessly as they're torn apart by wolves.
Afternoon (1/7/14): As the day goes by, things start to feel calm again. The wolves caused a lot of damage, sure, but things seem to be returning to normal. The Nysgods pump some extra oxygen into the buildings, to try calm everyone down. But before too long, something can be heard jiggling in the ventilation shafts. It almost sounds like a penny stuck in a fan, clanking loudly. But soon, something starts to come through the vents. Sand? No, it has the fine texture of sand, but it's pitch black and smells of...burnt hair. And it's coming out faster and faster. In fact, many rooms begin to experience what amounts to a mini sand storm. The black sand will cut into character's skin and sting. The real problem, however, is the fact that as it whirls faster and faster around the room, voices can be heard from within the funnels. "Murderer!" The voices get louder and louder. They're accusing your character. There's no way to kill a sandstorm. The only options you have are to wait it out, letting your skin get ripped up and torn in the process, or running. But the sand will chase after you. And if there's another person or persons in the room with you, any time you try to get close to them, the sand will cut you off, forming a wall of painful funnels. You're trapped. You're alone. All you can do is hear each other scream.
Evening (1/8/14): Late into the evening, all around the barracks, large columns of smoke begin to appear, curling out of corners and drawers. All the little nooks and crannies of the rooms you walk. The smoke smells of marijuana and perfume. From within the depths of these columns, you can hear a woman singing. You can't recognize the tune, but it's strangely enticing. It draws you closer, if only to find out what the song is. And that's your undoing. As soon as you get close enough to the smoke to touch it, she appears: A woman in a white wedding gown with blond ringlets and a cruel smile. She has eyes and claws the very color of darkness itself. She'll immediately try to scratch you. Those claws are razor sharp and will cut deep. Fire or bright light are the only way to drive her back. Defeating her requires one to throw her back into the smoke from whence she came. (Please note, there can be more than one occurrence of this lady. It will be the same lady each time, but multiple individuals and groups can fight her in different rooms.)
Day 218:
Morning (1/9/14): Those lucky enough to get some sleep might wake up in the morning to the sound of screaming. The voice is familiar, but you can't quite place whose it is. Someone from back home, someone beloved. As you struggle to get out of bed, to deal with the screams, however, you find yourself pinned down. You can't move. Your standard-issue blanket from the barracks has been replaced by a luxurious, beautiful, thick sheet of fabric, almost like a theatrical curtain, with a glossy, liquid shine. And this beautiful new blanket is slowly beginning to crush you. It's pressing you down against the bed and the more you struggle against it, the tighter it holds onto you. The screaming is worse and worse. That special person from back home needs your help, but you can't get to them. The only way to get free of the blanket, in the end, is to call for help. And someone can cut you free. There's a danger, however. It will require using a knife or scissors dangerously close to your skin, because you've struggled so much and the bonds holding you are so tight. In the end, being cut free means having your skin cut. There will be blood. Once your blood spills, however, the screaming (which only you could hear and your rescuer cannot) will stop.
Afternoon (1/10/14): As the afternoon rolls in, strange bubbles start to appear, floating through the corridors of the five towers of Gebo. At first glance, they look like nothing more than soap bubbles. Shiny and iridescent, sort of whimsical, actually. Perhaps a character reaches out to pop one. And that's a big mistake. The second your character touches one of these bubbles, from your point of view, the world starts to get darker. The sounds around you start to grow dim. Most alarmingly, the people around you start to vanish, the second you gets close to any of them. The sense of isolation is complete and completely haunting. Every person you try to talk to vanishes without a response. You are completely alone and no amount of screaming brings rescue. From your point of view. Other people, of course, haven't actually disappeared. And anyone who sees your character in this condition seems them closed off in a bubble. That's right, you're trapped in a bubble. Unlike soap bubbles, this bubble cannot be popped by mundane means. The characters around yours can pop the bubble, but only by using something that belongs to your character. A personal item.
Evening (1/11/14): By the evening, it's possible that the parks in the recreation building seem like the safest place to be. They're wide, open spaces without shadows, where bubbles and crevices can easily be avoided. If you're taking refuge there, the respite won't be long, however. A terrible smell starts to fill the parks, the smell of burning hair. There's no smoke, you can't tell where it's coming from. But suddenly, out of the tips of the spindliest of branches on the trees, bursts of flame appear. These are Fiendfyres, enchanted flames that will start chasing after people. As an added bonus, anyone who gets too close to these flames will hear voices, the whispering voices of loved ones listing off all of your flaws. Normal water can't dispel the flames. There are only two ways to deal with them; either fuel them with enough wood that they'll eventually burn out or use some kind of magical spell.
FAQs:
What if I don't want to participate in this plot?
As stated above, participation is entirely at your own comfort level. You can choose to participate in all, some, or none of the events described. If you want to opt out, you can simply say that your character was very lucky and that anywhere they went, they were able to avoid all the troubles. The Nysgods of Gebo will also establish a "safe room" in the governmental tower. It will be a completely magic-free zone. None of the events will occur there, but characters with magical powers won't be able to use them.
My character wants to investigate the source of these events. What can they find?
If your character has the magic or the savvy to investigate the source of all this trouble, what they'll find is that the magic is Nysgod in origin. They won't be able to trace it back to a specific individual, but they will find hints of the magical signature at the doors to the rooms of each of the people having nightmares.
Can my character be killed in this event?
No. As mentioned above, the source of this magic is Nysgod in origin. For some reason, Nysgod magic refuses to kill your character. While you can be seriously wounded and suffer plenty of emotional trauma, the magic always seems to die right before you could be killed. Additionally, there will be Nysgod healers on hand to patch your character up. Your character can refuse this healing, however. That's up to you!
How long does each event last?
Approximately two hours. At the end of that time, whatever magical items or creatures appeared during the event will vanish. Poof! Gone! The damage, however, will remain.
What will the natives of Gebo be doing?
Panicking. The event will be harming them every bit as much as it'll be harming the candidates. All work will stop over the course of the two days, as the Nysgods attempt to put out fires and help the injured. They will try to guide the population into the safe room, but they won't strictly enforce it, so if your character doesn't want to go, they won't be pestered. Also note, Adriana, Insa, and Casey will be helping to herd people into the safe room. They may be a little bit more stubborn about it, however.
Can my character use a weapon outside of the gym during the events?
The natives of Gebo will be temporarily dropping the spell that prevents weapons from being used outside of the gym. It will go back up immediately after the plot, however. And woe betide anyone who the Nysgods catch using a weapon against another candidate. There will be consequences for that at the end of the plot; extreme consequences that will impact your character for a long time.
Will there be a log for this plot?
Hopefully, many! The mods will not be putting up a log for the event, however. We're going to leave that to you. We highly encourage open logs. This is a great opportunity to form new CR and interact with players that, maybe, you haven't had a chance to play with before.
Will the network be functioning during the plot?
Absolutely! However, any attempts to reach NPCs outside of Gebo will mysteriously fail. Skokan, Jaan, Tristan, Uri, Anastasia, and the rest of the Nysgods will be unreachable.
Won't this interfere with the apology plot?
We are aware that Skokan was expected to show on Day 217. The apology plot rose independently, out of player action that was separate from this nightmare storyline. The plot will be delaying Skokan's visit, but he will come, have no fear. He'll just be a little late, since the Gebo natives will be closing up the transportation to and from the city, to keep the critters contained. The mods felt that having Skokan unable to come would lend a little bit more flavor and horror to the plot.
Will the shuttles still be running during the plot?
Yes. There will be a lot more running to the governmental tower, shipping people to the safe room, but they will also be running to all the other buildings as well. The schedules will be incredibly off, however. Remember, too, that there's a tunnel connecting the men's barracks and the women's barracks, so you don't need a shuttle to get to your friend's room.
Is there any danger to the structural integrity of the buildings or shuttles?
No. All of that stuff is Nysgod-made and can withstand Nysgod magic.
If you have any other questions, contact the mods. Otherwise, feel free to use this post as a plotting post, to plan out anything you like with your fellow players.
During the night between Day 216 and Day 217, six characters (Elena, Herc, Dorian, Peeta, Maria, and Draco) will have vivid, terrible nightmares. Specifically, the nightmares described here. (Feel free to either read them or ignore them completely and be surprised. Whatever works best for your playing style!) Over the next two days, something strange is going to happen. The whole plot takes place over six RL days (two game days, 217-218). An event occurs every morning, afternoon, and evening. In other words, one event every RL day, three events over the course of two game days.
The events are as follows...
Day 217:
Morning (1/6/14): Early in the morning, the light of the artificial sun doesn't seem as bright as usual. A malfunction? There's no kind of announcement explaining what's happened. All you know is that there are shadows everywhere. And they seem unpleasant. They seem ominous. They seem...to be growling. Yes, out of the shadows come soft growls. And as you move closer to them, suddenly, you hear snapping teeth as great, bloody maws appear. As you start to run, enormous, black wolves leap out of the shadows and start chasing after you. These aren't ordinary wolves. You can feel a sense of power and age radiating off of them. And every place they plant their paws, they leave behind thick, red, bloody pawprints. These vicious wolves will chase unwary souls. Like ordinary wolves, they can be killed by any mundane means. Unlike ordinary wolves, these creatures are powerful and it will take a lot of hard work to actually land a bow, magical or physical. Being bitten by one leads characters to suffer horrendous hallucinations. In these unnaturally realistic dreams, you see loved ones, especially family members, standing over you. They reach out to you, begging for help. But no matter what you do, you can't reach them and can only watch helplessly as they're torn apart by wolves.
Afternoon (1/7/14): As the day goes by, things start to feel calm again. The wolves caused a lot of damage, sure, but things seem to be returning to normal. The Nysgods pump some extra oxygen into the buildings, to try calm everyone down. But before too long, something can be heard jiggling in the ventilation shafts. It almost sounds like a penny stuck in a fan, clanking loudly. But soon, something starts to come through the vents. Sand? No, it has the fine texture of sand, but it's pitch black and smells of...burnt hair. And it's coming out faster and faster. In fact, many rooms begin to experience what amounts to a mini sand storm. The black sand will cut into character's skin and sting. The real problem, however, is the fact that as it whirls faster and faster around the room, voices can be heard from within the funnels. "Murderer!" The voices get louder and louder. They're accusing your character. There's no way to kill a sandstorm. The only options you have are to wait it out, letting your skin get ripped up and torn in the process, or running. But the sand will chase after you. And if there's another person or persons in the room with you, any time you try to get close to them, the sand will cut you off, forming a wall of painful funnels. You're trapped. You're alone. All you can do is hear each other scream.
Evening (1/8/14): Late into the evening, all around the barracks, large columns of smoke begin to appear, curling out of corners and drawers. All the little nooks and crannies of the rooms you walk. The smoke smells of marijuana and perfume. From within the depths of these columns, you can hear a woman singing. You can't recognize the tune, but it's strangely enticing. It draws you closer, if only to find out what the song is. And that's your undoing. As soon as you get close enough to the smoke to touch it, she appears: A woman in a white wedding gown with blond ringlets and a cruel smile. She has eyes and claws the very color of darkness itself. She'll immediately try to scratch you. Those claws are razor sharp and will cut deep. Fire or bright light are the only way to drive her back. Defeating her requires one to throw her back into the smoke from whence she came. (Please note, there can be more than one occurrence of this lady. It will be the same lady each time, but multiple individuals and groups can fight her in different rooms.)
Day 218:
Morning (1/9/14): Those lucky enough to get some sleep might wake up in the morning to the sound of screaming. The voice is familiar, but you can't quite place whose it is. Someone from back home, someone beloved. As you struggle to get out of bed, to deal with the screams, however, you find yourself pinned down. You can't move. Your standard-issue blanket from the barracks has been replaced by a luxurious, beautiful, thick sheet of fabric, almost like a theatrical curtain, with a glossy, liquid shine. And this beautiful new blanket is slowly beginning to crush you. It's pressing you down against the bed and the more you struggle against it, the tighter it holds onto you. The screaming is worse and worse. That special person from back home needs your help, but you can't get to them. The only way to get free of the blanket, in the end, is to call for help. And someone can cut you free. There's a danger, however. It will require using a knife or scissors dangerously close to your skin, because you've struggled so much and the bonds holding you are so tight. In the end, being cut free means having your skin cut. There will be blood. Once your blood spills, however, the screaming (which only you could hear and your rescuer cannot) will stop.
Afternoon (1/10/14): As the afternoon rolls in, strange bubbles start to appear, floating through the corridors of the five towers of Gebo. At first glance, they look like nothing more than soap bubbles. Shiny and iridescent, sort of whimsical, actually. Perhaps a character reaches out to pop one. And that's a big mistake. The second your character touches one of these bubbles, from your point of view, the world starts to get darker. The sounds around you start to grow dim. Most alarmingly, the people around you start to vanish, the second you gets close to any of them. The sense of isolation is complete and completely haunting. Every person you try to talk to vanishes without a response. You are completely alone and no amount of screaming brings rescue. From your point of view. Other people, of course, haven't actually disappeared. And anyone who sees your character in this condition seems them closed off in a bubble. That's right, you're trapped in a bubble. Unlike soap bubbles, this bubble cannot be popped by mundane means. The characters around yours can pop the bubble, but only by using something that belongs to your character. A personal item.
Evening (1/11/14): By the evening, it's possible that the parks in the recreation building seem like the safest place to be. They're wide, open spaces without shadows, where bubbles and crevices can easily be avoided. If you're taking refuge there, the respite won't be long, however. A terrible smell starts to fill the parks, the smell of burning hair. There's no smoke, you can't tell where it's coming from. But suddenly, out of the tips of the spindliest of branches on the trees, bursts of flame appear. These are Fiendfyres, enchanted flames that will start chasing after people. As an added bonus, anyone who gets too close to these flames will hear voices, the whispering voices of loved ones listing off all of your flaws. Normal water can't dispel the flames. There are only two ways to deal with them; either fuel them with enough wood that they'll eventually burn out or use some kind of magical spell.
FAQs:
What if I don't want to participate in this plot?
As stated above, participation is entirely at your own comfort level. You can choose to participate in all, some, or none of the events described. If you want to opt out, you can simply say that your character was very lucky and that anywhere they went, they were able to avoid all the troubles. The Nysgods of Gebo will also establish a "safe room" in the governmental tower. It will be a completely magic-free zone. None of the events will occur there, but characters with magical powers won't be able to use them.
My character wants to investigate the source of these events. What can they find?
If your character has the magic or the savvy to investigate the source of all this trouble, what they'll find is that the magic is Nysgod in origin. They won't be able to trace it back to a specific individual, but they will find hints of the magical signature at the doors to the rooms of each of the people having nightmares.
Can my character be killed in this event?
No. As mentioned above, the source of this magic is Nysgod in origin. For some reason, Nysgod magic refuses to kill your character. While you can be seriously wounded and suffer plenty of emotional trauma, the magic always seems to die right before you could be killed. Additionally, there will be Nysgod healers on hand to patch your character up. Your character can refuse this healing, however. That's up to you!
How long does each event last?
Approximately two hours. At the end of that time, whatever magical items or creatures appeared during the event will vanish. Poof! Gone! The damage, however, will remain.
What will the natives of Gebo be doing?
Panicking. The event will be harming them every bit as much as it'll be harming the candidates. All work will stop over the course of the two days, as the Nysgods attempt to put out fires and help the injured. They will try to guide the population into the safe room, but they won't strictly enforce it, so if your character doesn't want to go, they won't be pestered. Also note, Adriana, Insa, and Casey will be helping to herd people into the safe room. They may be a little bit more stubborn about it, however.
Can my character use a weapon outside of the gym during the events?
The natives of Gebo will be temporarily dropping the spell that prevents weapons from being used outside of the gym. It will go back up immediately after the plot, however. And woe betide anyone who the Nysgods catch using a weapon against another candidate. There will be consequences for that at the end of the plot; extreme consequences that will impact your character for a long time.
Will there be a log for this plot?
Hopefully, many! The mods will not be putting up a log for the event, however. We're going to leave that to you. We highly encourage open logs. This is a great opportunity to form new CR and interact with players that, maybe, you haven't had a chance to play with before.
Will the network be functioning during the plot?
Absolutely! However, any attempts to reach NPCs outside of Gebo will mysteriously fail. Skokan, Jaan, Tristan, Uri, Anastasia, and the rest of the Nysgods will be unreachable.
Won't this interfere with the apology plot?
We are aware that Skokan was expected to show on Day 217. The apology plot rose independently, out of player action that was separate from this nightmare storyline. The plot will be delaying Skokan's visit, but he will come, have no fear. He'll just be a little late, since the Gebo natives will be closing up the transportation to and from the city, to keep the critters contained. The mods felt that having Skokan unable to come would lend a little bit more flavor and horror to the plot.
Will the shuttles still be running during the plot?
Yes. There will be a lot more running to the governmental tower, shipping people to the safe room, but they will also be running to all the other buildings as well. The schedules will be incredibly off, however. Remember, too, that there's a tunnel connecting the men's barracks and the women's barracks, so you don't need a shuttle to get to your friend's room.
Is there any danger to the structural integrity of the buildings or shuttles?
No. All of that stuff is Nysgod-made and can withstand Nysgod magic.
If you have any other questions, contact the mods. Otherwise, feel free to use this post as a plotting post, to plan out anything you like with your fellow players.
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