songerein | Halloween Nightmare: Part I

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Halloween Nightmare: Part I

✵ HALLOWEEN NIGHTMARE: PART I ✵

It comes without warning. A few nights before Halloween, when the moon is supposed to be full and bright, it suddenly blinks out and turns pitch black. Even the stars seem to be covered, casting a strange darkness all over Songerein. While the fae sense something unusual, the newly arrived people—the dreamwalkers—all suddenly fall over asleep as if struck by a curse. Thick, black fog covers the town and one by one their bodies glow bright before converting into dream energy and disappearing into their crystals.

Alarmed, the tapirs investigate, some plunging deep into the realm of dreams to try and find wherever they went. What they discover is something they had never seen before—a massive dreamscape rippling through the dimensions, one full of life, color, and sound. It's as if its own little world, unaware that a giant group has dropped in uninvited. Before the dreamwalkers can be too confused, the tapirs send out a message via their crystals:

Careful, Dreamwalkers! We don't understand what's happening, but you have entered an unusual dreamscape, one where everyone here believes this to be their own world. It feels unstable, to the point where if too much disturbance happens it could turn this entire place into a nightmare! One that could affect Songerein!

Good news is it looks like they're throwing a huge party, so maybe if you just have fun and help out, it will pass quickly and you can return. There's a strange barrier that prevents anyone from coming out of the dream normally...but, we'll figure it out! Just try and have fun, okay?

That might be a tall order for some, but there's little choice. Already everyone has been outfitted in appropriate costumes that serve as "disguises"—some more realistic than others—allowing them to blend in. So long as they follow along and don't cause any disruptions, the locals won't bat an eye. However, the moment someone behaves oddly, such as speaking of other worlds or not behaving in a "frightfully ghoulish" manner when expected, the locals will start eying them with suspicion and small cracks will start to form in various places, most notably the sky where are a large grinning moon watches over everything. Fortunately it will take quite a lot before things get dangerous, but care is needed.

Now, what kind of "dream" have they been pulled into?

I . HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

The town is bustling and looking quite alive despite its rather monstrous and undead citizens. The architecture style is a mix of ye olde Victorian England and steampunk—with bones and spiders and a lot of sharp things, of course. There is a giant cauldron in the center that acts as a fountain, and while touching it won't harm anyone, drinking it might cause a few green, gassy, flammable hiccups and fire breath that goes away after a while. There is even an odd story going around about a crazy witch called Baba Yaga and many wonder if something strange will happen again like all the other years. For now it's advised for everyone to carefully explore while perhaps getting into the various festivities. It's their time of the year after all!

A. Costume Party. Everyone's in a costume and there are plenty of contests and parades for everyone to show theirs off. All are encouraged to do their best and act like whatever they're dressed up as, and some may even be pulled into random impromptu "acts" for fun. Cute little black cats with witch's hats will hop on their heads and drop some special candy as a "reward." What could be so suspicious about this? (Yes, this is the cursed candy mentioned in the official details.)

» BONUS: MAGIC THREADS. Some locals need a little help with their costumes and request special thread that can be harvested by the ghoul worms—an underworld version of the silkworm. However, getting to them can be a bit...tricky. The worms need to be scared out of their wits for them to spit out the thread. The next difficult part is capturing the thread and not having it all over one's face. There are also some rainbow spiders who produce colorful threads, but they need to be sweetened up before they'll pass over their hard work.

B. Beware the Food. Of course the food is to die for. No, really, be careful of the food because there's a high chance it's been cursed and will cause one or more of the following: 1) suffer severe food poisoning; 2) become an undead zombie; 3) turn into a ghastly toad; 4) have a Wicked Witch experience and turn into a puddle of goop to then become a slime monster. Except for the first one, these changes are all painless and will just make the affected feel funny for half an hour. For the food poisoning, drinking from the Cauldron in the center of town will cure it, but for those who don't want flame breath, creating a certain witch's brew could be concocted.

» BONUS: WITCH'S BREW: Gather the following items to create the special witch's brew that will not only cure the food poisoning but other maladies as well. Just need a few tails of newt, a couple eyes of mud guppies, and the nails of opossums. Fortunately there are quite a few stores that carry these items so no one has to harvest them themselves, though they are certainly welcome to. If buying, the payment requires five chocolate coins. The catch? All the kids have the chocolate coins so need to somehow get them. Maybe the trick-or-treating can help.

C. Jack-o-Lanterns. There are pumpkins everywhere and an assortment of activities to do with them. From simple pumpkin carving for decoration, to loading them into catapults to see how far they go, to avoiding flaming pumpkin heads flying around causing mayhem. But the real buzz is carving pumpkins for the newly "arrived" skeletons that have unearthed to join the populace. As part of a celebration these special pumpkins will be worn by the new skeletons so the more decorated the better.

D. Trick-or-Treat. Of course there is candy being handed out and thrown out to be passed to the younguns. Some adults may find a giant skull head full of various candies shoved into their hands so they can give them to any excited gremlins. Just beware, those little monsters are more than happy to pull a trick instead, so tricks are also fair game as long as they are eventually given candy. In fact, tricks and pranks are highly encouraged, to the point that some are throwing competitions. Should anyone try to withhold the goods, however...well, curses from children are the worst.

E. Candy Corn Golems. Some candy corn will randomly come together and transform into candy corn golems. They range from knee-high that can do little more than just do feeble punches and throw goop on people's legs to a towering ten foot monstrosity that is ready to launch candy corn missiles that explode into harder gunk that can completely imprison anyone. While some locals might find their presence a suitable chaotic ingredient, many don't as they have no idea how these creatures came to be as the usual hexes and underworld magic seem to have little effect. Yet they are susceptible to the dreamwalking abilities… Most will cheer when a golem is defeated, but some may become suspicious.

» BONUS: FIND THE SOURCE. Even though the golems can be taken care of, the more that only the dreamwalkers can destroy, the more unnecessary attention and suspicion is aroused. Best to figure out where to find what's creating them and put an end to it. Whispers of a "mad witch" and "crazy hag" can be heard and curiously, some of the smaller golems trundle down away from the main chaos through some small alleys. Following them will lead them to a strange house, the magic spilling out unnatural. There are drag marks and broom bits that are tinted blood red and inky black. Stray, tattered pages and black smears can also be found around the house. Attempts to enter the house result in being blown back into the town center cauldron, however as long as attention is drawn to the house then suspicion will reduce from the dreamwalkers.

II. GRAVE WEDDING

Just outside of town is a vast graveyard that stretches for a considerable distance, the madly grinning moon seeming to loom and be its brightest here. Although mostly consisting of graves, there are also large mausoleums and a dilapidated looking chapel. Many live within the graveyard and those not participating in the town's festivities are having their own little parties. There's even a wedding being held at the chapel. However, not everything is going well and a helping hand—connected or not—will be appreciated.

A. Haunted Wedding. What a spooktastic night for a wedding between a bootiful bride and her ghastly groom. The chapel may be old, riddled with holes, and look ready to fall apart at the slightest breeze, but it's the ideal venue for all wicked weddings. With the pews filled with other residents of the town, it looks to be a perfect celebration—until red-eyed goblins suddenly burst through the already broken windows and holes. Some of the guests are quick to fight back (with some thinking it part of the event), but these goblins seem stronger than usual. Anyone who is nearby will be asked to help and get rid of them before they really do wreck the wedding!

» BONUS: GOBLIN SEALS. No matter how many are defeated, more just keep appearing to take its place. A gravekeeper shouts out that they witnessed the goblins appearing near a dark corner of the cemetery, a place known to be heavily cursed and filled with hexes due to all the witches buried there. Those who investigate will find all the graves dug out and each one with a summoning seal inside. Fortunately they are easy to destroy by either casting magic or even chucking rocks to break up the symbol. Destroy them all to stop the goblins, but be careful as some will pop up in the process.

B. Grave Situation. The graveyard is considered as one of the largest neighborhoods with many finding their underground or stone mausoleum homes quite comfortable and even luxurious in some cases. As part of the Halloween prank, tombstones, grave markers, and even coffins have been moved around and the residents are not happy. They'll need help replacing everything, but be warned—some pranksters have gone beyond and boobytrapped some. Triggering the traps will produce sticky webbing, glitter paint, and "bloody" marshmallow slime (it's just dyed red).

» BONUS: HOSTILE NEIGHBORS. There are some undead and skeletons lying in their earthly beds and cramped coffins that will not take too kindly to being disturbed. They are quite aggressive and will outright attack anyone who comes near their homes, even if they aren't in the right place. They need to be restrained and it would be bad news if anyone is severely harmed or worse—destroyed. Careful examination will reveal a strange slip of paper with what looks like a hex symbol on their heads, and if removed they will pass out but return to normal.

C. Nightmare Graves. Some tombstones will have writing that will mysteriously change to words that will provoke those who read it and send them immediately to a nightmare. It could be something completely random or it could be personal with the severity also random. Some dreams will be reflected on the tombstone similar to the crystals while others can be entered via dreamwalking. In either case, the dreamer's body will be lying in repose in front of the tombstone, which will have a line of "Do not disturb" along with cryptic words related to the nightmare.

» BONUS: NOCTAERE. The longer someone stays in a nightmare, the greater the risk in either attracting noctaere into the dream and out into the dreamscape and for the dreamer to become a noctaere themselves. It could be a partial or full transformation, depending on how strong the nightmare and how sensitive the dreamer is. Dreamwalkers must help try to stop the change before it's too late by attempting to change the dream or calm the dreamer. But if the dreamer turns into a noctaere and starts causing havoc within the dreamscape, then they must be subdued physically with dreamotion abilities.

[Mod Note: This is Part I of our event! To look over the official details as well as ask any questions, drop them in the official Event Details post. While we prefer for threads to remain in the event log, players are welcome to take their threads into their own individual logs for personal organization. We only request players to comment to the event log with a link to it so that others can find them more easily!]

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[Okay... this is weird. But no more different than being transported into stories, right? Except there is something eerie about this place, and it's not just the strange mist that hangs heavily in the air. None of this actually feels right. One minute, she had seen Kazuma, and the next she's found herself... where ever this is.

A place with no exit, it seems. She goes around and around, seeing the same few rooms and pictures, other objects. None of them moved, and all remaining the same. The imagery has her on alert, it's unsettling, and the blood and scratched out photos don't help. She thinks maybe the maze is some kind of puzzle itself. Maybe she has to enter the rooms in a certain order? She really can't figure it out, and by now she's starting to feel uneasy.

Until she hears the soft sobs coming from somewhere in the house. She takes a deep breath and looks around to try and determine where it's coming from.]

H-Hello? Who's there? You can tell me, I promise I'm only here to help you.

[Her voice is soft, gentle. Knowing that she's very likely speaking to a scared child.]

[Despite how gentle she was speaking, the crying doesn't stop. Instead, the door she was about to go through shuts close. More doors can be heard sliding open and closing, near and far away. Either way, the path forward was now closed to her and the maze has shifted.

It may even feel like she's gotten further away from her destination. New voices join in with the crying, though they're muffled and seem to be whispering amongst themselves behind the walls. Some of the rooms are now lit up, but there's nothing in them. There are sounds of laughter in those lit room instead, and they felt more warm and welcoming than others. Perhaps one should follow these particular rooms, or they could just be a trap.]

[Her unease about this place deepens, the door slamming in front of her, causing her to stop abruptly.]

C'mon, little guy. There's no reason to be scared.

[She tries, her tone gentle and patient. And if there is a reason to be scared, well, having someone here trying to help might soothe them? But it seems this is going to take some more time. So she looks around at the other rooms that are now accessible.]

Guess I'd better keep looking...

[It's difficult to tell what the correct choice is, but she heads towards one of the rooms echoing with laughter. The idea is that perhaps she'll find something to potentially offer the child to cheer him up. She soon crosses the threshold, looking around the room.]

[The first lit room looks like something like a dining room. As the light flickers, shadowy figures would come in and out of existence at the table. The figures looked to be a mother, father and a child. They would be talking about something that made them laugh. Suddenly the room would go dark. The dark mist, bloodstains and cut marks would return.

Another room nearby will light up, a new scene within. This one seem more clearer, the figures appearing more solid. The room would put her outside of their home, where the same child was practicing with a wooden sword. A man, presumably the child's father was watching over him. Neither seem to hear the crying that was still ongoing.]

[Once that room shifted to something more grim, Leia immediately left, backing out and walking into another room, desperately trying to find something out as the child continues crying in the background.

This time the images appeared more whole. Solid. Almost like she could reach out and interact with them both. Though she clearly can't, it doesn't stop her from trying. She's never been the patient sort, and, meanwhile, there is potentially a child nearby that's hurt.]

Um, hello? Excuse me, can either of you hear me?

[She waves her hands in front of them. They may be ghosts, or visions of some sort, but perhaps they are able to communicate regardless.]

[The boy stops swinging his wooden sword, looking up.] Huh? [It seems like the boy can hear her and is now giving her a puzzling look. They still don't hear the crying though.]

Who are you...? [She had some funny clothes.]

[She's actually caught off guard when the boy speaks to her, but it's a little creepy that the older man doesn't. Oh well. She hadn't expected that to work to begin with, might as well cease the opportunity.]

I'm Leia! And what's your name?

[This is still a child, so one thing at a time.]

[He lowers his sword, looking up at Leia for a moment. Remembering his manners, he bows his head.] I'm Kazuma, Kazuma Asogi! [He sounds very proud to tell her his name.]

Are you here to speak with my parents? [The man still hasn't moved from his spot, still observing them from their home.]

[Kazuma? Well... she does see the resemblance. Guess anything is possible in this dream she's found herself in.

But would it be better to speak with Kazuma or his parents in this situation? This is Kazuma's dream, and adults tend to be more tight-lipped about things than kids. So she'll take her chances, even though she's not really sure what she should ask.]

It's nice to meet you, Kazuma! And, actually, I'm here to speak with you. Do you have a minute?

Um... [For a split second, the scenery becomes distorted, like it had a small hiccup. A masked figure phases in where the boy is for just a moment before phasing out.]

If it's just a minute, then sure! [The boy continues, unaware of what had just occurred.]

[Her eyes remain fixed where the masked figure appeared. It had been just a split second, but her memory is already trying to recreate the image to better discern what, or who, she'd seen.]

W-Wait, who was that guy just now?

[The boy doesn't seem aware, and he probably isn't, but she asks anyway, just in case.]

Huh? [The boy looks around, confused.] What guy? You mean papa? [At that, he looks to where that other man is still standing there....wonder if he's actually there?]

Don't worry, he has a scary face sometimes, but he's a nice person. He's teaching me how to use a sword! [The kid is practically beaming, waving his wooden sword around. He clearly looks up to his father.]

[She follows the boy's gaze, glancing over at his dad. That's not what she saw, of course. What she saw was a masked individual appear briefly before her.

But if the boy saw nothing, then it can't be helped. It was like a ghost or something, which send a shiver down her spine, but she decides to clarify something else that she's already figured out.]

I see. Hm... You don't happen to hear a child crying, do you? Do you have a younger brother, or sister, by any chance?

Huh...? [The scene becomes unstable again for a moment. No one appears this time, but now the father is gone once it ends.]

I don't hear anything. And I'm an only child. [He tilts his head.] You're asking some funny questions, ma'am.

[The scene distortion gets her attention, and she looks around to see if that figure reappears, but it doesn't. Once it settles again, she looks back at Kazuma. Perhaps she picked the wrong person to speak with?]

Ah, s-sorry... [she looks around, noticing someone is missing.] Oh, hey, where did your dad go?

Huh? Father is... [The child looks to where he thought his father was. When he doesn't see him, he frowns. The sunny skies suddenly turns gray and overcast. All the sounds in the scenery suddenly goes mute, eerily quiet besides the sound of the child crying somewhere.]

Father...isn't here. [He hugs his wooden sword, which at some point had turned into an actual sheathed katana.] He's not here. [The child repeats, his expression become more distraught at the realizing his father isn't here, he'll never be here. The scenery goes dark, leaving only Leia and the child left in the spotlight.]

[Her body tenses when the scenery begins to change, and she looks around, watching to see if there's any indication of where to go next, or... just what is going on. But young Kazuma is still here, and Leia slowly reaches out and puts a hand on his head, leaning down just a bit while trying to comfort him.]

Don't be sad, Kazuma. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. I'll help you look for him, okay?

[He furiously shakes his head.] He's gone. [Another hand reaches to grab onto Leia's. The Masked figure is back, the child had disappeared. The crying seems to have stopped at some point.]

I'll make them pay. [The Masked figure reaches to draw his katana with his free hand.]

[When a hand, much stronger than a child's, latches onto her arm, it startles her. The child is gone in the blink of an eye, replaced suddenly by the masked figure she saw just a moment ago.

Quickly, she wrenches her arm out of his grasp, twisting and pulling free, then reaches behind her to grab her staff to arm herself with. Squeezing her staff, and with the flick of her wrist, it lengthens.]

Who are you!? Where's Kazuma?

[She holds the staff in front of her, guarding herself, but posed to counterattack if need be.]

Your executioner! [The masked figure lunges forward, thrusting his katana forward in hopes to catch her off guard.]

--!!!

[Barely, just barely, she manages to deflect the attack with her staff, swinging the lower end upward and towards the blade, knocking the katana away from her.]

What exactly is your problem!?

[The masked figure continues to come at her, saying nothing. He swings his blade downwards to knock her weapon aside in hopes to get in a thrust attack. Maybe knocking off his mask will disorientate him.]

[And that's exactly what she tries to aim for, hoping to expose the person underneath. Catch them off-guard.

She barely dodges that downward swing, though it does nick her arm, causing her to hiss in pain, but otherwise maintain her focus. Using that bit of damage as a distraction, she doesn't hesitate, and evades to the side, thrusting the end of her staff towards the side of his face.]

[It catches him by surprise all right. The masked figured stagger backwards, mask knocked to the side. And beneath the mask...was the face of a present day Kazuma. But something didn't seem right. His eyes were yellow instead of brown.

As his hood falls back, his features were clearly that of Hyde's than actually Kazuma. Now that he's outed, he just puts on a smile.] Thanks. It was honestly getting in the way!

[His attacks suddenly changes. He comes rushing back towards Leia, sword kept to his side and instead, swipes at her with a now clawed hand.]

[Oh... Kay. This isn't good. She vividly recalls their fight back at the bar in the Story Realm, and how she only just barely managed to survive what could've been a very devastating attack had he not wanted to keep his floors clean.

Except this should be impossible?

It's an unexpected reveal that helps in distracting her from his attacks.]

H-How are you still here?!

[She asks, frantically, her eyes on his sword before realizing he's using his claws instead...

Which she barely dodges. But it still manages to swipe at her side, cutting her, and knocking her off balance, sending her to the ground.]

Edited 2021-11-04 03:38 (UTC)

C2

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CRAP I AM SORRY THIS TAG GOT EATEN

It is A-ok!

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