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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[Though Onyx draws his own black blade to retaliate as soon as Hilda makes her intent obvious, it ultimately doesn't matter. Just before she's swung, the half-crystal boy suddenly leaps between them to take the blow, his previous cries of pain cut off when he moves.

A shard breaks off of his crossed arms from where the axe meets them, leaving no flesh behind—but he doesn't react, remaining in a defensive stance. The man seems surprised, then annoyed.

Ah. Again? He lowers his sword slightly with a shake of his head as he addresses Ferran, whose face has now mostly been overtaken by gem.

I'd prefer you remain in one piece, my dear, but if you insist...

With a wave of the man's hand, several creatures made of roughly cut black stone emerge from the darkness to attack the other young fighters, just as they start to consider intervening themselves. Golden eyes focus on Hilda, and he smirks.

Interested in trying again?]

Edited (i changed my sentence but not enough.) 2021-10-13 06:24 (UTC)

Ferran?!

[Hilda sure didn't expect gem-encrusted Ferran to even be able to move, let alone intervene in her attack against the man who is clearly the antagonist here. The Big Bad Guy sics other rock people (rock people!!!) upon the other costumed fighters, and clearly intends to have Hilda and Ferran go toe to toe. Which is the exact opposite of what she wants to do.

All in all, her rescue of Ferran from this nightmare could be going better.

With a huff, she pulls her axe back from Ferran's arms and takes a few steps back.]

Care to explain why you're protecting this guy?

[Maybe he's sentient enough to respond? What does she know, this isn't her head they're swimming around in.]

[The taller figure simply watches as Ferran lowers his arms, slumping and trembling as the process continues. He chokes back a few more noises with his jaw clenched, the magic stone making spikes of his shoulders.

He doesn't want to fight Hilda, either. But regardless of what's happening to him, the thought of that axe hitting Onyx—hitting Rion—]

I... can't...

[Even his voice sounds like it has to break through crystal to reach his lips. It's a struggle to speak.]

Let... anyone...

Are you for real? Look at him! He's clearly evil!

[As far as she's concerned, it's a pretty cut and dry sort of situation. Is she oversimplifying it? Yes. Does she care? No.]

Step aside, Ferran.

[As if he's unaware. Although Ferran doesn't even know what Onyx's endgame is, it's clearly nothing good, and that much has been obvious to him from the start.

But that doesn't change his feelings. Although he knows his conscious mind is slipping away the further this transformation goes, it doesn't make much of a difference. He lifts his head to watch Hilda with red eyes, the defiant look in them clear enough.

He won't move.]

[He's not moving. Ugggggh, why do nightmares have to be so stupid?!

She wants to say something rude to the Big Bad Guy behind him, but she's not confident that she'll get the words out without Ferran intervening. So instead, she squares her stance and sighs heavily. All of those mock battles where she's had to pull her punches to merely incapacitate are about to come in handy.]

All right, Ferran, this is for your own good.

[And with that, she charges at him and swings her axe low, hoping to set him off-balance.]

[He wouldn't be able to argue that point, even if it were easier for him to think or speak. He simply regrets it has to come to this, and prepares himself for the fight his guardian is apparently content to allow.

As it turns out, he's much sturdier when made mostly of stone—and rather than trying to block or deflect the attack, he faces it head on and attempts to grab the weapon itself, regardless of whatever shards happen to break off of his arms in the process.]

[Of all the reactions Hilda expected, she certainly didn't plan on him grabbing the weapon and preventing her from fully executing her attack. The blade catches on stone, but instead being able to put the full force of the swing into him it instead backfires on her with the sudden stoppage. Somehow, she doesn't drop the weapon in the recoil.]

Hey, no fair!

[Frustrated, she kicks at his legs instead.]

[The hit lands well enough due to his lack of attempts to move out of the way, and his knees buckle slightly, making his grip on the weapon loosen simply due to the change in angle. His leg is, however, just as hard and angular as his arms, so it might not be the most pleasant thing to kick.

Until ordered otherwise, he's purely on the defensive, aiming purely to block her from attacking Onyx. That's something, at least...]

[The kick feels, unsurprisingly, like kicking a boulder. Her leg hurts from the impact, but at least it has the intended effect to throw him at least somewhat off-guard. With a frustrated cry, Hilda yanks back on the now-loosened axe to take it back from him.

She manages to pull the axe free, but not without stumbling back a bit in the process. That's just as well--getting through Ferran straight up isn't happening. She'll have to find a way around him.

After she shoots a glare past him at the man he's protecting.]

What's your whole deal? You can't be turning him into a rock creature for the fun of it.

[Right?]

[Though Ferran wavers slightly once Hilda pulls back her weapon, he rises back to his feet a moment later, stepping back and keeping his eyes vigilantly on her. Onyx has folded one arm over his chest, the opposite hand resting against his face as he watches with interest. When Hilda addresses him, his eyebrows raise briefly, and he gestures widely at the young man.

I'd say it makes him more resilient, wouldn't you?

Although his answer implies otherwise, the sly smile on his face doesn't contradict the idea that he is somehow having fun. But then, there's a particularly sharp look in his eyes as he narrows them.

I can't have him killed so easily.]

Glad we agree on that bit. Sooooo, why don't you have him stand aside and fight me yourself instead of being a coward and hiding behind a teenage boy.

[Ferran is resilient, sure, but not wholly invulnerable. She managed to take some chips off of him already, and she's not about to test the limits of what hits he can take.]

[Despite the man's proclamation, he doesn't seem to have any intention of forcefully moving Ferran aside to actually protect him. Then again, with Hilda's apparent concern for his ward, perhaps he sees no reason to.

And waste my time and energy?

Onyx waves his hand dismissively. Apparently he has no interest in confronting Hilda directly, just as he's never directly fought the others in Ferran's memory.

Why don't you run along and save us both the trouble?]

What? No! You just turned my friend into a rock person. Why would I just turn around and leave him here?

[Speaking of rock people, the nightmare that has its hold of Ferran has clearly had enough. One of the black-stone creatures has broken off from the fray with the other teenagers, reaching out to grab Hilda from behind. Since she's so focused on Ferran and this other guy, she doesn't realize what's happening until it has her around the waist and flings her away.

It turns out to be a forcible ejection from the nightmare itself, and Hilda yelps as she hits a gravestone that moments ago wasn't in her flight trajectory. She's back in the graveyard, dressed in her witch costume, with the unfamiliar urban landscape nowhere to be found. She groans from pain and frustration, pulling herself to her feet and looking at headstones nearby her. None of them are the gate back to Ferran's nightmare.

She failed.

It sucks.]

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Halloween Nightmare: Part I

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