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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I'm fine, but...

[Tifa's eyes land on his hand at his chest, but she lets the thought trail off. For now. They aren't going to get any less injured while these things are still wandering around.]

You can still fight, yeah? ... And can they handle fire?

[Hands on her gloves still, she lets her fingers brush over one of her materia. She has no idea if this is going to work, but... she can hope that it will.]

I can still fight. They just roughed me up a bit, but I can't let that slow me down.

[This dream realm doesn't seem to behave in a normal way. Maybe the abilities and powers they have don't work as effectively as they used to. Nier knows for a fact that things aren't what they seem. So hopefully Tifa can still use her fighting techniques under these conditions.]

Fire will work! I know their weakness is sunlight. We can use fire to our advantage!

[Tifa has yet to learn what the limits are within the dreams, and outside of them... but what better time to learn than when under a lot of stress and about to get pummeled by shadows? She calls for her summon, her fingers wrapping around the materia itself, but...]

Huh!?

[Nothing that she expects to happen... happens. Nothing at all.]

It doesn't work?

[Shit. She was counting on Ifrit to take them all out in one fell swoop so they can get out of here, but she screwed up. Or it really doesn't work? And in that shock, she's knocked from behind by one of the shadowy figures, sending her stumbling forward off balance. Or perhaps it was the minor shaking in the ground that did it... Followed by another quake, and then another...]

Hey! Are you okay?

[ Nier shouts out to her and his worries only grow by the second. He tenses up under the pressure and charges ahead into the fray hoping to accomplish something. His first thought is to run directly to Tifa. He looks worn out but he's trying to move forward no matter what. It may be a nightmare but it's still dangerous here. ]

Please say something!

[ He'll fight off any shadows whenever they get near him and try to keep himself from falling over. ]

[A crack forms under Tifa's feet and it sends her stumbling forward to get out of its way, just in time as it starts to spew hot magma from underneath. Why did she even think that her materia would work here when it didn't work in Camelot? That was a dumb thought process.

Looking back over her shoulder, then to Nier, she stands upright again.]

Yeah. I'm fine. I just thought that—

[She's interrupted by a shadow swooping in at her, and her reflexes kick in to punch it away from her, and it almost falls into the newly formed fractures in the ground... And that's when the idea hits her.]

Hang on. We might be able to use this... You said they're weak to light, yeah?

Yep!! They can't stay under the light for so long and even natural sunlight damages them.

[He lets out a sigh of relief knowing that Tifa is okay. Nier can never be too certain of anything when they're in a nightmare realm and things just seem to be getting progressively worse. Maybe he can start dreaming of sunlight and all of it will go away? It's a nice thought.

Nier tries to think a little more positively and doing so makes a difference! The area looks slightly less grim and bleak.]

If you're okay that's good. You had me really worried there. Sorry, I don't even know your name and I think this is the first time we've met. I'm Nier.

Tifa.

[She gives her name, short and sweet, before she's looking back to the cracks she's created in the ground. They can finish their introductions properly once they've made quick work (hopefully) of these shades.]

Can't make sunlight, but I might be able to give us something.

[It's not Ifrit like she planned, but it's as close as they're going to get given the circumstances. It's just a matter of finding a way to control her anxieties and worries without them getting too far out of hand... Which won't prove to be difficult considering where they are and what they're fighting. As soon as a shadow swoops in to attack Nier, Tifa grabs him by the arm and pulls him back.]

Get back!

[And from underneath where his feet once stood, the ground opens up again and shines a bright orange light on it, while hot liquid spews up like they're standing over a volcano that's about to awaken...]

Got it.

[Nier can see Tifa's preparing for something so he takes care and goes back when he's asked to. It's good that he finally knows her name so he can address her properly. Once this is all over Nier would like to thank Tifa for saving him from this. Where would he be without her assistance? Without her guidance he may have been lost within his own emotions and nightmare. These dreams certainly have a way of getting to an individual.

Maybe now he's starting to understand the dangers of nightmares and negative emotions. Sometimes he's his own worst enemy.]

What's happening? I see a strange light.

Look down. And watch your step!

[Tifa grabs him again and pulls him to her, away from where the ground starts to break. It's a dangerous trick to be attempting at a time like this, especially with anyone else around, but it'll have to do. Will it do anything at all? She has no idea, but she can hope.

The ground continues to shake as it opens up, bringing in more light and dousing them in its warm, orange light and the heat from the liquid spewing up.]

Think we can draw them towards it?

Got it! I'm going to do my best.

[Nier just observes their surroundings and reassess their situation. They might just be able to get out of this if they're careful. Being careful is the key here. Without caution it could be much worse and who knows what might happen? Deep down inside maybe he still feels some fear. Nier just isn't going to let that fear overtake him. ]

I wonder how we would manage that. We can't get too close. There might be a way to do it with magic.

You got some? Because I might be fresh out!

[Tifa's voice sounds strained, and she doubles over, hands on her knees, to keep herself from falling over. It's one thing having the ground shake without her wishing it to—for her emotions to get the better of her at the worst possible times—but it's a whole other thing to do it willingly.

Having to think about the things that make her spiral with anxiety isn't exactly her idea of fun, but if it'll give them an opportunity to beat these things and find a way out, then she'll do it.

There's another spurt of magma that comes up at Nier's feet, so he better watch out for that too, on top of one of the shadowy figures swooping in nearby, but it backs off when it wanders too close to the orange light coming up from the cracks.]

I'm going to try something...!

[Nier's been training up his dream motion energy so he can manipulate it to a certain extent. Sometimes it doesn't work out so it's not an entirely reliable gambit. Still, with the situation they're in he's willing to take a bet because having something to rely on is better than nothing.

When he focuses his intentions on magic some of the enemies are drawn into a whirlwind of darkness. ]

That seems to be working!! We should still be careful though.

[Reliable or not, seeing them drawn into the wind gives Tifa an idea.]

Brace yourself.

[She means it! Because no sooner than she shouts the warning does the ground begin to shake, more violently than before. She hasn't honed her dreamotion magic to the extent that Nier has, so she isn't too keen on depending heavily on it, but like Nier... she doesn't have much of a choice. Something is better than nothing.

Underneath this whirlwind, the ground opens up from the tremors, and the orange light that flows from the cracks swallow the shadowy ghosts.

Her hand comes to Nier's arm to grab on, the shaking growing more violent with each second that passes.

Will this be enough, she wonders?]

Got it!

[ It looks like it was enough! The shadow monsters dissipate leaving behind nothing but ash. Tifa's plan and ideas worked combined with Nier's efforts. They make a good team. ]

It's over...I think. Thank you, Tifa.

[ The nightmare seems to have ended. He needs a moment to catch his breath. ]

[And just like that, teamwork makes the dream work. Literally. ~~Heh.~~

Whatever darkness that seemed to loom over them starts to dissipate, or perhaps it's just that the weight of the air is lifting with the shadows now being gone, but Tifa feels like she can finally breathe. She gives Nier a slap on the shoulder, her smile crooked and tired, but no less genuine. She feels like she's just run a marathon...]

Don't mention it.

[Stretching her arms over her head now, she exhales in a sigh.]

You're not hurt, are you?

Edited (changed my mind) 2021-11-11 03:01 (UTC)

I'll be fine. I might just need a moment to rest.

[He's been through worse before. Nier takes a minute to recollect his breath and steady himself. He's not at risk or in any more danger. Could this just be exhaustion from battle and experiencing his nightmares like that? ]

We should slow down for a while. That was really something. I didn't know it could be so dangerous. You saved my life, Tifa.

[Tifa agrees that they should slow down, yes, but staying here won't do them a whole lot of good either. She's wary of the nightmares, and although they've done what they could to beat them, she doesn't trust that they'll stay away forever. Not with two of them here for this dream to feed off of, and the last thing she wants is for her own baggage to start showing itself.]

It was a team effort.

[He saved her ass just as much as she did his!]

But we shouldn't stick around. There should be a way out of here, yeah?

[Somewhere... but he'll know this place better than she does.]

I think so. I see something that looks like a door further down at the back. That might take us to the exit, but I can't say for sure.

[He's only running on a hunch and some other guess, but he's willing to try it. ]

I have a strong feeling it'll bring us to where we need to go.

Back to the land of the living.

[Or the dead, given what she's heard about this "Halloween" thing so far—back to the land of the not-nightmares! Whatever that means to them...

Tifa will only allow him a few moments of reprieve before she turns in the direction he'd mentioned, eyes hunting through the darkness for said door. From here, she can't see it, but her gut has said over and over that she can trust his instinct. He knew what those things are and how to take care of them, so if he thinks that door will lead them out of here, then she will wholeheartedly believe that it will.]

We should get going. You gonna be okay if we do?

[Even if he isn't, she's here, and offers him a hand to help him upright.]

Yeah, I should be fine. You're really going out of your way to look after me.

[ He smiles faintly feeling thankful for Tifa's presence. They only just met but Nier already feels like he owes her a lot. ]

I should be asking you that. Will you be alright?

I'll be fine, long as I don't have to use that magic again.

[She gives him a sheepish, crooked smile in return.

She's going to need to look into practicing more if she's going to make use of it like that in the future... It's one thing to have it happen accidentally when her emotions start to go haywire, but it's another to force it out of herself. It takes a lot more than she was expecting out of her.]

I'd ask if you wanted to grab a bite to eat once we get out of here, but I'm not so sure I trust the food enough out there to put you through that.

Don't push yourself too hard. I think we should be fine and we shouldn't have to use magic anymore.

[ It doesn't look like they're are anymore monsters in the area. Nier nods in agreement. ]

Food sounds great actually. I'm not too picky so I'll manage with anything we've got. Are you hungry?

A little. [There's a beat, and then:] But we just have to be careful with what we pick.

[Trust her, she's speaking from experience.]

Don't want to end up turning into a helpless puppy again. I'd just like to enjoy a piece of cake without having to jump to reach it.

Yeah, I hear you. One time I tried eating food and then I started floating everywhere. Don't really get how that works but sometimes unexpected things happen.

[ He understands why Tifa is being cautious. ]

A normal meal would be great.

Mm-hm. I've had just about enough of these curses to last me a while.

[A lifetime, more like.

Her footsteps stop when she sees something up ahead. Something that looks somewhat like an exit? Is it a door? A big black void? She can't tell, and so she looks over to Nier.]

That our ticket out of here?

(no subject)

silentends - 2021-11-29 08:09 (UTC) - Expand

we can probably wrap this! 💕

starshower - 2021-11-29 18:27 (UTC) - Expand

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