Halloween Nightmare: Part I

[dreamposts]

✵ 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!]

Comments

[alphastigma]

[Of course. Ferris logic. According to Ferris, she can never be wholly or partially responsible for any strange occurrences. Somehow, he can only ever be the one capable of it because, according to her, he's some kind of heathen. The specifics of which not even he can mentally recount because of the absurdity of her claims.

Whatever.

This is clearly her doing and that probably means only she can undo it, so he presses the issue.]

Okay, hold on. How could this be anything I'd possibly conjure up? I'm not some dango-obsessed demon, you are. Which means that you should also know what the hell that thing is.

[He says in an accusing tone as he points at the giant mass of dango shaped like a man sitting before them. It's truly frightening to behold.]

[dangoism]

It's mockery of everything dango.

[ Her eyes are still focused on the... the thing. The colours are right, but some might call it terrifying. Intimidating. Hideous. Especially with the glossy, shiny eyes that stare blankly out from its dango-shaped skull. ]

So even if this were my imagination, I would never imagine anything like this.

[ She's still not taking responsibility. Take responsibility, Ryner. Like you should with all the victims of your debauchery.

There's a slight creaking though, and the giant figure shifts forward slightly. Could it be starting to sag..? Ferris notices, her eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. ]

[alphastigma]

[So she's not taking responsibility?Unbelievable.

But not surprising.

He stares at her incredulously because who knows what's about to happen, and there doesn't seem to be anyway out. Just great. They're probably going to be devoured by this dango king. It's going to enact revenge on them for all the dango sacrificed to Ferris's bottomless stomach.

Ah. There was still so much he had to do, so many naps he's going to miss out on.

And when he thinks of all the naps he'll never have again, he turns to her and raises his voice.]

THIS IS SERIOUSLY ALL YOUR DOING!!

[Loud creaking fills the room and it finally draws Ryner's attention because it... sure is alive.]

Crap... I think it's moving. It's probably mad at you for creating it and making it look so horrifying.

[dangoism]

[ bitch when do i ever take responsibility for anything

It sure is alive, and it looks like it, or, well, he is trying to stand. And yet, Ferris still doesn't look concerned, even though her voice is sounding a bit more like it. Though she still finds time to make a retort. ]

I think you woke him up.

[ Whoever he is. She still can't really wrap her mind around why a dango man might exist. Unless..? No, it can't be that.

Shiny dango eyes open as it draws to its feet, and his mouth opens to make a dango sound (okay, what sound does a dango even make) release a breath, as if long awaited...

And then.

...

And then...?

Fine, impatience wins out. ]

Who are you and where have you brought us?

[ As delicious as this place is, she still has some concerns. But the dango man remains silent and as sweet as ever, standing, almost frozen in place. ]

[alphastigma]

[Ferris never looks concerned, he thinks, glaring at her unconcerned expression. It can be unsettling at times, but he's used to it. Mostly it's just annoying.

And as this thing shifts and stands, opens its eyes, only then can Ryner see how truly horrifying it is. More so than he anticipated. It's grotesque, everything about it is an eyesore, and yet, he can't look away even as he's scolding Ferris.]

I didn't wake it up! It's obviously responding to its maker!!

[Yes, it's certainly become more... alive since Ferris showed herself. That bad feeling he had before only gets worse.]

... Are you sure it can even talk?

[dangoism]

[ It answers that question before she even has the chance to (not that she has the answer to it anyway.) The sound of its voice is a gravelly rumble and is so un-dango-like that it's a contrast to the wonderful pastel shades that this grotesque creature is. ]

It is time to face your punishment.

[ And Ferris blinks in the face of this thing, looking up at its face... Punishment? By who and for what? But as usual, she doesn't look fazed; she does sound annoyed though. ]

Who are you and where have you brought us?

[ Another rumble. And he kind of looks annoyedly back at her. ]

I am the god of dango, and this is my domain.

[ Now.... now she might look a little stunned. A tiny bit. ]

[alphastigma]

[What would a dango-like voice even sound like? Is what he would ask if he had any insight into her thoughts-- which he does, unfortunately, at least enough to guess that something doesn't sit right with her. She's staring up at this freakish thing, with more expression than he's ever seen on her face (and yet still not enough given the situation). That she couldn't recognize this so-called dango god, but is wearing this un-Ferris-like expression, must mean that it is not the dango-like voice she has come to associate with her made-up dango god.

...

Ugh.

That whole line of thinking is proof that he spends way too much time with her, that he's already figured out exactly what's gotten her so worked up.

... That whole line of thought has also exhausted him, mentally, and he wants very much to leave this Ferris Land and never look back.

Even so, dango god or not, this is completely not his doing and still somehow all on Ferris. But as he stares up at this creature, exasperation heavily weighing on his face, then back at Ferris, he can see that this is going to be an ordeal. Because Ferris, for the first time since he's met her, appears to be... in shock.]

And there you have it. Maybe this thing is the actual manifestation of what all that dango is doing to the inside of your body. Mm. Question is... well, the same one I've been asking because I knew this was your fault all along- how do we get out of here?

...

...

[No response? Well, he could tell she's in shock, but enough that his words can't reach her?]

Hello?

[He waves his hand in front of her face.]

Ferris? You in there?

[This would be the perfect time to take a nap, actually. With Ferris mentally out of commission, he might get a decent amount of sleep!]

Okay. Wake me up when you're back.

[Completely unfazed by the grotesque statue now, especially because this just became a golden opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep, he slowly stalks off towards the pile of dango cushions in the corner of the room.]

[dangoism]

[ She really is having a few issues right now.

The dango god should be... not like this. This shouldn't be like this. He should represent the glory of dango, it's perfect roundness and softness... She'd failed him? How? Why? Is she going to be forsaken?

And.... Ryner was going to have a nap. This is unacceptable. This is her time of need. And instinctually, part of her mind wants to reach for her sword to find a new and inventive way to haul him back to his spot next to her, but she doesn't have her sword.

It's the last one that thaws her out from being frozen, arm shooting out to grab his collar and yank him bodily back toward her. If she's going to face her doom, she's going to find a way to abuse this perverted lecher the whole time. ]

If you truly are the god of dango, then you'll know that my dedication to your way is true. Whatever you claim I have done, it's no doubt his fault.

[ She shakes Ryner as if to make her point.

But the "god of dango" responds not, its body creaking like week old dango might if it ever lasted that long around Ferris and it finally stands, arm raising and a long and giant skewer of dango appears in its outstretched hand. ]

1/2

[alphastigma]

Huh???

[Ignoring this stale dango god statue, Ryner snaps to attention when he hears Ferris attempting to piss this thing off by laying the blame at his feet. Though he knows any resistance with Ferris is wholly futile, it doesn't stop him from lashing out.]

Me?! If anything, I'm saving you from an early grave by trying to stop you from eating nothing but dango! You should be thanking me, not pleading with this nightmarish thing your dango-brain created!

[But the all powerful dango god (?) has clearly had enough. It would seem that the very beast its loyal disciple indicated is the cause of the lack of devotion being paid to it...]

2/2

[alphastigma]

[In a surprising show of swiftness, it brings the dango sword (?) down on top of Ryner, but just at the very last minute, he leaps backwards and away, the skewer crashing to the floor between him and Ferris, causing the ground to quake from the force, and splitting the room into two.]

DAMN YOU, FERRIS!!! NOW IT'S TRYING TO KILL MEEEE!!!

[dangoism]

Take your punishment like a man, Ryner!

[ Even though this is clearly her fault. Look, she's still in denial that this is the dango god she's long worshipped. She had envisioned someone a bit better to look at given the perfection of dango - but perhaps this is part of her sacrilege too...

That said, perhaps she might be more emotionally crushed by being persecuted in person by her god, were they not in danger of being physically crushed instead. So her life-long training kicks in easily, though... again, problem. No sword. Her eyes fix on the mighty dango blade that had crashed down between herself and Ryner, from which she'd skidded back a few feet. It's half-wedged in the ground and fortunately, their opponent needs to take some time to pull it back out--

A dango sword. She'd like one of those, especially now but alsojust in general. Fortunately, in another thread that someone has arbitrarily decided happened before this, she had seen a man create his own blades out of... what did he call it? Dreamotion? Hmm... ]

Distract it!

[ she calls out to her partner, as she takes one of her empty remaining dango skewers in her hand and tries to focus on it. The so-called dango god groans as his own blade refuses to come loose properly, a chunk of dango starting to break off of the side. ]

[alphastigma]

[Distract it? Did she just tell HIM to distract it??? He screams in frustration.]

How?! Don't just use me as a decoy!! And why are you staring at an empty dango stick!

[Is that all he ever is to her? A punching bag? A decoy?? Target practice???? The audacity of this vicious dango demon. He deserves to be treated better! Why did he ever get stuck with her???

The dango god, seeing that Ryner is distracted and yelling at his disciple, decides to abandon its dango sword and, instead, turns toward the offending, noisy target. Why? Who knows. Ryner doesn't worship dango, so he's obviously the first to go. His disciple will be pay later.]

Are you even listening to me??? Let's just--

[Stooping down, the dango god grabs Ryner around his midsection in a powerful grip, raising him off the ground and keeping him chest level.]

AUUUUUGGGGHHH!!!

[A blood-curdling scream is wrenched from his lungs, the massive hand squeezing him to keep a firm grip.

And the last thing he sees is Ferris... staring intensely at an empty dango stick, not a single ounce of concern for his well-being in her eyes, before the dango god sprints off down the hall with its new sacrificial offering.

Because apparently it is capable of running despite its doughy girth.]

FERRIS?! I'M SERIOUSLY GOING TO DIIIIIIE!!

[He pleads, screaming with all his might even as his voice becomes barely audible the farther he gets.]

[dangoism]

[ Is she even paying attention to his rambling? Not so much. She's TRYING to focus on her stick of dango, imagining this dango sword, even as their new nemesis creaks and cracks and suddenly grabs Ryner, oops. Still, she doesn't much spare him a glance. Because, look, priorities. And despite his whining, Ryner's not going to die, because only she can kill him. This makes total sense.

The stick wants to do something, something that she notes just before she looks up to see the dango god-man-whatever starts to dash down the hallway toward the hall entryway. She's going to need to make chase, isn't she....

When she looks back to her dango skewer, it just has... more dango on it. Normal sized Her eyes narrow. They seem to plump up a little, but... ]

This should be less difficult.

[ Is what she says to herself before dashing off behind her enemy... and her partner. ]

Bravo, Ryner! Congratulations on getting caught.

[ Is what she calls out. "Encouragement." ]

[alphastigma]

[The lack of concern for his well-being in her voice is grating, yet unsurprising. How could she continue to torment him, day after day, like this? He just barely hears her, the impossibly long hallway carrying her tonelss echo.]

I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, FERRIS!!!

[The dango god continues its escape, bursting through the doors of the palace, carrying the hapless Ryner Lute in its strong, unrelenting grasp. It turns, looking up at the top of the castle and decides, for whatever reason, that it's going to scale its own castle. With Ryner in hand. Not unlike some King Kong situation, but Ryner doesn't know what that is.

And so, it begins its ascent, gripping one of the spires with its free hand and lifting itself up with ease, placing its foot on a balcony to help it along. Bit by bit, it manages to climb higher, Ryner's screams and complaints easily heard from down below.]

[dangoism]

[ She would like to see him try. Even possessed, he couldn't kill her, and while that is still too recent to want to think about, it's present in her mind, none the less. Though, that he's spouting threats like that so easily despite being caught in the clutches of a counterfeit dango god's fingers means he's unhurt and going to be okay.

...Probably!

Maintaining her speed as she continues to pursue, Ferris notes that the hand clutching the dango skewer is getting heavier. Glancing down, it's about the size of a short sword, now. Okay, well, she can probably make this work.

Hopefully, at least, she notes as she finally exits the dango castle (which is actually looking very delicious, though it looks less like a castle and more like a towering skyscraper made entirely out of dango. ) and sees just how tall it is... Well, it could be taller. And she can hear Ryner yelling as the dango god climbs, climbs, climbs. Scaling it herself would be much easier if she had a rope or an actual blade, but her jumping skills will have to do.

So she jumps to a window ledge, one handed, to start her way up the building, making chase. ]

Keep screaming so I know you haven't died yet!

[ Still managing to be ever so helpful. ]

[alphastigma]

[Yes, counterfeit dango god makes more sense-- except it really doesn't. None of this makes any sense to Ryner. Counterfeit or not, this is the product of crazy Ferris Land, and he wants out of it all. Not even seeing the outside of this godforsaken dango building surprises him anymore.

Or that could be the lack of oxygen his brain is getting from screaming all the death threats and being squeezed too tight.

Yeah, that checks out.

Still he futilely writhes in the counterfeit dango god's clutches, even manages to fire off a few Izuchi spells to its creepy face, but it's all for nothing. And he just gets hauled higher and higher up-- okay, seriously, how tall is this palace? Is this the normal height for a castle? This is more like a tower...

Why yes. It's a tower. In the blink of an eye, it's now become a tower. The deliriousness must be setting in, actually it could also be altitude sickness. Either way, this is bullshit. And he's tired of being the victim in all of Ferris's shenanigans.

But he knows he will be too tired and far too afraid to do anything about his situation once this blows over. However, since all he can do is scream, he continues to do just that.]

I SWEAR I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!

[dangoism]

[ She still wants to see him try.

Also, as she climbs, it occurs to Ferris that if this is indeed a dream, and possibly her own (this is still somewhat debatable to her, shut up), then perhaps she should use her imagination to... climb faster? Barely pausing, she takes a moment to do just that, and she amazingly... starts moving a bit faster. She also takes a chance to make a slightly more powerful jump, because, as Ryner is thinking, this tower is... Really tall...

And she's getting bored climbing it. Even if it smells really good. Which makes her want to eat some of the dango on the side more and more.

Her life is so hard. And her sword is so heavy - ah, now it's a one handed-sized sword of dango. If only real dango were so big!

Anyway, she still has a bit to go, so what else can she say to Ryner to make his life miserable, caught in the sweaty dango fist of that so-called god? ]

Ryner! How cruel to say such things to the kind, beautiful, and generous soul that's trying to save you.