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apocalypsehowcomm2023-12-16 09:20 am
Event - The House That Wolfe Built
"A sense of eeriness pervades all the place. [It is] forsaken and majestically lovely, as if nature had at last formed one spot where she can live for herself alone." - Marsden Hartley, poet and painter, 1931, re: Dogtown, Massachusetts.
The woods are creepy, Dark, and deep within the confines of Dogtown. Whether drawn here by curiosity or compulsion, you find yourself (and perhaps your companions) making your way along a spiraling path to reach a rusted chain link fence. This fence, once fighting to block anything from exiting, has been breached by a variety of clever and sage tactics. You might have been lucky enough to join up with one of the groups that found or made their own keys. Or maybe you're unlucky and stuck going through the acid plant hole or the random violence tunnel. However you make your way inside the fence, you'll notice a marked difference on the other side.
It's quiet. Much too quiet. Even your own footsteps seem to be muffled. Beyond the trees, in a cleared out space, a house is visible. It's a New England mansion with white wood slats for walls and a dark roof that sports two smoking chimneys atop it. From the pitch black windows, it looks to be about three stories high, not including the ground floor, and rises just above the treeline. There's a wrap-around porch on the ground floor that's in questionable repair with a rusty, decayed swing to one side of the front door. Most prominent of all upon the building, though, is an enormous spiral pattern burned into the wood on one side of the house, along with a simple message:
WELCOME :)
(cw: sudden violence, rot, swarms, choking, potential for severe injury, thalassophobia, blackmail)
The world beyond the fence in Dogtown is a strange one. The sun flickers and dies, vying with the stars for space in the heavens, as if time is shifting back and forth, fighting to progress or slow. The trees are impossible things. Some of their limbs are burnt, others petrified, others are rotting, and still others resplendent with pollen-filled flowers. All on the same tree. The quiet in this place is oppressive, as well, marred only by sudden bursts of screeching, shrill sounds: a woman screaming, vehicles colliding, a gun going off. There is a dread that hangs heavy in this place and a hunger from the very land itself that seems to be starved in some way.
And all of you make such lovely prey to feed the wretched, starving things that have been trapped in this place for far too long without the strength they need to fight or flee.
The trek to reach the house proves to be a rather hazardous one for those approaching. Bear traps seem to appear from nowhere. Vines hanging from the trees curl around throats. Swarms of insects find you to bite and sting and drive you mad with their persistence. Shadows shift unexpectedly to hide pools of sticky black blood. Even a small splash of it is enough to raise a violent impulse within the most docile person. Or perhaps you're unlucky enough to find a puddle that is so much deeper than any puddle should be. Down and down and down. Something pulls at you, wrenches you into something so much bigger than you ever imagined. Strange, not-quite birds and animals dog your steps and whisper threats, promise they'll scream a secret you want kept if you take one more step toward that house.
And the gauntlet continues with every Entity fighting to keep you from your goal by force or fear. Or… almost every Entity. Nothing that twists or weaves seeks to block your way. In fact, what spiderwebs there are seem to guide you around the more deadly hazards, should you choose to follow them.
What did one of those ghosts say? "Now, it sounds strange, but you need to follow the spiderwebs if you want to find anything on the grounds. They'll never lead you wrong."
(cw: various, determinant, altered perceptions of reality, strangulation)
The help from the spiderwebs stops at the door. The house that greets you is old. For how long it’s likely been empty, there should be moss and growth and decay, but all that greets you are moisture-warped boards, the creak of which serves as a loud alarm of your approach. To some, it may seem familiar, as though you've been here in your dreams. The grand hallway characters are treated to was clearly once lavish and rich with tapestries and fine carvings. Now, the corners and shadows seem like twisted faces in the wings, watching and waiting. The house itself seems to be holding its breath in anticipation.
As soon as the last person is inside, the front door shuts with a definitive thud and the way is shut. The only thing left to do is explore; although, anyone with any decent sense of direction will soon find it muddied and confused. What should be North feels an awful lot like West and South tastes like Down but has the sound of your footfalls overhead. Still, you must go Down the Up staircase and hope sense returns soon enough.
You and any companions you have with you will find vertigo and confusion abound; even the gift of flight or a handy grappling hook are no balm. You take off or start climbing and suddenly find your center of gravity shifted and turned and spun until figuring out which direction you're moving becomes a nauseating affair. Best take the slow road, even if it's difficult. And maybe mind the objects in the hallway when you walk along it. You may pass by them more than once, but find them ever so slightly shifted. Changed. Perhaps one of them might provide the clue you need on what to do next, which door to choose to escape the endless hallway cycle.
Or perhaps you'll see the People Who Are Not There who seem to populate the house. You spot their silhouettes when at just the right angle. A pillar and a vase make the shape of a man or a woman or a child. Step forward and that form spreads, warps, becomes nothing but a different shape. The People Who Are Not There are seen more and more frequently the longer someone spends roaming the corridors of the house without some forward progress. See enough of them and you might find yourself grabbed by Hands That Do Not Exist, and slowly strangled. It doesn't… hurt, though? Nothing is there, after all. Nothing is trying to hurt you. Nothing. But as it happens again and again, you may find yourself beginning to feel less real. Are You There? Perhaps not. And how do you fight something that Isn't There? Run, hide, think in ways that Make No Sense. Out of the box seems to be the only viable solution to fighting and avoiding them to make your way forward.
Finally, you come to a door…and you can’t be sure there wasn’t another door you passed or if you’ve simply turned right too many times and now find yourself exactly where you need to be… and this is the door you need. You can smell it. Opening it shows an inky, dark, substance and pressing your hand to it is like reaching through thick, chilled, smoke. It’s where you’re being called. Stepping through the doorway, you might find the companion you were traveling with is right there with you, or they might have vanished, or it might be someone else who's replaced them entirely, someone who also came into the house. Regardless, once inside, there is no going back until what lies in wait is faced…and overcome.
Face your fears. Accept your Mark.
(cw: possible gaslighting, possible body horror, various)
Whatever room you’ve found yourself in, whatever effect might be haunting you, there’s something else moving through the house. In nearly every room, any room, there’s a chance a familiar face might appear as well. Milo, a bit more twisted and a bit too long, slides from the shadows and impossible spaces with a smile for any they find…after the clear flicker of confusion as to where they are, anyway. It fades again soon enough. “Hello, friend…might you need some help? Or do you think you have this one?” Whether you take their offer or not, they’re there at least for a moment or two, watching, wandering, and seemingly looking for something. It might as well be a mutually beneficial moment, right?
- GENERAL - Players may encounter non-major NPCs in the house. All non-native individuals will have been drawn to the house, which includes a variety of background NPCs who have lived and/or worked at ADI. Characters are welcome to encounter these people through the house, reference seeing them, or have them be killed in front of their PCs. Go wild! This house is deadly, and if you want your character to see that without having to be killed themselves, please go ahead. You do not need mod permission for this. Please remember that character deaths are permanent (unless you are using this as an opportunity to shift to an Entity alignment) and plan accordingly! At this point, you do not need mod approval for your 'death' and Entity alignment. We just request that you not give your character any game-breaking sorts of abilities. They will not be able to resist the house or escape from it with any new abilities.
- WELCOME - Time is strange within the fenced-in area of Dogtown. All characters entering the area will find that they seem to have arrived at the same time, in spite of entering hours or even days apart. The land, itself, seems to be fighting you, as well, as you try to make your entry or scout the area. The options listed in the prompt are examples. Players are welcome to invent any additional hazards, especially ones that would induce their character to book it into the house as quickly as possible to try to find refuge there. Once on the porch, any and all supernatural effects will stop and characters will no longer be harried by the Entities in the yard.
Characters who attempt to flee the fenced in area, back out to Dogtown, will find that getting in was difficult, but getting out is impossible. At least for now. On top of the compulsion to stay and enter the house, the fence seems to have repaired itself and tightened its defenses once everyone is in.
The Web and the Spiral are the only Entities that don't seem to be impeding progress into the house. Instead…anyone trying to escape out of the fence will face the full might of the Web and the Spiral. Spiderwebs and twisted metal have blocked your exits and covered our padlocks. There will be no more help here.
- COME IN - The house will tailor each of the rooms your character goes through to focus on what Fears they have not yet encountered or that hasn’t left enough of a mark on them. This could be one room or thirteen; you’re not required to play all of them out and certainly none that would touch on any OOC limits, but please handwave that your character has gone through those types of rooms. For example, if you have a fear of spiders and/or mind control and have never had your character encounter a Web based incident, they will go through one in the house, but you will not be required to play it out.
This is the last chance to go wild with any ideas you might have! Whether you’d like to deal with bodies sitting up in body bags, the existential horror of space, or experiencing life as an earthworm, all players are encouraged to do what sounds fun as long as it aligns to one or more of the Entities attempting to leave their marks or traumas on your character. Once a room has been finished, ICly, explorers will find themselves faced with another door that will likely lead to a new horror until they’ve experienced every Fear they’ve missed…or if they’re one of the lucky few who finds an item to help them.
- SAY HELLO - Milo will be poking their head into every room, but whether your character notices them or not or takes them up on their offer is entirely up to you. They will try to help characters through their room as they are most assuredly lost and simply wandering about. Though, there doesn’t seem to be anything impeding their way through the house at large. If you’d like a thread with Milo interacting with your character, please respond to the comment below with a little information or a full set up of what they’re walking into. More than one person in a thread is welcome as well, just note that in the comment, please!
no subject
"Close your eyes a minute, and just breathe," he suggests, though of course in this kind of situation, he can't blame her if she's not able to do that. Generally the situations in which you need to relax are the ones in which it's the hardest to do so.
But then Yelena says she thinks she knows the answer, and, "It's nothing good," he guesses - quietly. Grimly.
Whatever it is... maybe he hopes she might be wrong. His fingers tighten on Mjolnir.
no subject
cw: poison, suicide
She flips the stopper open, and brings the vial to her lips in one swift motion - and maybe if Rogers and Winter still had the reflexes afforded by the serum, they could stop her before she downs it, but she's chosen her position carefully, and she's just a hair too fast.
cw: poison, suicide
Perhaps the room is responding to Kate. It is hard to say but she is the only one visibly effected. She feels so scared right now. The walls are closing in on her and there doesn't appear to be a way out. This is all her fault, she knows. If only she hadn't seen Nia's post luring her to Dogtown. If only they had turned right instead of left before coming into this room. If only, if only...
She does close her eyes and tries to breathe. "I'm so sorry guys. I really hate small spaces." It is easier to do with Winter's hand on her shoulder. It is comforting but it's also not enough.
What's okay? Kate opens her eyes and looks at Yelena who is talking like this is the end of the line. "Yelena?"
She can't stop it. She's not quick enough. Kate can only watch in horror as Yelena puts the vial to her lips and drinks. "NO!" She screams and rushes forward. She is too slow.
Re: cw: poison, suicide
Too late. Because he doesn't have the reflexes, no matter how he pushes his body to shift, to move, no matter how fast he lifts his arm and reaches out -
In the stuffy, shrinking room, he's only fast enough for his hand to collide with hers as she brings the empty vial down from her lips. He might knock it aside, but the motion does no good now. "Yelena -"
Re: cw: poison, suicide
He just frowns, looking between Yelena and the little bottle. "What did you do that for?" is what comes out of his mouth.
cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding
"This is the last one. The End. It's one of us or all of us, and I was the only reasonable choice."
She trusts Winter to push on, trusts the three of them to keep each other moving, to not succumb to the horrors of the house an the Entities out of rage, or grief, or vengeance. She cannot, quite, trust that any other configuration would work.
The walls aren't moving any more, but the room still feels too warm. She sways a little, lightheaded, and lifts a hand to wipe away the sweat trickling down her forehead. When she brings her hand down, though, it isn't sweat. It's blood, seeping from her pores, from the corners of her eyes and the edges of her nails.
"Oh," she says, small and almost surprised - that it's this, that she's dying bloody but solid, that anything might remain when she's gone - before her knees buckle.
cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding
She rushes forward as Yelena drinks from the vial but she cannot reach her in time. It's the table that gets in her way. It's between them and Yelena. She nearly trips over it.
Rogers' hand gets to her first. All the worries of the room collapsing in on them have vanished and for now it's just Yelena. Everything feels like it's happening in slow motion. She doesn't realize that she's still screaming no as she finally makes it to Yelena in time to wrap her arms around her. But she's not strong enough to keep both of them upright as Yelena's knees fail. They both go to the ground but Kate is still holding on, she keeps Yelena from experiencing the brunt of the fall.
She holds Yelena's upper body in her arms. "You didn't have to do that."
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding
Kate grabs Yelena as she starts to fall, Rogers diving after them a second later. He ends up on his knees next to Kate, reaching for one of Yelena's hands, not particularly caring about the bloody fingernails. His eyes rove over her for a second, looking for - something. For anything, he can do, to help. To stop this. To save her.
But in the pit of his stomach, he knows. And that's why he squeezes her hand, shoulder to shoulder with Kate, and looks up at Winter.
(For a second, it's a relief. For a second, all he could see was Natasha. And he wasn't even there when she did - exactly the same fucking thing.)
Get down here, Winter, he doesn't say out loud, but his expression says it all. Whatever's happening, Yelena isn't alone. They're all here.
No one should have to die alone.
"You are't the reasonable choice," he says, looking back at her. "You're with us." He means, she's with them. She's one of them. They're all in this together, and she isn't worth any less.
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding
Winter scrambles over in the other two's wake, expression one of horror. "Yelena. No. No, you can't leave--" She can't leave him. She's been his person, his support, the only person who really understands him. He became a person for her. What will he do if she's not here anymore?
He fumbles for her other hand, clutching it close to his chest, wanting to wrap her up in his own arms but Kate already has her.
cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
She looks at each of the three of them in turn, though her vision is tunneling, and the centre that isn't blacked out is hazy, like she's peering up through cloudy water. The whites of her eyes have gone scarlet, just one more link in the cascade failure.
"You're gonna survive," she repeats, and it's half faith and half an order. There's something else she needs to say - but she's so tired, she gropes for a moment for the words, as the shadows nibble away at the edges of her vision, as the haze thickens, until all she can see is silhouettes. She closes her eyes, blocking out the shadows, holding fast to the last moments of clarity, like she can take the memory of her people down with her into the dark.
She remembers, now, those last, crucial words. "I love you."
Her grip slackens, breathing slowing, hitching, ragged - continuing for a minute, two, as the blood spreads out in a pool around her, thin as water. And then it stops.
The table remains. The broken vial remains. And the door remains, the way forward standing clear.
cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
She blinks back tears but makes no other motion to wipe them away. She presses her forehead to Yelena's shoulder. "I love you too. You're my sister." Please don't go.
She can feel Yelena's die in her arms. She's never had anyone die in front of her eyes before. She's never had anyone die in her life that she was close to either. At first she doesn't believe it. She shakes Yelena's body. "Yelena... Yelena wake up."
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
Except, he thinks, she does it with a grace and fearlessness that's hard to match. He knows she didn't mean those last words for him, so much as Winter and Kate, but he's glad she got to say them. That they got to hear them.
He watches her go, her hand tight in his, and for a moment, the room is just silent, when her breathing stops and none of them can speak. There's a stone that feels suddenly heavy and almost hot, burning, in his pocket, and -
Kate breaks him out of his thoughts when she starts to shake the body. "Kate," he says, softly, letting Yelena's hand go, gently, and reaching to touch Kate's bicep, just as gently, but with no hesitation. "Kate. She's gone."
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
It shouldn't be happening, now. It's wrong. He'd always told her if anyone died, it'd be him first. Or they'd go together. She's not supposed to die and leave him here without her.
He doesn't cry. Maybe it doesn't feel real, maybe it doesn't feel enough, maybe there's something still cold in him that keeps him from falling apart before the mission's over. But he cups her limp hand to his cheek and closes his eyes so he can't see her bloody, empty face. "Stop shaking her," he says, voice flat but hoarse.
cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
She looks at Rogers then at his hand and then back to him. "But she was just talking. I don't..." Want her to be gone. Want her to be dead. Kate shakes her head. She understands the concept of death but this is different. It's too real. "She was just talking." How can she be dead? She was just talking. It wasn't but seconds ago!
She doesn't jostle Yelena's body again but she looks so confused. "I don't know what to do."
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
At least Kate stops shaking her. "I think we get up and keep going," he says, softly, glancing at the door again, some part of him worried it might close if they take too long. They can't let what she did be in vain. "She wanted us to get out of here."
Maybe they'll still all die, on the other side of that door, but Yelena at least gave them the chance to find out.
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
Finally he fishes it out of a pocket and tucks it into one of his, and only then does he pick himself up, unsteadily. They need to finish whatever this is.
cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
Finally, she pulls herself to her feet as Winter fishes out the tracking device. At least she still has pictures of her friend at home. That and memories is all she'll have left.
"I'm ready." To go through the door and to live.
Re: cw: poison, suicide, massive bleeding, character death
His hand twitches again, but it reaches for Kate's, fingers curling around hers, as he looks back at Winter, and nods. He isn't sure if the three of them - or anyone else - will make it out of this house alive, but he's going to try his damnedest to make sure it happens.
Yelena did.
"Okay. Let's go."