apocalypsehowcomm | Event

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Event - Blind Spot

Blind Spot

➥ The Merry Mare of Wintermas

Photograph of a horse skull in profile on a black background.
(cw: stalking, animal skeletons, obsession, supernaturally-induced anxiety)

There is something following you. Whatever the reason, you're out at night, and something lurks, creeping after you whenever you turn your attention away from… that bush? That building? That streetlamp? How can a streetlamp be hiding something? You're sure there's something there, though. It only seems to follow people in groups of two, never individuals or groups with more.

It's as you're passing an alley or a particularly dark patch of shadows, or a large bush, that a voice calls out to you. It's like the creak of a poorly-maintained hinge. "It's time to play a game" the voice says.

Drawing closer or shining a light will reveal a skeletal creature draped in a bloodied, torn white cloth. Its skull is equine in appearance… equine with razor sharp teeth, but the rest of its body seems flexible, the bones shifting position to provide a hand or height, or anything it may need in the moment.

"Two heads. Surely, surely." The creature cocks its skull. "Surely enough." Then it stares down at one of you. "Play." What leaves its mouth next is a riddle. One that neither you, nor your companion has ever heard. One that seems, all at once, impossibly difficult. You've been put on the spot, like being called on in class when you were thoroughly unprepared and expecting someone else to be picked. There may be panic, but try to think. You've been given a riddle, and anything less than the correct response will result in an angry shriek from the Merry Mare of Wintermas and an attack by a creature that has a bone to pick.

Answer right, though, and reap the reward! A bray of laughter and a near trampling as it departs, hunting for the next potential participant in its game. You may be visited by the Merry Mare of Wintermas after that, as well. A hunted feeling pervades your waking hours. It accosts you in alleys and scratches at windows, no matter where you sleep, demanding you play its riddle game. Any failure will result in immediate attack.

➥ Lamp of the Body

Photograph of a stained glass eye made up of blues, blacks, and greens.
(cw: attempted sacrifice, cults, scopophobia, defamation)

After weeks and weeks of observation and infiltration from dedicated individuals, the word is finally sent out: a strike is being planned against the Holy Light Church, Greta Thomas, and Father Mark Sullivan. However, simply attacking an established church in the city is something that takes care and it’s quickly decided this will need to be handled on two fronts.

Those staying back will face the horrors of red tape and social and political reputation as individuals good at digging for information and spinning public relations will be tapped to look into the church’s dealings. Airing their dirty laundry, and generally tearing down their good name in the community is the goal here, but any identifiable members of the congregation that can be intimidated, chased out of town, or generally removed is also encouraged. Something made particularly difficult with all the layers of digital security the church seems to carry.

Those putting boots on the ground are armed and roped into the planning: multiple points of entrance and a perimeter to catch any who try to run. The primary targets are Greta Thomas, Father Sullivan, and the deacons: Erin and Aaron Schüttmann, but there’s plenty of others who are likely to get in the way, and they most certainly do.

The night of the strike, the Church seems unchanged from the outside with its bright, even lighting on the entrances and cameras with their blinking recording lights posing an obstacle to any interested in stealth, but there are ways past those and windows that could fall victim to creativity. Once inside, the chaos starts. Members of The Holy Light’s congregation are present, ready, and armed. Perhaps it wasn’t as much of a surprise as ADI was hoping for, but the plan’s in action now.

Those that get beyond the front line defenders of the congregation might reach the out of bounds area where they will have a basic locked door to deal with first that leads into an office and private room with another door beyond, this one locked with key card access. Finally, past that, is a small series of backrooms where the air is thick with the scent of copper left on your tongue. The source isn’t hard to find, just follow the subtle sound of whirring and clicking and muffled whimpers.

Set in the deepest part of the church is an altar room, the walls and ceiling of which shift and whir with rows and rows of cameras with their little blinking lights of life. There is no angle or corner that can’t be seen by the unblinking lens as they observe the entrances and those few left gathered within. Those in fastest will see Greta Thomas, standing in front of an older man tied to the chair he’s sat in, the back of it angled back and stained an old rusty brown near the head. For just a moment, she has far too many eyes, her face and neck are all wide, staring, eyes aimed at the bound man until, all at once, they snap up to stare at the intruders. A wave of prickling awareness washes over those caught under her stare: she Knows you. Not just who you are and where you’re from, but what you’ve done. Every dirty little secret you’ve kept covered, every little thought you’ve ever had that has only ever been known by you. Until now. Unfortunately for you, she’s not afraid to use it.

➥ He Sees You

Photo of an enormous elf on the shelf balloon against a backdrop of skyscrapers.
(cw: the fear of being watched and unable to hide; creepy dolls; altered mental states)

Following ADI's infiltration of the church, there's still cleanup work to do: the warehouse used as storage and a base of operations for the cult's supernatural terrorism needs to be cleared out lest whatever remains inside harm more innocent people. Based on observation of people coming and going from the warehouse in the last weeks and the successful strike against the cult at the church, the expectation is that the danger this time around will come from whatever cursed items have been stored here.

Step inside and, day or night, and the most immediately obvious thing about this warehouse is the brightness of its lighting. It's not blinding–just the opposite, in fact. The numerous overhead and wall-mounted lights illuminate every inch of the place perfectly, leaving barely so much as a shadow even among the shelves and palettes of boxes. There is no hiding here; sound also travels clearly across the building, allowing anyone inside to pinpoint the location of anyone trying to sneak about. The visibility is too perfect, the light overstimulating, the openness of it all making you feel exposed and your brain itch with the need to take shelter.

The giant elf staring down from the rafters doesn't help, either.

Like its smaller, shelf-dwelling brethren, the ELF has a cloth body in bright Christmas colors and a plastic head with a mischievous, smiling face. Unlike the elves that plagued ADI last Christmas, the ELF has to be at least twelve feet long from head to toes. It lays draped and wedged through the rafters of the warehouse, strings of Christmas lights wrapped around its torso and its ragdoll arms dangling downward. It's motionless, looking for all the world like nothing more than a grotesque art installation, and unlike some elves, it stays put even when you look away. It seems somehow to meet your eyes when you gaze up at it, staring deep into your soul and cataloging all your deepest secrets and darkest shame. It knows everything you wish were yours alone to know, and with that knowledge comes the creeping dread that if you've been so easily found out, others must know as well.

Tearing your eyes away from it leaves the weight of knowing it's still watching. Somehow, too, you always miss the moment when one of the small toy elves drops from the ceiling to land with a hard plastic SLAP on the floor of the warehouse. Did the giant elf drop it? That can't be right. It doesn't happen often or with any predictability, but now and then another little elf drops from the rafters, though you could have sworn there was nothing up there but the light fixtures and that terrible grinning giant. The little elves do relocate if they're not watched, setting up camp on shelves and among boxes to stare at the ADI intruders.

The warehouse has been more than halfway cleared out, but there are still dozens of worn cardboard boxes stacked up for storage. Inside are cans of spray paint, more elves, packages of string lights with the brand name Illumination Rite…and quite the variety of strange and dangerous artifacts.

While ADI's higher-ups would prefer not to solve this problem with arson (there are neighboring warehouses that would undoubtedly go up in flames if this one were set ablaze), all of this Eye stuff has got to go. The most capable field agents will perform an initial sweep to secure the building and identify its contents and likely threats, after which others will be brought in to dismantle and remove anything supernatural. Hazmat gear has been provided, though it may not be effective against all artifacts' effects, and the plan is to load everything up in company vehicles and take it back to headquarters to be studied and then systematically destroyed (though, naturally, onsite destruction of artifacts has been authorized in cases of emergency or inability to transport the items).

And someone needs to get that damned ELF out of the rafters.

➥ Mod Notes

GENERAL - Players are welcome to play background NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompts should be sufficient and ordinary people will act like… ordinary people! Although, the people of Gloucester seem to be becoming more and more aware of supernatural phenomenon and they are frightened by it. You're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly!
THE MERRY MARE OF WINTERMAS (20-25 December) - Players are welcome to come up with the Merry Mare's riddles. They should be incredibly challenging-to-impossible to answer. If giving out an impossible riddle, characters may use their wits to come up with a solution that she may accept. Her riddles will grow increasingly even more difficult/impossible as she visits your character. If she attacks, she can be seemingly 'killed' with her bones vanishing upon her 'death.' She will appear the next night to stalk others and drag them into her games, though. She will appear to characters a maximum of 6 times over the course of her reign of terror. If asked about anything other than the riddles she will not answer. If pressed, she will simply attack those who will not play her games. As soon as a riddle is answered, she will vanish into the night, galloping away. In addition to the difficulty of the riddles, one or both characters may experience an inexplicable anxiety centered on being put on the spot.
LAMP OF THE BODY (17th December) - Characters can partake in the destruction of the church either behind the scenes or on site at the church itself. Those digging into the church will need to work through various kinds of security, but they will eventually discover some of their dirtier dealings in the forms of money moved, people blackmailed, and others now suspiciously gone missing. If characters are intending to smear the church’s name or simply share the truth, players are encouraged to submit what their characters are saying or how they go about it in the comment below for future news needs; however, you may proceed with your ideas without having them approved by mods! This is just for our edification and incorporation into future things. Those heading into the church proper will be faced with heavy resistance. The congregation is mostly older women and some men, but they’re armed and loyal. All NPC fights and interactions can be player-controlled for threads. Generally, the congregation will fight to seriously wound or kill, but some can simply be subdued without killing. The deacon twins are clever and fast, but they’re not exactly fighters. Still, they’ll get in the way of anyone attempting to stop the sacrifice in the back room. Father Sullivan is a mean and quick shot, but again only human. Greta Thomas, while older and largely uninterested in physical altercation, heals quickly and has the Eye in her corner. She will try to incapacitate people through the fears of their secrets or previous failures and mistakes. Her general tactic is to mentally trip up ADI members so Father Sullivan can dispatch them. All throughout the backrooms, characters will have the heavy sensation of being watched and the quiet judgment of every eye-shaped decoration and carving in the building.
HE SEES YOU (19th December) - The toy elves do not appear to actively do anything other than relocate when unobserved, but being watched by them will induce increasing feelings of paranoia. If taken apart, they are nothing but felt, plastic, and stuffing; the feeling of being watched will not abate until their eyes have been completely destroyed. When characters begin rounding up the elves to destroy them or box them up, the elves will attempt to escape the warehouse when they are not being watched. The Illumination Rite lights will have no effect unless plugged in; if they are taken out of their packages and plugged in they may cause characters to blurt out a secret against their will, or may cause characters to feel as though a figure has just appeared behind them and is watching them. All items that appeared in the player plot "The Eyes Have It? Not if we can help it!" function as described in that plot's OOC post.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. [The Merry Mare of Wintermas] one step takes me home

"A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?"

[Rue may consider themself quite clever, but in the face of a bloodied, skeletal horse popping up from a nearby bush to speak to them in riddles, they really lose all ability to think clearly. Even glamoured as they are, they still blink owlishly up at the mare, before turning to shoot a pleading glance at any unfortunate enough to stroll on by.

Help Rue out before the beast attacks and you may end up with a fey favor in your pocket for later.]

ii. [He Sees You] two steps back on my own (antique magnifying glass)

[Volunteering to help out at the warehouse instead of on the frontlines had seemed like the simplest way to keep out of any further danger, but Rue is quickly learning that nothing in this place is ever exactly what it seems. The glamoured owlbear feels absolutely exposed beneath the impossibly bright lights above, the skin beneath their feathers tingling with something Rue can't quite put a name to. They feel on edge and they can't for the life of them understand why. There's just this visceral feeling of fear coiling heavily at the bottom of their belly, like the terrifying anticipation of waiting for a nearby predator to strike.

And Rue is not used to ever feeling like prey.

But with no true, tangible danger in front of them, Rue brushes off the feeling in a shake of unseen feathers, before picking up an antique-looking magnifying glass, their gloved fingers carefully tracing the strange engravings along the handle.]

What do you suppose this does? I must admit I'm suitably intrigued.

[ooc: when looking through it, the magnifying glass "will warp into the face of someone the user cares for, or the user themself. The hallucination will bleed from the eyes. When they put it down, the vision, the user's eyes will leak blood for up to ten minutes." so fun stuff!!!]

iii. [wildcard] three skips to each stone / four steps back and I'm gone

[ooc: don't see a prompt you like? hmu!!

meyggy]

Edited 2022-12-23 06:23 (UTC)

Four daughters and three sons.

[Rodney has had less fortunate run-ins with the Mare before, but a riddle like this? It turns into an equation in his head before he actively thinks about it and the answer presents itself before the magic effect of being put on the spot can even reach him.]

Of course you could technically expand that to have the parameters still come true, but it'd be quite the family.

Oh my!

[And just like that, the nightmare mare raises up on it's hind legs, whinnying in a tone too deep and dark for a true steed, before barreling right through the pair of them, the owlbear only just narrowly jumping out of the way of being knocked over.]

How truly magnificent, Doctor McKay! And so effortless. I must admit, I was feeling quite put on the spot by their riddle, but you managed to solve it with such ease. [And apparently a correct answer was enough to appease the mare. For now.]

Do you think such a thing is normal around here?

[Magnificent. He needs to start a journal at this point, with all the acknowledgement he's getting from Rue because this is watering his crops to an extent that almost makes him uncomfortable.

Almost.]

Well. Uh. It's simple math, really. I admit, I... encountered this ghastly beast before and suffered its wrath [is he matching his speech patterns to Rue's, maybe] once it managed to stump me with a riddle that was merely a twist of homonyms.

[A beat and he's back to his rapid speech.]

... Honestly, though, it was really unfair, like, it had nothing to do with logic, more like child's play on words and I really don't think it should count...

[oh my god this man.]

You've run into this creature before? Well! [Now that the nightmare mare has dashed off to find it's next victim, Rue takes a step closer to the man, reaching up to gently smooth the panic-ruffled feathers of their neck down.] I'm grateful I was here to see you put it in it's place this time. Well won, my dear doctor.

Thank you for the help. I admit that riddles are not very much my thing and I suppose I should be brushing up on my math as well. You figured it out so fast. A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half- Oh! I need a pen and parchment just to keep it straight.

You know math?

[The only potentially saving grace of his rudeness is the genuine surprise in his voice and the obvious inability to perceive it as such.]

Huh. I just... huh. Isn't it all, you know, magic and spells and dancing around trees where you're from?

[Rodney, you can't just ask people if they know math!!!!!

Thankfully, Rue is used to him by now, so even at what should be quite offensive, the owlbear smiles in utter amusement.]

Well, we do do a lot of dancing around trees and magic, but yes. Some faeries do attending schooling. [Not Rue, naturally, they were not exactly considered a true fey but - ] I suspect our math isn't quite as extensive as yours, but we do count and multiply and divide.

delloso de la rue | dimension 20 | ota

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