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Event - Feeling Faint

Feeling Faint

➥ Flicker

Photo of a wild rooftop garden with a city skyline in the background.
(cw: Alterations in reality and perception, chance for violence or injury, potential chance of loss of name or other pieces of a character’s identity, depending on conversations with NPC)

Somewhere, deep in ADI’s basement, there’s a meadow in a metal room. That room has a door that always stays locked. Yet, after a couple visitors come by to talk to the inhabitant of that room, that door is unlocked and the meadow vanishes along with the inhabitant.

It isn’t a quick thing, no light switch is flicked announcing the change in the status quo, it’s an irregular thing. One day everything is as it should be and then, for an hour, all of the illusions and glamours making every non-human seem human simply vanishes. Then it’s two hours. Then a whole day. Then it’s only flickers now and then or only portions of a body left unchanged, all interspersed with days where nothing seems to happen at all. Like someone’s playing a game. Something that leaves the locals on edge as ‘monster’ sightings increase and send a ripple of fear and doubt through town. Fear and doubt that is sometimes answered in unkindness at best and violence and fear at worse.

Though, who the sadistic someone is might be difficult to pinpoint for those outside of the know. Anyone who goes looking or has ways of sensing where the fluctuations are coming from might come across a handsome stranger perched atop one of the now-vacant warehouses once used by Oculus where a rich carpet of grass and tumbling ivy now overtakes the roof and spills down the sides.

For the brave or curious or angry at heart, the stranger will turn to their visitor with a small, knowing smile from where they’re sat in their meadow, a flower crown in hand and held out like an offering. “Hello, who do we have here, then?”

➥ Feint

Photo of a forested area around a crimson red river.
(cw: extreme distress, hallucinations, supernaturally heightened emotions, blood, monstrous creatures, potential for violence and death)

"Please! Please"--your name, someone is shouting your name--"I need- please! Help!" The voice is a familiar one, someone you care for, or at least have no negative feelings about. They might be someone you've met here in Gloucester, or they could be someone from home. They're distressed, they're in Dogtown. You only hear them as you travel around the edges of the park. And there are even glimpses of them. Flashes of a face that seems to belong to the person who's shouting.

Even if you're wary, sensibly so, the pitch, the distress, puts some sort of feeling into you. Fear, perhaps, for the 'person' in danger? Anger that someone would try to impersonate someone you love? Hopelessness that you can't actually do anything to help? The emotion fills your belly, wells up like a tide and crashes through the mind. It's not impossible to resist going into Dogtown, but it's certainly difficult.

Those who get any substantial distance, will note that they seem to be drawn deeper and deeper into the wood and that the ground grows moist and ruddy. The scent of iron fills the nose and senses. Those who have a sense of Dogtown as it is now may be able to tell that they're being drawn toward the blood river in the southern reaches of the park. Getting closer, you'll be able to see a creature shambling along sideways on clawed and webbed feet. It swings a lantern from its head that flashes to look like the person you know now and again. The false form shouts in fear and terror, crying out.

Should the creature spot you spotting it… be prepared. It will attack immediately, and it doesn't seem to pull its bites or slashes. While ordinary means are enough to bring it down, there is definitely more than one creature. Perhaps a brood has recently hatched in the river.

➥ Figment

White billboard with the words This Ad Is Real written in black and red block font.
(cw: hallucination, altered mental states, gaslighting)

There's a face that keeps turning up around town, but it's not really clear who it is. It's a Caucasian, mustachioed gentleman who seems to be in books where he doesn't belong, in the background of photographs, both old and new, and even on advertisements. You might notice him only in a few things at first, but once you clock him… he's everywhere.

Inquiries into his identity net a mixed response from locals. He's just… some man. Nice mustache, though! Does he look a little like Matthew McConaughey? He just looks like another New Englander, maybe some founder for Gloucester? A reverse image search yields much the same results. There are actors and models who look vaguely like this man, but no one that definitively matches him.

The strange thing is that as you see him more and more, there's the feeling of a hand gently touching your shoulder. A large, masculine hand, as far as anyone with particularly acute senses can tell. It only lasts a moment, and then it's gone. You can never turn fast enough to see anyone, and they don't appear in any mirrors; though… there's a mild distortion in the air if you manage to glimpse a reflection somehow.

Those touched by the hand of the mustachioed man will find themselves feeling more and more inclined toward mischief. Have you seen the mustachioed man? No, no, you haven't. When shown photos including him, you might be inclined to lie and say you see someone else entirely. It's just a little mean. With things in Gloucester spinning out of control, perhaps you ought to grasp control where you can. Making someone doubt themselves and their reality? That's one of the most powerful forms of control out there.

➥ 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! You're welcome to make up any details for your specific scene. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly!
FLICKER (16 August - Potentially Onward) - Players are welcome to control their own NPC interactions. Some might be understanding or come to their defense while others might turn a blind or turn to violence. These moments of violence shouldn’t be outright mobs so much as small groups close to a mugging that only happen once and a while, not a certainty. Characters will have the chance to talk to Milo and either convince them to continue the illusions or drop them entirely, what happens with the illusions from an IC standpoint will depend entirely on these interactions, so if you tag into Milo’s interaction, please make sure that thread is prioritized.
FEINT (16-23 August) - The monstrous creatures can be killed with enough bullets or other normally lethal methods. The figures they mimic will be perfect copies of characters who will elicit strong emotions in your characters. The only limit on who these can be would be for characters already in games. Please just get the other player's permission. If two characters are together, the creature will only mimic one important person. The mimicked individual will provide reasonable (if terrified) responses to questions that are shouted at them.
FIGMENT (16-31 August) - Characters will be able to find plenty of people who look vaguely like the mustachioed man, but efforts to track them down will lead to dead ends. They seem to be ordinary actors, models, and people who have had their photos show up on an image search. Characters trying to investigate the strange happenings in Gloucester and the surrounding area, particularly Dogtown, will find themselves seeing the man more often than others. They'll also suffer the effects of the man's 'touch.' Characters who feel compelled to gaslight and deceive others will be affected until they take out that impulse on someone. It doesn't need to be anyone they care about; though, that makes it feel better somehow. Individuals aligned with the Spiral may find themselves feeling particularly well fed for the month of August on fear juice.

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[Rue has spent their entire life being likened to gems - how could they ever forget a thousand plus years being announced at parties as the diamond of the Court of the Wonder - so they find it difficult to parse the true intent behind this one's meaning.]

But my friend, if you have been the one in charge of keeping my and all other's glamours up, what has happened as of late? [Now, so much less frightened and more intrigued, Rue will step closer, head tipping slightly to the side.] Are you ailing? Is there anything you need? And - forgive if I am prying - but why are you here and not living among us? Is that by choice?

Edited 2023-08-22 04:40 (UTC)

[They consider them a moment before patting the ground next to them. Sort of. Next to them or a good person’s sized distance away, it’s hard to tell in that brief moment.]

I am not ailing, simply tired of a long and dreary deal. I wasn’t originally for glamouring those of other worlds. Just the odd illusion here and there…so long as I stayed out of sight and did as they needed once or twice a year, I was fed and safe. For a time. Then people started arriving as I did…and the new Warden had long disliked my deal, so she changed it.

[Rue does not hesitate in joining them, settling as close as they'll allow without touching - more to their benefit than Rue's. Gem or not, Rue is aware that not everyone is completely comfortable in their presence. They rest the flower crown in their lap, already plucking one of their own bright peonies from their feathers to offer to them wordlessly.]

Without renegotiation? I am surprised at that level of unkindness. And you were given no choice but to accept? Is that why our glamours have been failing as of late? I find that if that is the truth, I do not blame you in the slightest.

[ lThey take the offered peony and bring it up to their hair. It rests there perfectly, as though it had stem enough to find purchase in their hair.]

She did not seem inclined to deal at all…but your glamours fail now because I no longer see a reason to maintain them. There is a whole world out there…and while I had little desire to see it before, it seems like I have no choice but to learn this place.

Do you not ache for home, my gem?

[Rue can not blame them for wanting to leave. If Nia turned what had been a fair deal sour, why should they allow themself to remain caged?

The owlbear picks up the offered flower crown again, not to wear, but to gently caresses the blooms with their talons, careful as ever to not accidentally pluck a single one free.]

I have no home. I was never accepted by the fey and I will never be accepted by humans. And I am nothing like and live nothing like the wild owlbears I have never met. I have always been orphaned and I doubt that shall change.

But, my friend, there are some I care for here working for ADI who can not magic their own glamours like I can. Who will be hurt if they are unable to hide themselves. I - I do not know how to help them.

[They study her a moment, then sweep their hand out around them. The flowers grow tall and the stalks twist into archways to shift into open-air walls with a flower petal-roof. Their own gentle gazebo.]

I do not see why you would not have found a home among my people. The unique is valued to us and you are certainly that.

I could help. But I cannot do as I do for nothing...it is not in my nature nor my interest to be altruistic.

[Rue will not say how much the ease of magic, the gentle coaxing of nature to grow around them feels like home.

But they do turn their big-eyed, owlish gaze upon the fae stranger.]

Are you and yours courtless? All I have ever known was the political intrigue and games played by the faerie courts. I had only just denounced my court before I arrived here instead. I never had the chance to live there free.

[It is difficult. Rue can not stand the idea of anyone being kept, even if it is by an agreed upon deal, but this world will not protect them -]

I do not have much to bargain for. Nor would I ask anything of you while offering nothing in return. I am not cruel. And I do not wish to work in the way of the fey any longer. I will not play the games they instructed me in. But I can hardly begin to comprehend what offer would pique your interest.

What is it that you want more than anything? Freedom?

"Do not wish to work in the way of the fey?" Hmmm...an interesting thought. No, there were no courts when I left.

Yes, freedom would be nice but an empty thought, depending. Free to do what and go where? I haven't decided...and yet I do desire it. Freedom...and stability, perhaps. The knowledge I have a meadow and a corner to call my own and a way to sustain myself. Nothing different than I suspect any other would want.

I wonder...what do you know of that old forest? The one at the edge of town.

None at all?

[There is just no hiding their surprise. It had been Rue's hope to one day abolish all courts in faerie. To think that it could be true somewhere, in some reality -]

I'm afraid I know little of it, I am perhaps the least knowledgeable of anyone working for ADI. I know it is dangerous, but even with my wild shape, I am not one to seek out danger. Is there something there you need? Or information you are seeking?

[They shrug.]

What need had we for a king or royalty? We were beholden to none but ourselves...though I do not doubt it's lost to me now. But...the forest calls to me. Not a voice, but a feeling.

I was curious.

[hm. Their gaze drifts away, back to the flowers, cradling the flower crown in their paws.]

...I thought I may have heard a voice there. But I can not say for certain. I only... I thought I did.

Edited 2023-08-27 01:50 (UTC)

[Their attention flickers over to their guest.]

Maybe you only thought you did...but what did that voice in your head say?

[Even Rue, who has spent their whole life navigating through conversations like they were battlefields, slips up from time to time. They know they should not speak so candidly, but the words fall before they can even stop themself.]

I thought it was my husband. Calling for help.

[Milo pauses and turns wholesale to face their guest with their curiosity plain.]

Was he one of my gems as well, I wonder? Did you not go to him, or did you feel it a trick that you hoped you were right about?

Yes, he was just like me. [a beat, a small intake of breath] Is. We are both wild-looking, our entire appearance needed to change to be hidden among humans.

[The fear and worry bubbles up in their throat. They so rarely bring up Hob, if only because talking about him being gone is so difficult. This many months apart and it still feels as if they can't breathe.]

I thought it must just be in my head. It had to be. I -

[Suddenly, their head turns to Milo, big eyes gone soft.]

May I ask you a question? Regarding your magic?

[There's a moment when they start to open their mouth to respond, but then their friend turns to look at them and Milo tilts their head.]

You may...assuming it is something I can answer.

My husband... He is within this world, but has left ADI. I know that your power has extended outside of these walls, but I - I have wondered how far. Was he still kept safe no matter where he has ended up? Is he only now in danger that the glamours have been dropped?

I know this is selfish to ask, but if you are able to tell me, it would be a great kindness to me.

[and it would certainly be a push in Rue just how important the glamours truly are.]

[They close their eyes and focus, the quality of their voice turns distant when they speak a moment or two later.]

He is far, but alive...and not too far. I can stretch my power aways, when needed, but ambiently...he is still within my reach. And still alive, though I cannot offer if he is 'well' beyond that.

[The change in them is immediate. Rue drops a feathery paw against Milo's arm, their big eyes quickly filling with tears. There is just none of their normal composure and evenness, all Rue has is a sickening sense of both relief and utter fear and a full-body tremble that begins in their broad shoulders.

It does not mean he is safe now, but if he can even be reached, if he can be protected, it is infinitely more hope than Rue has had for months.]

Thank you. I truly can not thank you enough. I have worried so much - but if you have kept him safe for even a single second, you have my endless gratitude.

Edited 2023-08-27 04:57 (UTC)

[There's a small look of...earnest sympathy on Milo's face that lingers a moment but then quickly fades into the neutral impassivity they've been carrying for ages.]

As I have said to others, no one has given me a list of people to stop glamouring...but you're welcome all the same.

[They pause and look out through one of the root lattices at the city beyond.]

I don't know how long I intend to stay in the area, you understand, my gem.

[Rue draws their paw back and sucks in a sharp, deep breath, willing their tremble to lessen, though there is so little they can do for the tears that continue to shimmer in their eyes.

Slowly, they nod.]

I do. I understand. And in any other circumstance, I would help you find your way from this place. But - I must ask that you stay, to continue as you have done, keeping the non-humans within ADI, and outside of, safe.

What can I give that would tempt you into staying here? Wealth has no true meaning to us, we have always dealt in shared magic and traded favors and exchanges of memories. Tell me what it is you seek.

[They look over at their gem a moment and there’s a flicker in their expression that might have been loss when they drew away…but then again, surely not. They take a deep breath and sigh with all the weight of the world.]

I suppose I could be convinced, but I will not return to the basement. Perhaps if someone advocated for my own space…and perhaps company, from time to time.

[They pause again and glance down to the flowers that twist and braid together.]

May I learn your name?

Edited 2023-08-31 01:05 (UTC)

[Where they would have hesitated so much earlier into the conversation, Rue turns to Milo now and holds out a gentle paw without pause. At this point, they are not frightened to lose anything if it ends up saving their missing husband.]

Forgive me. In my distress, my manners left me completely. My true name is Delloso, the one that I picked for myself to fit better among the fey with. [Their free paw flits over their chest, over their heart, with a gentle press of their palm to where their wedding necklace remains buried into their feathers.] It is also the name that only my husband calls me, but I give it to you freely.

May I learn your name in return, dear one?

[Their expression turns gentle...almost longing...and then flickers back away into that ever-pleasant and tepid expression.]

I might have even told you...if I could remember. I feel like my heart does, but my tongue and ears have not felt the word in so long, they would stumble on it. You may call me as you like, or Milo as I have been known while here...and I will think. Perhaps when I remember, I will tell you. In the meantime, your true name will feel no thorns upon it. Out of the two of us, someone ought to be real.

[Using their magic in this place has always been draining in a way it never was in the Feywild, how every simple spell feels like it is drawing the owlbear deeper and deeper into something terrible, but they can not let this moment pass by so simply.

It is so little, but Rue hums a soft, gentle song and casts a simple spell to recreate the smell of the Fey realm between them - all delicate floral and sharp magics and home. They hope, if nothing else, it brings Milo a touch of comfort.]

Hear my words, Milo. I will do everything I can to find you a safe space among us. Somewhere of your own, untethered, a space that no one shall hold over your head. I promise, I will exhaust myself and my resources to make it so.

And when I do, we shall take tea together as friends and make plans for our futures. And I hope, perhaps, that one day we shall recover your true name again and return it to where it belongs.

(no subject)

apocalypsehownpcs - 2023-09-10 02:25 (UTC) - Expand

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