I. A Friendly Competition (14th - 16th)
To those who spend their time with Aefenglom's Wilders, they'll notice them quite excited as the day of the Not-So-Annual Grand Scavenger Hunt approaches. It's set to be Wilders vs Mirrorbound, and even those who aren't participating are discussing it like a spectator sport and placing bets on one side or the other, based on whose wilderness skills they think will win out.
At noon on the 14th, participants meet at a small outpost just outside the city to check in, where those without partners are paired up, and each duo or trio is given a bundle of items: a list -- on a paper enchanted against moisture and tearing -- of the challenges to be completed, in no particular order; a map of this area of the Wilde marked with general locations for where each challenge can be found - not small area by any means!; three emergency flares, should they find trouble; a small med-kit with basic first aid supplies; and a bag to hold their retrieved items in, which can be turned in at the same outpost at any point during the 48 hours of the competition. You are responsible for your own camping gear if you stay out overnight. At least it's summer out there!
Once everyone has been given their kits, the event begins, setting participants scattering off into the woods to track down and complete any of the listed challenges. The Wilders are highly competitive, wanting to bring a win to their side in the first Scavenger Hunt in a few years, and some of them will do anything (short of murder or grievous injury - they don't mean anyone true harm) to nab more points or sabotage the other side. Watch out for your opponents trying to thieve your item bags, trick you into getting lost, or setting off natural obstacles that will slow you down! All's fair in love and scavenger hunts though - it's not against the rules for you to sabotage them back!
Mirrorbound Witches need to watch out as well - the competition takes place during the new moon, and this month, it's going to be difficult for even experienced Witches to control their super-charged magic. Backfires, fizzling out of spells, etc. are all expected - from you, but not from the native Witches on the other team, whose magic is only weaker on the new moons.
a. Challenge 1: Pearl of Wisdom A broad lake can be found some miles to the east, the water glittering and inviting, if dark enough that you can't see the bottom of it even on a clear day. The brief outlines a species of clam found at the bottom of this lake, numerous, big as dinner plates, and bearing massive, iridescent black pearls, prized for beauty and their properties in illusion spells when ground into dust. One of these pearls is your target. The clams are uninfected and generally safe to handle, protected by their hard shells. The brief does not warn, however, about the troupe of white-eyed Merrow Shades that live in the lake and jealously guard this treasure. They use their shrill singing voices to muddle minds and urge trespassers to drown themselves, and they're viciously adept at fighting both on land and in the water.
b. Challenge 2: Willow Bark The bark of a willow tree, infused with magic, has some fair pain relief properties. The maps are marked with the location of a willow grove, largely untouched by Cwyld, where participants in this challenge are required to collect at least a hand's length worth of bark. The main problem, not mentioned in the brief, is that the real willow trees are interspersed through a grove of numerous toxic Impostor Willows, which look exactly alike, but whose bark has opposing properties - it causes horrible pain when prepared and consumed, and causes ugly rashes when you peel it from the tree. Find the bark of the real willows using observations of the area - insects and small creatures tend to avoid the impostors - or, less recommended, by... testing them yourself...
c. Challenge 3: Track & Observe You have been given an enchanted tracking collar in your item bag for this one. Without harming the creature, place the collar on a Neeklur; these will be used for tracking purposes to study their movements and behaviors. The Neeklur is a breed of small, nocturnal marsupial. They have developed a unique relationship with a type of bush that grows into tall hedges, which spread across sparse, open areas where there are few trees and plenty of sunlight for these aggressively spreading plants. Neeklurs make their nests in the heart of such natural hedge mazes, where they can sleep safely during the day, when the hedges quite literally move around on their own, rearranging the paths between them in, it seems, no discernible pattern, making it quite difficult to find your way around if you aren't careful to mark your path. Without direct sunlight, the hedges are dormant, but be warned that the timid, sleepy Neeklurs transform into long-clawed, screeching little beasts at night. They are extremely territorial, and defend their home as a horde.
d. Challenge 4: Tree Elk Antlers Tree Elk, found in the lush woods, are sporting flourishing green-leaved antlers during the Wilde summer. Retrieve a branch from a Tree Elk's antlers with the leaves still lush and intact to win this challenge. Hurting the beast in any way, even emotionally (they're easily traumatized by a small fright) will cause the leaves to shrivel up, turn brown and/or fall right off. You'll have to figure out how to gain its trust and get close enough to it to take a small branch as a willing gift. Don't worry, breaking off a small branch of antler won't hurt it, and these intelligent, if timid, creatures are happy to bestow them as gifts upon those who have earned them.
e. Challenge 5: Singing Shrooms At the base of an old, sprawling oak, deep in the forest, is a symphony of mushrooms. Literally. These fungi come in all shapes, sizes, colors... and keys. They sing. In fact, they never shut up. You may find them easily enough by their eerie, discordant song, but finding the right one in that cacophony is a difficult task. Many different types of singing mushrooms cluster together, and may or may not be infected. Cwyld doesn't affect their outward appearance, but it does change their tune - we're only looking for the uninfected ones that sing a particular song in a particular key. Pick the right type of mushroom off the tree and bring it back. Though, watch out for the ones with teeth. And the ones that emit poison spores. Or hallucinogens. There are so many mushrooms on that tree.
All retrieved items must be stashed in the given bags and turned in to the small outpost where the event started by Deceuer 16th at noon. From there, Rilla Sparks and her organizers will count each team's contributions and tally up points. There will be back-slaps and congratulations for a job well done, and drinks to celebrate! Prizes will be mailed out to the winners within a couple of weeks.
The prize list will go up on January 1st and each participant who submits an in-progress or completed thread tackling at least one challenge will get to pick what they want for their character! |
II. Modranicht (21st - 23rd)
Modranicht proper begins on the 21st, and the days leading up to it are a frenzy of festivity. Homes are often decorated with sprigs of greenery and, less traditional, ribbons, and many shops begin holding sales on their giftable wares. This holiday is celebrated as a time spent with family and other loved ones; traditionally, all meals should be taken with others, and those who eat alone are said to find bad luck in the coming months. Those who can are delighted to pull strangers in to have lunch or dinner with them, should they seem like they're a little lonely around this time of year.
Especially in the neighborhood adjacent to the Haven, those people who came over from Dorchacht over a year ago, who are doing fairly well for themselves these days, are thrilled to have their Mirrorbound neighbors over for a hot drink or a meal and a spot of catching up. They heard what happened with Morgana a couple months back, nasty business, horrible woman, that, and for the most part, they seem quite comfortable with the idea that she's dead now. "I wouldn't move back," most say, "but it's good to know they're really free of her."
The ones most in need this season are those orphans in the Harbor District, though efforts by the Mirrorbound Council and others to better care for many of the parentless kids there have improved spirits, making kids playing and laughing a more common sight. Still, many of those rascals haven't lost their mischievous streaks: some little ones are quite likely to try and pickpocket you as you pass through, or pelt you with snowballs, but gifts or candy can perhaps soften their demeanor. They're just kids, after all.
a. Kiss-tletoe Redux While many of the decorations adorning shopfronts and houses are simple wreaths and garlands of pine, holly, and ivy, enchanted mistletoe is absolutely littered around the city, dangling in doorways, hung up on walls, hanging from the eaves of rooftops. Strings of it zigzag over the streets, hung from lampposts. This is a festive tradition that will be familiar to some. When two people pass under a sprig of mistletoe together, they're supposed to kiss, and the enchantments on many of those sprigs encourage it. Some will stick the pair's feet to the ground until they do so, some will just very lightly compel a smooch, whether it's on the mouth, the hand, the cheek, the forehead, or anywhere else. It's all in good fun, though - none of the enchantments are difficult to break, should one really not want to lock lips: you just have to destroy the mistletoe sprig you're under.
Careful about getting stuck in public, unless you enjoy being the center of attention in a crowd! Other passers-by will loudly cheer or jeer you and your mistletoe-mate on until a kiss is had! Be wary too, of pranksters who will actively push two people under a sprig, laughing all the while.
b. Craft Fair Gift-giving is an important tradition during Modranicht. It's considered only proper to present something to each of your loved ones, as a token of your care and affection for them. Handmade gifts are still widely regarded as the best, because it shows your effort in creating something just for them, so while shops may be having sales for purchased gifts, they're also trying to drum up more business again in the form of crafting lessons. Most businesses will set up tables in their shops, and for a small fee at the door (to cover materials), an instructor will show a group of people how to make something related to whatever the shop offers for sale. All materials are provided, and attendees get to take home what they make to give to friends or loved ones. Some of these even include small enchantments, such as carved wooden birds that actually fly, or timepieces that announce the time in funny voices. Witches are encouraged to learn the spell and help their Monster friends by enchanting their creation for them, but the instructors will do it as well if needed.
If you have a crafty talent of your own, it's easy to make some good money this season by setting up your own lessons on how to make whatever you're good at. Space is available, though it's up to you to source your materials and decide your fee. All the rage in the Western Residential District, where Mirrorbound are generally regarded as friends and neighbors, is objects and styles that come from other worlds. They absolutely want to learn from you and be able to give their loved ones something new and exciting.
c. Eat, Drink & Be Merry All meals during Modranicht should be eaten with another person, according to tradition. Many families and groups of friends have their own feasts during the holiday, but all are invited to a city-wide feast as well, on the 23rd. Located in a park enchanted to be more spacious than normal, long tables piled with food rest beneath festively-decorated, open tents, and every resident of Aefenglom is welcome to come and have a plate, from the richest to the poorest - all except those often-infected residents of the Outer City. It begins at noon and goes well into the evening, and people come and go as they please, enjoying the food and the holiday cheer.
It isn't required, but many citizens bring a dish to add to the tables, meant to be shared - usually a special family recipe. Mirrorbound are encouraged to share traditional food from their own homes (or close approximations of it), if they want to - many are highly interested in customs from other worlds, and some challenge each other (or you!) to try every single dish on the massive tables.
The festivities don't extend past the Bright Wall, unfortunately, but the people of the Outer City, who don't have much to begin with, can be found having their own feast on hunted game and pilfered vegetables, trying to scrape up some cheer for themselves. Most groups won't turn Mirrorbound away as long as you've brought a big enough dish to share, welcoming you into the fold to bad-mouth those hoity-toity inner city folks, but some rare clusters of residents can be hateful at this time of year, made somewhat bitter by your privilege and their lack.
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[Or rather... was used to hearing. She's not going to get into that.
Especially not when she feels a sinking dread in the pit of her stomach, like a rock. Merrow mean fish-people. She does not handle fish-people well. She could probably kill a shade if she was pressed enough, but more than that, this whole thing makes her want to suddenly do what she did on that very same trip out to Dorchacht: Hide somewhere, cover her ears, and pretend she wasn't in the middle of one of the most miserable experiences of her life.]
Perhaps it is a difference of freshwater and saltwater? Regardless, we should tread carefully. And if worse comes to worse...
[She slings her pack down, and opens the top, digging around a bit. There should still be some stuff for survival in the - ah, there. Tightly packed cotton balls.] This will help dull the sound. It will not eliminate it entirely, but if you hum to yourself, the sound inside your own head can help drown out the song of the Merrow.
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If my spell doesn't work as well as I was expecting, I'm fine with using those. I've only used it against those weird wight Shades from the Underground before, and it worked with them, but they were kind of screaming more than singing.
[Which meant the pitch range he had to account for was a bit more limited. That said, this lot all seem to be fairly high-pitched as well, so he's hoping he won't need to get down into normal speaking range with the coverage for this, because that might actually cause problems.
Once he's done drawing his symbols, Momo holds his hands just either side of his own ears, not quite touching his head, and makes a slight curving motion as if casting something off his fingers. One set of the symbols he's drawn disappear from his wrists and appear along the back of his ears instead, glowing for a moment before they fade off a bit.
One set remains, but he pauses momentarily as he holds his hands up.] ...You might need to bend down a little, sorry.
[The last person he cast this on was Styx, who is also huge, so he's starting to wonder whether he should be trying to account more for not being able to reach someone's ears with how he casts this in future.]
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[Though admittedly, some of the dragons here can actually match her for height, most people are not dragons, and thus are not able to. She bends down to take the enchantment.]
We'll see. That there are two of us should help keep the other from falling too into it, and if worse comes to worse, I'll tell you to get out of the water, so I can hit the whole thing with a spell.
[She will try not to zap him... but can't 100% promise it.
Once the spell is cast, she stands back upright, draws her sword and allows it to sit comfortably in one hand, then starts forward.]
Let us just get this done as quickly as possible.
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Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but if it gets really desperate I can probably shield against you zapping the water... [Maybe. He hopes. He can definitely do anti-magic shields, so he would hope that would cover an elemental spell going through the water.
But he'd really rather just not find out, and he nods slightly in response to her remark.]
I'm a pretty fast swimmer, so if you keep them occupied I should be able to get what we need without too much trouble. Assuming I haven't just jinxed it by saying that. [That said, he starts drawing out another spell on his wrists as they move - he'd like to try a protective spell he's been practicing to keep himself dry, because having a merrow partner means getting dragged into water you're not necessarily dressed for, but he's less experienced with it so it's going to take a little bit longer to cast.]
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She steps forward, and the songs sort of fade in and out in an eerie, warbling, haunted noise that gives Maria more a ghost-like impression than the usual feeling of dread when she has to deal with Merrow.
She steps forward, through the clearing of trees, and her hands once again clench around her sword. In her mind, she reaches for her fire magic, and the spells she knows to evoke those. It won't be effective against the Merrow, but that's the point. She's just trying to get attention, as best she can.
Then, she breaks off from Momo, and lunges forward in a few quick teleports, before emerging at the shore of the lake. Flames ignite along the blade of her sword as she stands, and lifts it, turning herself into a seven foot tall, fiery beacon. Already, she can hear the songs changing, hear them trying to lure her as more and more of the group of Merrow spot her on the shore. Then, she starts circling the direction she'd originally broken away from Momo toward.
She has most of their attentions. If he's fast and if he's quiet, he should be able to sneak in and out.
She just hopes he does it before something locks her knees up or makes her retch.]
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Of course, being speedy about his own part helps too. With Maria taking point, he takes the opportunity to finish casting the spell to keep him dry, and then much more quickly casts an illusion to hide him from sight. Sound is another matter that would take a little longer, but he's hoping that with most of what he's doing happening underwater, slipping into the lake is going to be the hardest part.
He breaks for the water's edge, fast but silent, knowing how he moves well enough to minimise any noise enough that it's cancelled out by the sound of the merrows themselves. A slight pause at the water's edge to make his entry as silent as possible, slipping in carefully and drawing a lungful of breath as he does, and then he goes under.
As a frequent surfer back home, he's used to having to fight against the current and tide to some degree, so the still lake waters make it far easier and faster for him even if he has to cast a small witchlight while he's in motion to actually be able to see deeper into the lake. Not knowing how deep it is from the outset is worrying, but thankfully it seems that the darkness is more just about the water than the depth, and he's not feeling too pressed for air by the time he can touch at the black clams, find the two most open and slip two pearls into his pocket, not bothering trying to transport a whole clam up. The second pearl is an extra weight considering their size, but if he gets desperate enough he figures he can jettison the second and just focus on bringing back what they need.
He doesn't linger, flipping over in the water and propelling himself back towards the surface. While his hands are ready to cast a shielding spell if he needs to (and he snuffs the witchlight once he's out of the deeper water so it doesn't draw attention), he's going to cross his fingers that Maria can keep the merrows occupied at least until he breaks the surface for air.]
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Maria was more in the camp of people reacting rather than acting, when she was still a Hunter, but a lot of the lessons remained.
So to try to be as bright and obvious as possible sort of went against every single one of her instincts. More than that, as soon as the glint of scales and ripples of water start to move, she feels the bile rise at the back of her throat.
Just a few minutes. All he has to do is get the pearls and get out. Hopefully the water isn't infected - or full of other things that are.
She walks closer to the shore - most Merrow don't like to try to get out and walk, and the closer she gets, the more they probably think their song is working. Which, to be entirely fair, it sort of is. At the very least she can feel a pull that soaks into her very bones, pushing her closer and closer to the edge, but there's just enough interruption, just enough of a weird off-key and muted portion of it... like she's hearing it from far upwind and can only catch some bits of it.
It's enough to make her feet want to keep walking, and only a concentrated will keeps her right beyond the shoreline.
There's adrenaline coursing through her, the closer she gets. She sees the scales, mostly mutated black, but smooth and glistening with water. Long, feminine arms and - and one comes out of a shell and grabs her and yanks her backward and it's only Gehrman's scythe splitting the woman in half with a tortured scream that saves her - pointy teeth. Big, black eyes.
Pthumerians have black eyes she reminds herself. She's part Pthumerian.
It doesn't help, and her stomach knots even tighter.] You want a free meal, don't you? Well you'll not get one...
[One lunges for her, and she lunges back, bringing her sword down. It hisses and sizzles as the hot, fire-wreathed blade cuts into soaking wet flesh, draws what little blood the creature has and burns that, as well.
The song is interrupted by a scream that makes a cold chill run down Maria's spine.
She's standing close enough to the edge she seems to have all of their attentions, and attacking one is helping, so Momo should have a decent shot in and out but...
Well, the harder part might yet be trying to get Maria out of there. She isn't going to look for him, not until he makes it obvious he's back out. That way none of the merrow - if they're clever enough - can tell she's waiting for something.]
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He's still got a shield prepared, though, so he figures he might as well use it. He doesn't get directly involved in the merrow fight, but as soon as he gets close enough, he casts a spherical shield that's large enough to catch the merrow that had clustered loosely in Maria's area. It won't hold long against multiple attacks, but it'll give them a headstart to get away from the lake.]
I got what we need! Let's go!
[He drops the invisibility illusion at that point too, so Maria knows where he is. He's a decent distance from the lake edge, but it looks like he's prepared to back her up if any of the merrow breach the shield before they can get out of easy attack range, because he won't be particularly surprised if they do with that many of them in it.]
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She tries to distract herself - there was a merrow here that she could... sort of get in touch with the scales of without upsetting herself too badly. These would be like that.
Except... Alex was never trying to kill her. And these merrow are.
Which makes these more like... the fishing hamlet.
Her concentration lapses just as she hears Momo emerge, and his voice is a welcome distraction from the singing, and the terrible memories. There's a barrier in front of her, and she barely notices the shimmering before she turns toward him.
He can block them off, but she can get them out fast.
And she is more than happy to do it, as she concentrates on a spot just a few feet to the side of Momo, and then... flashes right there.
That's Maria's other little special talent. The one thing that she specializes in that isn't strictly offensive-based skills.]
This may get disorienting.
[That's her one warning, just barely audible above the sudden pitch in screeching and singing from the merrow as they breach the barrier and start after the two of them. They're slow on land, but that doesn't mean they won't still be dangerous.
And Maria grabs Momo because what is personal space, before focusing as far to the distant edge of her vision as she can see... and then hopping right there in a flash of magic. It's probably disorienting in the way that suddenly being somewhere you weren't just is disorienting, and she does it twice more before she lets him go, breaking away to breathe raggedly.
Oof, teleporting herself is easy. Adding a second person is a lot more mana.] Let's just go.
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It is a bit dizzying, even before she does it twice more, and by the time they land in the final spot, Momo ends up stumbling away when she lets him go. He doesn't quite fall over, but he keeps his stance wide and low for a moment to make it harder for him to overbalance while his head catches up with the quick travel.
After he shakes it off, he looks back to see how Maria's doing, because that sounds like it took a lot out of her.]
Yeah, sure. You doing alright? You looked kinda...haunted? At the lake already.
[It takes him a second to find the right word to describe how he'd taken her body language. "Spooked" felt a bit strong, but it definitely seemed like an element of old fear even if it was subtle on the outside.]
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[Things she does not address: The question about being haunted. He might need to be more... persistent.] We still have other legs of the scavenger hunt to complete. We'll take a moment to rest, and then take to the next, if you've no other complaints.
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Still, he notices that dodge of the topic, because it's hard not to.]
But if you have some kind of thing about merrows, it'd be good to know in case it ever comes up in another fight. [He takes the pragmatic approach initially, thinking it might come across better, but he can't help but be a bit honest too.] And, you know, if it helps I'm happy to listen.
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[So he's leveled up enough as a friend to get that much out of her, but apparently very little more. She's still dealing with the PTSD, it's fine.]
This isn't quite the time to speak more about that. Let's continue our hunt. Perhaps afterward, when I have access to alcohol again, I'll be willing to speak more. [Yeah, it's one of those stories.]
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Yeah, doesn't seem like the time for a deep and meaningful even if I'm offering, does it? Dealing with this first sounds good to me. And hey, I'll even buy us a round at the end if you want.
[Momo prefers spirits and Maria strikes him as the type who would also reach for the strongest stuff on the shelf, so he's sure they could have a pretty agreeable drinking outing.]
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[Thing about Maria is, when she has her PTSD triggered, she tends to get rather withdrawn, and curt, so that's all she says for now, as she continues their trek back toward the Wilders outpost.]
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Alright, let's get back to work for now so it's extra satisfying.
[Momo's the kind of person who likes to wear himself out before something like that, so at least that bodes well for whatever further work the day might hold.]