(no subject)
First off! I'd like to remind you all that the ACTIVITY CHECK is still going on! If you haven't checked in yet, or you need to speak to a mod, please do so ASAP! Again, the check will last until October 25th. Remember, if you don't post to the AC (and you're not on hiatus), your characters will be removed from the game!
With that said...
Gather round, children! I'd like to tell you a story by the campfire...
A ghost story.
That's right, it's that time of the year once again. Here I present to you the deets on this year's Halloween event!
This year, we are giving you full-on, in your face, jump-out-of-your-skin spooky. It'll span nine days, from the 23rd (12:00 AM EST) to the 31st (11:59 PM EST -- and you'll notice these days have been updated on the calendar), and get progressively scarier as time goes on. Essentially, the plot will be split up into two pieces: the first four days, and the second five days.
First Part
Weather-wise, the first four days will be relatively normal -- mostly overcast with patches of sun here and there, sometimes for a solid few hours, sometimes for only a few minutes. However, the town itself will be quite different. Have any of you ever seen The Nightmare Before Christmas? Suddenly, Luceti will look a lot spookier, with lots of pumpkins with glowing eyes, all the buildings (resident-made buildings aside; those remain normal) a little more twisted and a little more dark, and so on. However, think more cutesy-creepy than straight up scary.
Over the course of these first four days, characters will start showing up in costumes -- whether they like it or not! In their bedrooms, characters will be in their normal clothing and look normal -- but the moment they step outside, suddenly they're clothed in a costume they definitely weren't wearing previously. If you ditch the costume, then within ten minutes, without even realizing it, you'll be back in it. This part is optional, but if you opt your character into this, then it's pretty much all costume all the time! Have fun with this one -- be as wild and creative as you want!
On the third and fourth days (the 25th and the 26th), keen-eyed residents may notice that all the birds in Luceti are taking flight, heading deep into the forest. By the evening of the 26th, they'll all be gone. Anyone who ventures into the forest during the day might find an animal dead with no explanation and no apparent cause. Finally, what started out as just costumes, pieces of clothing or applications of makeup, may on occasion start to seem a little ... real. Did that tail just twitch? Is that zombie really rotting? Only a character's CR will notice this (the character in question will neither sense nor see anything amiss), and it will only come in brief snatches and flashes until later on.
Second Part
Here's where things start getting creepy. You'll notice that the skies are solidly overcast, now -- there is no sun, ever, and even at night you can't see the stars, or the moon. The town's decor remains cutesy-creepy, but when it's so dark and quiet... it might seem heavier on the creepy, lighter on the cute. From the night of the 27th on, every night, a thick fog will roll into town, and if you look into that fog, you might think you see things moving. I warn you, don't go into the mist -- there are things out there, things that are crooked and sharp and thirsty. Should your character be unwise enough to wander outside after dark, they will vanish into the mist, and return in the morning with very few memories other than that of an oppressive, terrible fear, with minor cuts and bruises across their bodies. Though, as the nights go on, those injuries might get worse...
(However, please no dying unless you clear it with us.)
There are many effects that can take place during these five days. They will start out mild and get progressively worse into screaming severity. For instance, the first night you might hear quiet, unknown sobbing in the mist, that of a woman in distress, though the sound will be faint and far away. By Halloween, however, the voice is that of your closest friend sobbing in terror, somewhere close, and your character must make the choice of risking going outside in that mist and getting taken or staying in and leaving what really could be a friend to a terrible fate. Wings could start turning red, just a light dusting on the first night, but by Halloween they will seem to drip blood. And on the 30th and Halloween itself, that strange little quirk with the costumes will suddenly become a full time thing, with the outfits looking real, all the time. No longer just a character's CR, but the character him or herself will notice the costume feeling very real, now -- to the point that it will be difficult to tell the difference between real and not.
As time wears on, characters may even start to hallucinate. Here's a list of what they might run into (and remember, these are momentary hallucinations -- one second they're there, but the next you blink and all is right again, with nothing seemingly out of the ordinary):
And finally, on Halloween morning, residents will awake to see the plaza is gone -- covered instead by a huge, dark circus tent, all black and red and white, torn and battered by creatures unknown. This is the site of your Halloween Ball, Luceti. (Further details on said ball will come later.) Step into the tent and abruptly, all effects will cease, aside from the costumes. No hallucinations, no screaming, no bloody wings, and the "realness" of the costumes will cease. Step outside the tent, however, and all of those things will resume. (Also, the fountain will remain inside. It seems to be gushing with blood, now -- but really, it's just punch. No need to be so squeamish.)
Now, here's the kicker. Different characters will be affected differently by these events. Normal characters, with no traumatic pasts of war and fighting and no magical powers, here now is your chance to truly shine, as your relative sanity may be the saving grace of your friends, or even the village at large.
You see, the hallucinations will be worse for those who have suffered trauma. The greater the trauma, the worse the hallucinations. So Batman, for instance, who has suffered greatly and seen many evil things in his life, will be assaulted on all sides by hallucinations and spooky things.
Emma, on the other hand, may see very little or nothing at all, having experienced a totally normal, peaceful life, at least as compared to our many, many battle-scarred residents. How badly your character is affected is up for you to decide, and the effects are somewhat optional and can be handwaved. Have fun with this aspect!
This difference in the severity of effects will become important later, so keep it in mind. The reason why, for now, remains a secret.
Questions? Suggestions? Give 'em here! Otherwise...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
With that said...
Gather round, children! I'd like to tell you a story by the campfire...
A ghost story.
That's right, it's that time of the year once again. Here I present to you the deets on this year's Halloween event!
This year, we are giving you full-on, in your face, jump-out-of-your-skin spooky. It'll span nine days, from the 23rd (12:00 AM EST) to the 31st (11:59 PM EST -- and you'll notice these days have been updated on the calendar), and get progressively scarier as time goes on. Essentially, the plot will be split up into two pieces: the first four days, and the second five days.
First Part
Weather-wise, the first four days will be relatively normal -- mostly overcast with patches of sun here and there, sometimes for a solid few hours, sometimes for only a few minutes. However, the town itself will be quite different. Have any of you ever seen The Nightmare Before Christmas? Suddenly, Luceti will look a lot spookier, with lots of pumpkins with glowing eyes, all the buildings (resident-made buildings aside; those remain normal) a little more twisted and a little more dark, and so on. However, think more cutesy-creepy than straight up scary.
Over the course of these first four days, characters will start showing up in costumes -- whether they like it or not! In their bedrooms, characters will be in their normal clothing and look normal -- but the moment they step outside, suddenly they're clothed in a costume they definitely weren't wearing previously. If you ditch the costume, then within ten minutes, without even realizing it, you'll be back in it. This part is optional, but if you opt your character into this, then it's pretty much all costume all the time! Have fun with this one -- be as wild and creative as you want!
On the third and fourth days (the 25th and the 26th), keen-eyed residents may notice that all the birds in Luceti are taking flight, heading deep into the forest. By the evening of the 26th, they'll all be gone. Anyone who ventures into the forest during the day might find an animal dead with no explanation and no apparent cause. Finally, what started out as just costumes, pieces of clothing or applications of makeup, may on occasion start to seem a little ... real. Did that tail just twitch? Is that zombie really rotting? Only a character's CR will notice this (the character in question will neither sense nor see anything amiss), and it will only come in brief snatches and flashes until later on.
Second Part
Here's where things start getting creepy. You'll notice that the skies are solidly overcast, now -- there is no sun, ever, and even at night you can't see the stars, or the moon. The town's decor remains cutesy-creepy, but when it's so dark and quiet... it might seem heavier on the creepy, lighter on the cute. From the night of the 27th on, every night, a thick fog will roll into town, and if you look into that fog, you might think you see things moving. I warn you, don't go into the mist -- there are things out there, things that are crooked and sharp and thirsty. Should your character be unwise enough to wander outside after dark, they will vanish into the mist, and return in the morning with very few memories other than that of an oppressive, terrible fear, with minor cuts and bruises across their bodies. Though, as the nights go on, those injuries might get worse...
(However, please no dying unless you clear it with us.)
There are many effects that can take place during these five days. They will start out mild and get progressively worse into screaming severity. For instance, the first night you might hear quiet, unknown sobbing in the mist, that of a woman in distress, though the sound will be faint and far away. By Halloween, however, the voice is that of your closest friend sobbing in terror, somewhere close, and your character must make the choice of risking going outside in that mist and getting taken or staying in and leaving what really could be a friend to a terrible fate. Wings could start turning red, just a light dusting on the first night, but by Halloween they will seem to drip blood. And on the 30th and Halloween itself, that strange little quirk with the costumes will suddenly become a full time thing, with the outfits looking real, all the time. No longer just a character's CR, but the character him or herself will notice the costume feeling very real, now -- to the point that it will be difficult to tell the difference between real and not.
As time wears on, characters may even start to hallucinate. Here's a list of what they might run into (and remember, these are momentary hallucinations -- one second they're there, but the next you blink and all is right again, with nothing seemingly out of the ordinary):
- Blood can be seen dripping from the ceiling or walls forming a puddle on the ground. Of course, when you go to inspect it, there's nothing really there.
- When you walk into a room, all your limbs could suddenly fall off.
- You'll find yourself surrounded by zombies, which converge on you.
- Pictures will gradually become more horrific and grotesque; portraits have eyes that follow you around. Just about anything with a 'face' will appear to be following your movements - until you look right at it, anyway.
- Sometimes water will appear to look like blood. (It could be the fountain, one of the rivers or lakes, your drinking water -- anything.)
- Characters from modern worlds may hear the distinct sound of a ringing phone. There is no phone to answer, unless of course, they have an actual cell phone with them for some reason. Answering it will just give them the sound of someone breathing heavily on the other end, before abruptly hanging up.
- In the distance, you'll hear ominous chanting in a foreign and ancient language. Characters skilled in languages will be able to vaguely make something out, but it's just beyond the point of being understood.
- Sometimes, when looking in a room, it will seems as though small pests are suddenly running away. Mice, rats, roaches, bats, what have you. Of course, they're not REALLY there.
- At times, when you are most apprehensive and fearful, you might suddenly and briefly hallucinate horrific sights. For instance, you might walk into your room and see yourself lying on your own bed, bloody and dead. Or you might see a tree and see yourself hanging from a noose.
- Books will appear to be flying around at random in the library.
- You will hear the sounds of creaking floors and doors opening and closing, like someone is in the house. Of course, there is no one there. In the middle of the night, there might be loud knocking on the doors or walls outside. Again, no one is there.
- Any instruments that happens to be nearby will seem to play by themselves, a quiet and somewhat spooky melody.
- After entering a room, the door may suddenly lock behind you and keep your character trapped. At least until they suddenly realize it... wasn't actually locked to begin with.
- Residents from before the last New Feather cycle might suddenly see the village in the same wrecked state it was after the earthquake. Blink, however, and it's back to normal.
- Some characters may see the mist hang around all day, instead of just at night, and even see the monsters in it -- just snatches, indistinct glimpses, nothing more than a flash of dripping teeth and dark eyes.
- Other things! Be creative. It doesn't need to be limited to just these.
And finally, on Halloween morning, residents will awake to see the plaza is gone -- covered instead by a huge, dark circus tent, all black and red and white, torn and battered by creatures unknown. This is the site of your Halloween Ball, Luceti. (Further details on said ball will come later.) Step into the tent and abruptly, all effects will cease, aside from the costumes. No hallucinations, no screaming, no bloody wings, and the "realness" of the costumes will cease. Step outside the tent, however, and all of those things will resume. (Also, the fountain will remain inside. It seems to be gushing with blood, now -- but really, it's just punch. No need to be so squeamish.)
Now, here's the kicker. Different characters will be affected differently by these events. Normal characters, with no traumatic pasts of war and fighting and no magical powers, here now is your chance to truly shine, as your relative sanity may be the saving grace of your friends, or even the village at large.
You see, the hallucinations will be worse for those who have suffered trauma. The greater the trauma, the worse the hallucinations. So Batman, for instance, who has suffered greatly and seen many evil things in his life, will be assaulted on all sides by hallucinations and spooky things.
Emma, on the other hand, may see very little or nothing at all, having experienced a totally normal, peaceful life, at least as compared to our many, many battle-scarred residents. How badly your character is affected is up for you to decide, and the effects are somewhat optional and can be handwaved. Have fun with this aspect!
This difference in the severity of effects will become important later, so keep it in mind. The reason why, for now, remains a secret.
Questions? Suggestions? Give 'em here! Otherwise...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!