trick or troll with the Hosts of the Machine
Hey, guys. It's October. This is a mellower, non-mandatory plot. And by mellower I mean mellower as far as organization goes. For the characters involved, it may not be mellow at all. It comes in different parts: becoming the things you fear the most and facing your own personal horrorland (with company, of course).
TRICK OR TREAT
Halloween candy bags tend to be divided by children all over into two things: the candy, and all the other stuff people hand out. Candy is super delicious. But then there are raisins, toothpaste, pennies, apples (of the non-caramel variety), and the assorted other non-candy. We will make the division of candy and uncandy.
CANDY
At any point from now until the 13th, characters can find candy around them. In the Astral Kitchen, in their cupboards, inside their own candy bags. It doesn't matter. Some piece of candy will have been slipped into their lives by the Plane, subtly or not so subtly. But you shouldn't take candy from strange machines.
People who eat candy will be transformed into their worst fears. This can be interpreted liberally. If their worst fear is giant spiders, then by god, they will be giant spiders. But if what they're afraid of is the darkness in themselves, then the darkness they will become. Be creative, let loose, and do what you want to.
Incidentally, they are far more likely to be homicidal and dangerous in this state. Fortunately, Meredith will make a post on the 13th announcing that those who were transformed can be changed back if they are killed, though she's leaving this up to the test subjects to accomplish.
That's right: kill your friends to save them. Meredith is telling the truth and nothing but the truth. Any characters who were changed and then killed will be brought back to life as normal. But Meredith isn't telling the whole truth.
UNCANDY
On the 14th, all characters will receive a note saying, “What you find at the back of the shop can save them.” By this the note means that if you go to the shop and make it to the back, you can find one of the uncandies mentioned above: toothpaste, pennies, applies. If you can make a transformed touch or consume one of these, you can change them back bloodlessly.
It will not, however, be painless. Those who go to the shop for candy will find themselves in their own personal trials: mindscrewing, dangerous trials. This house of trials will start with a hall of mirrors, reflecting the characters in different worlds. Once they're through the hall, what they face is up to you. Their worst fears and nightmares can be brought out to torment them. Their painful memories can be recreated and thrown at them. Old enemies can be brought back to attack them. There will be room after room of trials, as many as you like, taking any form you care for.
If characters manage to get through all of this, they'll reach a simple final room: a plain storage room with the uncandy on a table and the note, “Congratulations. Sorry.” The backdoor in this storage room will lead them out of the front of the shop again, and they can do with their prize as they like.
NOTES:
You do not have to be going after the uncandy to go through the trials. If a character goes to the shop only to talk to a host, that character may accidentally end up in a trial. There is a chance the character will be safe, but that chance is entirely a matter of how kind you, the player, are feeling. On the other hand, going there for a trial might make you end up with the normal shop and NPCs, though there will be no uncandy for that. Again, this is up to the players. The characters can always get kicked out (remember, you're not allowed into the back rooms) and try again. Additionally, some characters may find themselves sleep-walking, lured onwards in their dreams, until suddenly stumble through the shop doors and end up in the trial.
Furthermore, because everything is better in groups, people will tend to end up in the shops in groups. You CAN do the trial as a solitary thing if you want. The prompts are great for that! But you can also have people brought together in groups. They might willingly go in groups or pairs, or they might accidentally arrive at the same time, or they might have entered at different times and been pushed together by the house of trials.
Also, anyone engaged in the trial won't be able to access the Plane until they get out. Sorry, kids, but that would be cheating.
Finally, characters who transform need to get that uncandy to be changed back. It doesn't matter who they get it from, but make sure you arrange for that to happen!
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/UNCANDY
Have at it.
TRICK OR TREAT
Halloween candy bags tend to be divided by children all over into two things: the candy, and all the other stuff people hand out. Candy is super delicious. But then there are raisins, toothpaste, pennies, apples (of the non-caramel variety), and the assorted other non-candy. We will make the division of candy and uncandy.
CANDY
At any point from now until the 13th, characters can find candy around them. In the Astral Kitchen, in their cupboards, inside their own candy bags. It doesn't matter. Some piece of candy will have been slipped into their lives by the Plane, subtly or not so subtly. But you shouldn't take candy from strange machines.
People who eat candy will be transformed into their worst fears. This can be interpreted liberally. If their worst fear is giant spiders, then by god, they will be giant spiders. But if what they're afraid of is the darkness in themselves, then the darkness they will become. Be creative, let loose, and do what you want to.
Incidentally, they are far more likely to be homicidal and dangerous in this state. Fortunately, Meredith will make a post on the 13th announcing that those who were transformed can be changed back if they are killed, though she's leaving this up to the test subjects to accomplish.
That's right: kill your friends to save them. Meredith is telling the truth and nothing but the truth. Any characters who were changed and then killed will be brought back to life as normal. But Meredith isn't telling the whole truth.
UNCANDY
On the 14th, all characters will receive a note saying, “What you find at the back of the shop can save them.” By this the note means that if you go to the shop and make it to the back, you can find one of the uncandies mentioned above: toothpaste, pennies, applies. If you can make a transformed touch or consume one of these, you can change them back bloodlessly.
It will not, however, be painless. Those who go to the shop for candy will find themselves in their own personal trials: mindscrewing, dangerous trials. This house of trials will start with a hall of mirrors, reflecting the characters in different worlds. Once they're through the hall, what they face is up to you. Their worst fears and nightmares can be brought out to torment them. Their painful memories can be recreated and thrown at them. Old enemies can be brought back to attack them. There will be room after room of trials, as many as you like, taking any form you care for.
If characters manage to get through all of this, they'll reach a simple final room: a plain storage room with the uncandy on a table and the note, “Congratulations. Sorry.” The backdoor in this storage room will lead them out of the front of the shop again, and they can do with their prize as they like.
NOTES:
You do not have to be going after the uncandy to go through the trials. If a character goes to the shop only to talk to a host, that character may accidentally end up in a trial. There is a chance the character will be safe, but that chance is entirely a matter of how kind you, the player, are feeling. On the other hand, going there for a trial might make you end up with the normal shop and NPCs, though there will be no uncandy for that. Again, this is up to the players. The characters can always get kicked out (remember, you're not allowed into the back rooms) and try again. Additionally, some characters may find themselves sleep-walking, lured onwards in their dreams, until suddenly stumble through the shop doors and end up in the trial.
Furthermore, because everything is better in groups, people will tend to end up in the shops in groups. You CAN do the trial as a solitary thing if you want. The prompts are great for that! But you can also have people brought together in groups. They might willingly go in groups or pairs, or they might accidentally arrive at the same time, or they might have entered at different times and been pushed together by the house of trials.
Also, anyone engaged in the trial won't be able to access the Plane until they get out. Sorry, kids, but that would be cheating.
Finally, characters who transform need to get that uncandy to be changed back. It doesn't matter who they get it from, but make sure you arrange for that to happen!
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/UNCANDY
Have at it.