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deercountry2023-03-08 01:10 pm
reddosmod) wrote in deercountry2023-03-08 01:10 pm
The House Always Wins
MARCH 2023 EVENT
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
THE LEECH
HIGH STAKES
CODING
Due to the UNIQUE NATURE of the Moss King, previous March events are NOT available during this month's event. Please keep that in mind.
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Fanged, smiling carnivorous plant from little shop of horrors ]
[Image Two: House overgrown by roots.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Person covered in glistening film that seems to be suffocating.]
[Image Two: Woman's face splattered in blood. ]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Poker chip with an anime girl's face on it. ]
[Image Two: Dogs Gambling Painting, but it's famous horror monster villains instead of dogs. ]
Prompt One
[Image One: Fanged, smiling carnivorous plant from little shop of horrors ]
[Image Two: House overgrown by roots.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Person covered in glistening film that seems to be suffocating.]
[Image Two: Woman's face splattered in blood. ]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Poker chip with an anime girl's face on it. ]
[Image Two: Dogs Gambling Painting, but it's famous horror monster villains instead of dogs. ]
WHEN: March 8-31
WHERE: The City of Trench and surrounding regions
CONTENT WARNINGS: Plant-Based Peril, Isolation, Entrapment, Carnivorous Plants, possible but unlikely death.
WHERE: The City of Trench and surrounding regions
CONTENT WARNINGS: Plant-Based Peril, Isolation, Entrapment, Carnivorous Plants, possible but unlikely death.
The plentiful and bountiful harvest of plants that started to blossom towards the beginning of the month has continued, and if anything? It's getting more and more troublesome. The old saying goes that too much of a good thing is too much, and this is definitely the proof of that pudding. Plants are literally growing everywhere. Trenchies can be seen cutting branches out of impossible locations, and vegetation is beginning to grow inside of established businesses and homes. There is an ever increasing market for vileblood based defoliation options that are being offered by entrepreneurial Trenchies, but the fact that more than a few of those selling the stuff have gone missing under strange circumstances calls into question their efficacy.
For Sleepers, this means that the possibility of encountering enlarged and potentially dangerous plants such as those seen in the earliest parts of the months grows ever more real. A human-sized venus flytrap might very well try to snatch one up, with all of the peril that entails. However, while it is possible for any exotic plant to carry with it potentially lethal threat, most of these are able to be dealt with by even the untrained with a machete. The real problem is the root systems and the plants that ones that talk. The former are the most likely to be encountered. Root systems grow over entire buildings during the mid to late month, choking over light sources and blocking windows to dim houses. They clench their grip over doors, making getting out of one's house an act of willpower and muscle that may have to be repeaated over and over again. Worst of all is the fact that many of these root systems almost seem to be intentionally creating barriers around the Lantern Network! The little moaners are safe, but their sphere of protection becomes a dome of wood, shielding and keeping them away from those naughty sleepers trying to hack their way to a teleport.
The talking ones, though, are downright disturbing. They're not very large, at first they do indeed seem to whisper and beg to be fed. Naturally, only blood will do, and the longer that they're fed the larger and more dangerous that they can become. But, so long as one doesn't feed them, they're harmless, right? Wrong. True, they can bite and it's easy enough to avoid them. However, it's what they start to say when they're denied their food that becomes disturbing. “There is a consequence of your actions, you know.” “Do not think that you are immune.” “Saving the Moss Brat seems wise now, but have a long memory.” Things like that. The voices they take on are eerie, unnatural and do not match the plants' normal begging voices. They never clear up who is speaking or what they're speaking about, but surely it's not a big issue, right?
By the end of the month, the plants wither away and break off of the various homes and businesses, leaving no visible damage behind, as if whatever caused them has faded entirely.
For Sleepers, this means that the possibility of encountering enlarged and potentially dangerous plants such as those seen in the earliest parts of the months grows ever more real. A human-sized venus flytrap might very well try to snatch one up, with all of the peril that entails. However, while it is possible for any exotic plant to carry with it potentially lethal threat, most of these are able to be dealt with by even the untrained with a machete. The real problem is the root systems and the plants that ones that talk. The former are the most likely to be encountered. Root systems grow over entire buildings during the mid to late month, choking over light sources and blocking windows to dim houses. They clench their grip over doors, making getting out of one's house an act of willpower and muscle that may have to be repeaated over and over again. Worst of all is the fact that many of these root systems almost seem to be intentionally creating barriers around the Lantern Network! The little moaners are safe, but their sphere of protection becomes a dome of wood, shielding and keeping them away from those naughty sleepers trying to hack their way to a teleport.
The talking ones, though, are downright disturbing. They're not very large, at first they do indeed seem to whisper and beg to be fed. Naturally, only blood will do, and the longer that they're fed the larger and more dangerous that they can become. But, so long as one doesn't feed them, they're harmless, right? Wrong. True, they can bite and it's easy enough to avoid them. However, it's what they start to say when they're denied their food that becomes disturbing. “There is a consequence of your actions, you know.” “Do not think that you are immune.” “Saving the Moss Brat seems wise now, but have a long memory.” Things like that. The voices they take on are eerie, unnatural and do not match the plants' normal begging voices. They never clear up who is speaking or what they're speaking about, but surely it's not a big issue, right?
By the end of the month, the plants wither away and break off of the various homes and businesses, leaving no visible damage behind, as if whatever caused them has faded entirely.
WHEN: Second Half of March
WHERE: Anywhere in Trench, but not the Outpost.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Magically Cursed Ailment, Severe weakness, Anemia
WHERE: Anywhere in Trench, but not the Outpost.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Magically Cursed Ailment, Severe weakness, Anemia
You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? From the moment that the first talking plants appeared in Trench, there has been another ominous presence. Unbeknownst to the people of Trench, but the Moss King is recovering from Riteior's attack and, while they are safe and slowly getting back to their normal self, this has allowed for Riteior to offer a little payback in an effort to cause trouble to those seeking to stop his attacks on the Pthumerians of Trench. In the night, while characters are sleeping, the plants strike. They wake to find a thin film over them, but otherwise it appears harmless. The next full day, there's nothing wrong and they feel hail and hearty. In fact, those pesky little talking plants are gone from their house. Of course, the next day the horror begins to settle in.
Within 48 hours, Sleepers will find themselves weak and lethargic in the extreme. The condition is not fatal, but it is problematic and irritating. They will find that no amount of food, water and rest quite gets rid of the malaise that they are experiencing, a strange drowsiness and lack of energy plaguing their every moment. The longer it persists, the more dangerous it becomes. However, there appears to be no obvious cause, at least until they visit someone capable of treating their condition, be they a Blood Minister or trained physician. Victims of this curse appear to be suffering from a severe, but not life-threatening anemia. There is no obvious cause, but the Ministers are certain that it is not natural and is likely a result of a curse of some kind. They can offer stimulants and high energy food, which will help the person experiencing the condition, but the real danger comes if they try to use their blood for a blood ritual of any kind. The insidious reason becomes obvious. Someone is attempting to stop them from safely having enough blood to perform the rituals to seal them away!
Victims are “fine” in the sense that they could get through the month safely without risk of death and just be weaker. However, if they attempt any form of blood ritual or blood letting, they risk running out of blood, which would indeed be a life threatening concern. The only solution, then, is a blood transfusion of another type. The Blood Ministers are willing to provide blood from their banks, but caution that it is better if a fresh supply is used. Do you have a friend willing to lend a hand? Or, do you miss one of the deadlines this month for fighting back Riteior?
FAQ:
This condition strikes after the mid-month, when the latest batch of rituals further weakens Riteior, and ensures the Moss King's safety.
This condition is not life threatening, unless a person attempts to use blood for a ritual or other purpose without first receiving a transfusion.
If a person attempts to perform a blood ritual before getting a transfusion, their anemia can become life threatening very quickly.
It is possible to completely avoid this prompt by not being targeted by Riteior. His cursed targeting is not that precise and he is clearly becoming desperate.
When a transfusion is given, both participants will be lightly anemic for another 24 hours, but the condition will fade afterwards completely.
It is suspected strongly by some of the Blood Ministers and Arcane Scholars that this is a curse brought about by a brief moment of control over the Moss King by Riteior. This can be learned easily in conversation with members of the orders in Trench.
Within 48 hours, Sleepers will find themselves weak and lethargic in the extreme. The condition is not fatal, but it is problematic and irritating. They will find that no amount of food, water and rest quite gets rid of the malaise that they are experiencing, a strange drowsiness and lack of energy plaguing their every moment. The longer it persists, the more dangerous it becomes. However, there appears to be no obvious cause, at least until they visit someone capable of treating their condition, be they a Blood Minister or trained physician. Victims of this curse appear to be suffering from a severe, but not life-threatening anemia. There is no obvious cause, but the Ministers are certain that it is not natural and is likely a result of a curse of some kind. They can offer stimulants and high energy food, which will help the person experiencing the condition, but the real danger comes if they try to use their blood for a blood ritual of any kind. The insidious reason becomes obvious. Someone is attempting to stop them from safely having enough blood to perform the rituals to seal them away!
Victims are “fine” in the sense that they could get through the month safely without risk of death and just be weaker. However, if they attempt any form of blood ritual or blood letting, they risk running out of blood, which would indeed be a life threatening concern. The only solution, then, is a blood transfusion of another type. The Blood Ministers are willing to provide blood from their banks, but caution that it is better if a fresh supply is used. Do you have a friend willing to lend a hand? Or, do you miss one of the deadlines this month for fighting back Riteior?
FAQ:
WHEN: Second Half of March
WHERE: Goat Turning in The Cellar Door
CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, Possible Coersion, lowered inhibitions, Risk of Character Death
WHERE: Goat Turning in The Cellar Door
CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, Possible Coersion, lowered inhibitions, Risk of Character Death
The Moss King appears to be 'on the mend' by the latter part of the month, or at least he seems to be his usual self. A flyer advertising a special for all Sleepers and residents of Trench at the Goat Turning, his personal gambling hall, circulates throughout town. The doors of the Goat Turning will be open to absolutely everyone, and nobody will be turned away for an event that will last the last two weeks of the month! Anyone who comes will be given a complementary set of chips for free, along with a very special commemorative poker chip embossed with their own face on it which they are assured they can keep afterwards, assuming they don't lose it betting! In fact, that commemorative chip is the only way that a person can return to the Goat Turning during this period, and has to be shown to get admittance, though you don't need to bet it even if it appears to be worth quite a lot! Every night, a new allotment of chips is offered to gamblers. It isn't much, and if they're willing to trade a few goods to get more, they can supplement their stash. What could be more fun than a friendly game?
The drinks and food are free for those attending, and even better? They don't seem to have a lot of strange effects. The drinks seem to ease the symptoms of corruption, in fact, and make a person more relaxed and at ease, along with lessening their inhibitions. The food is filling and pleasant, but salty, making one crave the drinks more. But, honestly, compared to Generosity's botched and spoiled food in January it's almost heavenly, even if it does make it easier to want to keep gambling and gambling. After all, those prizes for the big winners of the night are certainly something to behold, and the kinds of luxuries that Trenchies drool over.
The Big Prizes: (Maximum 1 big prize per character for the month)
A Lunar Orb
A Vial of Pthumerian Blood that can leave a person feeling sickly and weak if they come in contact with it
A Genuine Lantern, enabling a second teleportation location to be placed!
A Blood Enchanted Weapon or Armor.
An Item from Home that a character might not normally find washing up on shore
The Lesser Prizes:
Players are encouraged to use their imagination on lesser prizes that could be won. Food. Supplies. Furnishings. Weapons. Tools. Clothing. Any number of valuable could be won throughout the month.
So, what's the catch? There's always a catch. Well, like any gambling hall, the saying goes that the House Always Wins. This isn't true universally. You could have a hot streak at the Craps table, or you might just win on your lucky number in Roulette. It is very possible to walk away with enough chips to win a big prize all in one night, or build up over time to claim such a lofty goal. But the trick is that commemorative chip. It's the admission, and it's also the only way you can leave the gambling den each night. The chip must be presented both at entry and leaving, and only then does the reality become clear. That chip is so valuable because it represents your life! You might literally be betting with your life here! Should you lose your chip and not have it at the end of the night, the impressive and powerful bouncers at the door will bar you from exit, and once the hall closes there is nowhere to go but the basement. Anyone who enters the basement after hours will find that their life is indeed forfeit, and their debt is called. They will die down below. How will they die? Well, considering the fighting pits down below, any of a thousand deaths, some more gruesome than others, are possible. And, if another player holds their chip, they will be given a special pass to remain below, to demand their price themselves.
So, if you lose your chip is it still possible to get it back? Absolutely! It is a gambling hall, after all. Someone just has to be willing to give it back, or to win it back from another player or the house. What could be simpler? Of course, because there are no compulsions in the commemorative chip, and no rules about how it is to be used or transferred other than that it must be won from the house in a fair game, it is almost as if the Moss King is testing his own guests to see just how far they will go, and what they will do if their life or the life of a friend is on the line.
FAQ:
Players are limited to one grand prize per character. Please record this prize on the prompt below.
Characters that die because of this event may die in any reasonable fashion in the basement. Tools are provided. This may be handwaved.
Because this event involves the potential of players bargaining for their lives and death, we remind players to be mindful and communicative with others regarding permissions and preferences during this event. Do not break permissions.
Lesser prizes can be won in quantity, but we ask that you be reasonable about this.
The Commemorative Chip is non-magical and there is no compulsion to gamble with it.
It is simply worth a lot more.
The Event is not age restricted, so underage gambling is possible.
The drinks and food are free for those attending, and even better? They don't seem to have a lot of strange effects. The drinks seem to ease the symptoms of corruption, in fact, and make a person more relaxed and at ease, along with lessening their inhibitions. The food is filling and pleasant, but salty, making one crave the drinks more. But, honestly, compared to Generosity's botched and spoiled food in January it's almost heavenly, even if it does make it easier to want to keep gambling and gambling. After all, those prizes for the big winners of the night are certainly something to behold, and the kinds of luxuries that Trenchies drool over.
The Big Prizes: (Maximum 1 big prize per character for the month)
The Lesser Prizes:
Players are encouraged to use their imagination on lesser prizes that could be won. Food. Supplies. Furnishings. Weapons. Tools. Clothing. Any number of valuable could be won throughout the month.
So, what's the catch? There's always a catch. Well, like any gambling hall, the saying goes that the House Always Wins. This isn't true universally. You could have a hot streak at the Craps table, or you might just win on your lucky number in Roulette. It is very possible to walk away with enough chips to win a big prize all in one night, or build up over time to claim such a lofty goal. But the trick is that commemorative chip. It's the admission, and it's also the only way you can leave the gambling den each night. The chip must be presented both at entry and leaving, and only then does the reality become clear. That chip is so valuable because it represents your life! You might literally be betting with your life here! Should you lose your chip and not have it at the end of the night, the impressive and powerful bouncers at the door will bar you from exit, and once the hall closes there is nowhere to go but the basement. Anyone who enters the basement after hours will find that their life is indeed forfeit, and their debt is called. They will die down below. How will they die? Well, considering the fighting pits down below, any of a thousand deaths, some more gruesome than others, are possible. And, if another player holds their chip, they will be given a special pass to remain below, to demand their price themselves.
So, if you lose your chip is it still possible to get it back? Absolutely! It is a gambling hall, after all. Someone just has to be willing to give it back, or to win it back from another player or the house. What could be simpler? Of course, because there are no compulsions in the commemorative chip, and no rules about how it is to be used or transferred other than that it must be won from the house in a fair game, it is almost as if the Moss King is testing his own guests to see just how far they will go, and what they will do if their life or the life of a friend is on the line.
FAQ:
no subject
The end of the world. Even their relationship, one of the strongest, wasn't bump free, wasn't free of stresses and stressors. John coming back. Gideon being lent out. John's "accident." Melbourne. They're very real, not smoothed over and ignored because he's dead and gone. The relationship means more because they were there.
"We weren't a common type of relationship, that's for certain. Soulmates would be one way to put it," Pyrrha says, "Doesn't insult any others, even the other ones we had."
no subject
"It's the kind of relationship most people look for their whole life and never find," thoughtfully said, no hint of jealousy or desire lingering in her voice. She doesn't look at the romantic relationships others have as something to be yearned for. She just admires them, "I think that's where most people fuck up. By looking."
"Is it something you're interested in stumbling upon again?" Or is she satisfied with what she'd had when she had it?
no subject
"You don't get that relationship by looking," Pyrrha says, "You get it by doing. Doing the work. Doing the relationship. It may have fallen into our laps to some degree, but we made it work. It was the end of the fucking world. Talk about stressors. That doesn't just work because we're soulmates. We're soulmates because we worked."
As for again, well—
"I've never searched for it. Three people in ten thousand years, Sharon. If I stumble upon it, and it happens, something that could be more than flirting, huzzah. I'll go for it. I'm not going out of my way looking for it though. I've got plenty of important relationships right here."
Pyrrha looks at Sharon.
no subject
It doesn't surprise her, though, that Pyrrha and Gideon made it work. Despite everything they were facing, they found a way to handle it with their relationship intact. She's not entirely sure they're soulmates because they worked but even soulmates may fall apart without a little bit of elbow grease.
"Wait— Three people? You?" Her eyes are bright and wide, mouth agape before she shakes her shock from her, "Weren't you in your husband, though?"
That would make for one hell of complicated relationship.
no subject
"Yeah, three people," Pyrrha confirms. She even holds up three fingers. "Gideon. Matthias. Wake.
"Matthias was the closest thing to a fling I've ever had. Cohort. Even a lyctor went where you were needed, so it wasn't the longest lived. He thought I was my husband. Ninth House cav in the Cohort like that? Only way it could be."
Pyrrha shrugs. Things are what they are. She never expected a relationship where anyone knew she existed. She hid it from her closest friends. She had to. Explained it to them here.
"We both dated Wake. Enemy commander. Only one to know I was me before he died," Pyrrha looks over, "Wasn't like she was going to tell him. I wasn't the one she wanted to kill."
no subject
"I take the previous messy back. That sounds fucking messy!" An enemy commander that they both dated. Gideon wouldn't have known Pyrrha's involvement with Wake but... Shit, "How did you work that out? How did Wake find out about you? Who did she want to kill?"
That is messy. No, messier than messy.
no subject
"Messy as fuck," Pyrrha grins lazily, "There was a lot of fighting. She had her mission. John assigned Gideon to kill her. Track. Fight. Track. Fight. It went both ways. Fuck. Wake's smart. When we fought, not her and Gideon, I didn't use magic. Couldn't. People on my side usually don't try to kill me."
She turns onto a quieter street. "Wake wanted to kill John primarily. Source of all necromancy. No John, no necromancy. Gideon secondarily. Lyctors. Necromancers." Messier after that. Wake knew how to take care of the problem at the root instead of everyone accusing their neighbors.
no subject
"Goddamn," she breathes out, "She obviously didn't succeed in her mission, though. Unless that mess is still... going on for you back home." Just without Gideon around.
no subject
More seriously. "Gideon pushed her out the airlock from low planetary orbit. She didn't land at the prison, so she ran out of air. Died," Pyrrha explains, "Not that things ended there exactly. Only took a long pause because Wake's stubborn as fuck. She became a revenant. Nearly killed us last year. Got exorcised, and I sent her off the night Gideon kicked it. She visited home. Should be dead and gone, but it's hard to be 100% sure with her."
Pyrrha parks out front of Sharon's house. "You're getting the oddest scandalizing details. Yes, she was the enemy, but she knew me, Sharon. She was the only person to know me in ten thousand years," Pyrrha says, yearning still in her voice. "Both sides treating it like shit doesn't take that away."
no subject
To lose the one person in 10,000 years to see her...
Sharon scoots over to pull Pyrrha's hand to her, gently lacing their fingers together in a tiny attempt to offer succor.
"And now you have so many people who know you. I'm glad there was someone out there who saw you back then, though, even if she was your enemy. I don't need to imagine how shitty that kind of loneliness is, I lived it for a long time myself, but it's a drop in the bucket in comparison to yours," but, now, it's not something either of them need to feel. For all that she hates about Trench, neither of them is alone anymore and neither of them has to hide, "Wake sounds like a total badass."
"Coming back from the dead like that after twenty years? That's not just stubborn." That is top-tier badassery.
no subject
She focuses on Sharon's hand and her words.
"More than you know, kid," Pyrrha says, "On New Rho, I had Camilla, Palamedes, and Nona, but... still had to keep stuff from all of them. Operational security to keep us all alive. We Suffer knew who I was, but she hated my guts." Pyrrha shrugs.
"I have far more people in Trench than I've ever had since Gideon ascended. It's incredible, having you, Sharon, having you all," Pyrrha says and smiles.
She leans over and squeezes Sharon's hand. "Now, don't you minimize your suffering on my account again, okay? You can relate. You're not saying it's the same, and that's that," Pyrrha says.
"And Wake is a total badass. And dead. Still dead."