deercountry | I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't

I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't

DECEMBER 2021 EVENT

Hello! We are trying a new style of event this December with archival-like entries that characters can ICly find in the Archives. This should allow characters to be able to plan against certain events that occur in-game and do research ahead of time, during the event, or after the fact.

The idea is that these prompts will provide you with all the possibilities characters could theoretically face from the prompt. We hope this leaves more open-ended opportunities for people to engage with. Anything mentioned in the excerpts could be an experience characters encounter. You can always ask for clarification on any prompt on the plotting page.

This is a way to keep all event prompts relevant since new characters would be able to "read up" on these events/excerpts by visiting the Archives or other such resources for information about past events and what they can anticipate from the setting.

We hope this new style makes sense and is fun for players to work with! They will rely on players creating more of the atmosphere than the prompts, but we think that the prompts will provide the perfect guidance as to what the atmosphere should feel like. Enjoy!

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Holiday themed antler decoration.]
[Image Two: White stag with perfect, circular antlers with bits of ice attached.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Sculpture of white rabbit with neck caught in a snare. Non-graphic.]
[Image Two: Person in red cloak and wolf mask turning around.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Puppet making bloody snow angel in snow.]
[Image Two: Bloodied hands wrapped in bandages clenching.]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

WINTER MOURNING

WHEN: Begins in December and can last until the end of Feb.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Spoilers for various canons, survival situations, forced memory share

[A passage from Rituals of Trench: Remembering Our Pasts reads the following:]

"A long-standing tradition to celebrate Bone Season is for Deerians to collect antlers and bones salvaged from natural resources and create decorative home accents. These antler-bone decors are known formally as Winter Mournings and can be found in almost every residential home throughout Deer Country. Winter Mournings can be made to look like wreaths, candle holders, or simply an antler with a bow hung up on a wall.

Winter Mournings is seen as a way to honor one's past tribulations and how one has managed to survive and overcome hardships during their life. Winter Mournings serves as a testament to survival and a willingness to keep surviving even when things look bleak and dismal.

Creating Winter Mournings is considered a blessing to the Pthumerians Dorothea, Remina, and Argonaut. You will know if the blessing was accepted once your Winter Mourning begins to glow like the moon. Touch your Winter Mourning and you will be pulled back in time to a memory of a specific time when you or someone else had to survive something physically or mentally challenging. For some, it is merely a memory that cannot hurt, but for others, you may want to proceed with caution as it has been known to pull people physically back to times of war.

One cannot choose which memory they wind up in if it is their own, a friend's, or a complete stranger's. Winter Mournings was designed to create a sense of union and empathy among residents and is meant to open your mind and heart to those who have suffered around you. It is time you explore your past, or someone else's past, with an open mind and see how the other side has lived through hard times. These memories are known to be from adolescence, adulthood, or sometimes even futures that have not yet happened or timelines you have never known. After all, Remina sees all past and all history. That means they see all of your past and history too.

No memory lasts forever though. Once the memory has been concluded, you shall be brought back to the present by the Winter Mourning Stag: a great white beast with a circle of frozen antlers. It will come to you when the time is ready, and you will return to the present like waking from a dazzling dream.

Experiencing Winter Mournings can stabilize one's mood and provide restful sleep after, even if the memories may be difficult to swallow. It truly is a tribute to honor past horrors and traumas. Some memories are painful to remember, but forgetting them will never do anyone any good either. So hang your Winter Mournings and remember what matters.

Survive another day. You are worth it."

FAQ

1. Winter Mournings can produce new memories every time you touch them or the same memory.

2. Characters cannot choose what the memory is.

3. Characters can arrive in each other's memories regardless of if they already know each other. Multiple people can experience the same memory.

4. You can either experience the memory as a memory you can't touch or experience - or you can physically be in the memory and have to survive the situation as well. If you die in memory, your body will die wherever you had been touching the Winter Mourning.

5. Palebloods are capable of altering memories or how they or others experience memories.

6. Characters can be pulled into memories at random - as long as one of the characters in the memory share is touching a Winter Mourning at first.

RUN, RABBIT, RUN

WHEN: Month of December
WHERE: Everywhere/the woods
CONTENT WARNINGS: Themes of hunting, ghosts, curses, attempts at animal violence, hunting people based on blood types.

[An excerpt from Legends of Trench: Curses and Causations reads the following:]

"One of the most notorious legends of Trench is without a doubt the tale of The Huntress and the Hare. Most Trenchies have been told this tale since they were children, but for those unfamiliar, settle in.

This story begins with a mischievous god and an ambitious huntress. The Pthumerian Dorothea loved to play tricks on hunters trying to survive the Bone Season, setting animals free from traps and remaking the traps to catch the hunters instead. One day, a darkblood Huntress was fed up with Dorothea preventing her from catching food for her family and decided to settle the score. The Huntress began to hunt for Dorothea specifically, but it is no small feat hunting the god of trickery and survival.

The Huntress started to rely on her darkblood powers to alter reality to make the perfect traps. Innocuous trees turned into glue traps that anyone would stick to until they were freed by a darkblood or death took their pain from them. Walking through bushes would snag legs and necks, effectively trapping whatever creatures were unfortunate enough to wander for food. Magical snares and beartraps lock around victims with unrelenting force, leaving people and animals to try for help until they cry no more. While this took many innocent lives in the woods, animals, and people alike, it never seemed to work on Dorothea.

Dorothea continued to outwit the Huntress until she eventually drove the Huntress insane. The Huntress died without ever catching Dorothea, but they say her vengeful spirit awakens in winter and begins to set her traps yet again. The Huntress sends her traps and her dead animals after vilebloods and warmbloods to spite Dorothea and hope to maybe catch the god's attention. But Dorothea is no passive god. Dorothea spurs vilebloods and warmbloods to defend themselves against darkbloods and coldbloods.

Infamously, this has created enormous tension between the blood types during December some years, and it is said that the blood lust has caused the types to begin hunting one another regardless of old friendships and alliances. Beware the Huntress's curse. Some believe darkbloods and coldbloods can still hear her haunting commands and cries from the Trenchwood.

They say there is no ease for the tension between the bloodtypes until December has passed, but some believe palebloods may provide relief if they are willing."

FAQ

1. Characters will increasingly feel the urge to actively hunt one another using traps/etc.

2. The Huntress's curse includes undead animals/beasts chasing after warmbloods and vilebloods and magical traps. Players can invent unique traps for their characters.

3. There will be an innate urge to chase/hide from one another.

4. The curse can be broken by paleblood intervention, character death, or a gradual wearing off by the end of the month.

LOCKJOINT

WHEN: All of Bone Season
WHERE: On Sleeper bodies
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild body horror, blood magic curses, physical curses, cures through blood ministration/blood letting, possible skin removal, injuries, possible death via starvation/exposure.

[An passage from The Sleeper Condition; Chapter 13: Bodily Aches and More. Found exclusively at the Lumenarium:]

"Generally speaking, Sleeper blood allows Sleepers to navigate this world without the fear of illness and disease. However, no organic body is perfect, and Sleeper blood has its own set of ailments to fret over. Blood Ministers have studied the phenomena of Lockjoint for years now and believe that it is linked to the crystalization found in Sleeper death, though the exact connection remains unknown.

Lockjoint tends to begin and last throughout Bone Season. Some Sleepers may never experience it, but for many, it becomes a reoccurring issue to dread each season. This condition forces blood magic to gather at the joints and effectively lock up. Sleepers find it difficult to move their bodies at the bends, fingers, knees, shoulders, etc without some form of discomfort. Minimal lockjoint can be painful and annoyance, but critical lockjoint can be fatal.

The most severe cases of lockjoint documented have shown Sleepers to have crystalization form over their joints, rendering parts of their bodies completely immobile. Some Sleepers have been found dead in this condition, all their joints crystallized, and it is believed most died from natural causes thereafter.

One can determine they are experiencing lockjoint when the coloration around the joints begins to darken in color, typically looking like a bruise. Calcification may occur rapidly the more magic a Sleeper uses or the more they expose themselves to outside elements. It is imperative that Sleepers remain properly clothed during Bone Season, even if they are coldbloods, and to invest in enchanted clothes that can lock in heat.

A known cure for lockjoint is the art of bloodletting. Puncturing the joints with small incisions seems to allow a release of the built-up magic and can provide immediate relief to the Sleeper. Catching lockjoint early is imperative. Alternative methods are soaking in hot springs and salted water.

Those who are in a more severe state will have to carefully have the crystals removed. This will likely remove the skin as well. Local anesthesia is highly recommended for the procedure. This process is known to leave scarring. The crystals can be saved and used as bloodstones from whoever they were harvested from. If you find a Sleeper dead from lockjoint, make sure to harvest the crystals as they are incredibly valuable.

This curse is believed to stem from Sleeper blood magic congealing within the body in contrast with the atmospheric magic of Bone Season. There is no known prevention for lockjoint. Lockjoint can impact all Sleepers regardless of bloodtype or the material their bodies are made from."

FAQ

1. This impacts characters regardless of blood type or their body - meaning it can impact characters with metal/plastic/plant/wood/etc bodies.

2. Players can choose how rapid or severe this gets and how quickly they can be healed.

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ riz may be a bear, but that doesn't necessarily mean he enjoys the cold. he's no thriving polar bear. fur helps, and yet, he's still bundled up with several layers as he can against any chill. he's minding his own business, as he does, when abruptly a human hand enters into his field of vision. he stops in his tracks, looking down to follow along the bruised arm - ]

[ ah. it's kaworu. ]

Oh... Dunno.

[ helpful. ]

-- but for guys like you, probably not. [ for humans? angels? there's a bit of concern to his voice, but he can also see that he's not yet suffering any afflicting crystals... that aren't hidden by clothing, anyway. ] That's called Lockjoint, isn't it? Another malady you'd see here.

Is that like… what do humans call it… a cold?

[As if on cue, he sneezes, rather violently, and seems a little surprised that his body decided to do that.

He rubs at his nose.]

What should I do about it?

This is more unique to Sleepers...

[ --that sneeze is pretty telling of something else, too. riz blinks, stepping a bit closer. ]

First step would be to dress in something warmer. [ he looks baffled; most other humans had seen to dress appropriately, even more bundles than him, and much prone despite it. which makes him wonder: ] ... Don't you feel cold, Kaworu?

[Another sneeze. He wipes his nose on his wrist and sniffles, considering the question. He glances down at his arms and the bruises in question.]

I feel… strange. It’s not quite the same as pain. But it’s prickly and sharp.

Is that “cold”?

... Probably. If you're really cold, it's not a pleasant feeling.

[ well, only one thing to do in the meanwhile. without another thought, he shrugs off his outer, more insulated coat - a bear's temperature tends to run a few degrees higher than the average human's (barring times of hibernation), so there may be some residual heat clinging to the fabric. ]

[ he drapes it over the boy's shoulders. it's, um, a huge article of clothing. ]

Is that better...?

[He blinks and raises his arms to examine the coat. It’s absolutely massive on his barely five foot frame. He looks like a kid wearing his dad’s clothing.

But he can feel the warmth from left over from Riz’s body. It’s comforting. He looks up at Riz, pleased.]

It feels much better. It feels…
Gentle.

Oh...

[ "gentle" hadn't been quite the adjective that he had expected to hear, but it works all the same. riz returns the pleased expression with a brief, small smile of his own. progress! ]

[ then he flexes one of his arms, to demonstrate: ]

How's the movement thing? [ -- he knows that, if he's to become a full fledged blood minister someday, he's going to have to work on his descriptors. alas. ] I mean... your joints feel stiff, too, right?

Yes, it’s hard to move my fingers.

[He sniffles and shifts
His hands out of the extremely long sleeves to demonstrate. His fingers are bruised and clearly stiff.]

Hm...

[ indeed, those fingers particularly look Not Great. this is the official diagnosis. riz appears to contemplate that, recalling notes he'd taken of the ailment. ]

Well... It's pretty important to take care of that. I think you have a few options... Bloodletting, or soaking in hot springs. Salted water was also an option [ so like... the sea, maybe? he doesn't think that was how it was intended (or maybe it actually is?). ], but I'm not sure if that should also be heated...

Did you wanna try any of those?

Edited 2022-01-23 05:50 (UTC)

Hot spring! We should go to a hot spring! We can go on a trip.

[He looks delighted, almost childishly so, at the idea. He knows that humans take trips to hot springs resorts and it's a big event. So of course, he wants to be part of that.]

Okay.

[ riz is pleased to hear the excitement, finding that it likewise heartens him in looking forward to it. his smile broadens. ]

[ he lifts a paw to gesture somewhere to the west of them. ]

One's that way, I think. [ he has a pretty fair understanding of trench's layout - not to say he's explored all of it... ] It's not too far from here.

[ he has very little concept if that would be far for a human-like being, actually... ]

It's not quite a... [What's the word...] vacation but it is a hot spring. I used to read about them when they told me I was going to Japan. Humans would go to resorts with large springs, stay overnight and play ping pong, and eat special meals.

[He starts to walk off the in the direction that Riz pointed! He has no idea where he's going!]

[ riz nods, thinking of that fondly. ]

That sounds like something animals from my world would do, too. ... It's not as nice as that, though. No ping pong or special meals. [ a sigh. ]

[ the bear likewise strides along; he matches whatever pace kaworu is most comfortable with ambling steps (while he's also somewhat stiff and bruised, he's not so to the extent that his companion is) - moving just slightly ahead as a guide. ]

Achelliac may be more like that, but... [ he trails off. yup. ] This place is just called the Rocks. It's a bunch of cliffs.

[ talk about lowering expectations. ]

...Rocks? It's just rocks?

[Going to turn to him and look so BETRAYED. HOW COULD RIZ DO THIS. DO HIM SO DIRTY LIKE THIS???]

Then we should go to the other one.

Rocks with some pools of hot water.

[ -- ah. riz is surprised for a second, and then laughs. it's a deep sound, but sincere in how he hadn't expected that suggestion (demand?). while his pace slows, he doesn't yet stop. ]

Not sure 'bout that... I could probably get in, no problem, but you'd probably look too young to fool anyone.

[ he's evidently thought about this, ok!! even if admittedly he isn't entirely certain how it's restricted, hm. ]

[Looking down at himself. Then up at Riz. Then back down at himself.

Okay, he's quite tiny and barely passes for 12, let alone 15. So Riz has a point. Or would have a point if Kaworu understood the point being made.]

Why does our age matter?

It's...

[ riz has to pause as he thinks on how to best explains this. ]

[ while also considering his target audience - it feels awkward to assume someone doesn't know things, but simultaneously, he suspects kaworu might appreciate a more frank description. ]

[ he will keep looking ahead. ]

Kinda like a club where males go to do stuff -- [ he is nailing this. ] -- ... intimate stuff, with each other. They probably wouldn't appreciate guys our age trying to hang around, much.

A club for kissing?

[Okay, he knows about sex. But only in the most clinical way possible. It's how humans create more humans. It sounds sticky and rather vile. But kissing... now that's where it's at.]

I've already done that so we're old enough.

No way... What if we go all the way there, and you're denied at the door?

[ like kaworu had just said something unbelievable, in suddenly that has them old enough!! riz continues to trudge through their cold terrain. ]

We could go in a few years. [ or else he figures out what even is considered adulthood in trench? is there a non-sexy area of achelliac? ] And you aren't freezing over from Lockjoint.

Just eat whoever says no.

[IS HE BEING SERIOUS. It's possible he is serious. Or joking. But after that he promptly sneezes so hard that it seems to take him a few moments to recover and remember what planet he's on.

He sniffs (and probably wipes his nose on the jacket sleeve, sorry Riz).]

Ugh. I hate this. Let's just get warm.

[ eat? eat--?

riz expression slips, and he's grateful he's walking on just a bit ahead. (who told him that? that he's not a wholly vegetarian bear?) maybe it is a joke. he hopes it's a joke. he can't tell. would it look suspicious if he overreacted? he'll respond like it is one, with a worse joke of his own. ]

Hah... Well, humans aren't really on the menu...

[ while not ideal, this is also a lie. they are pretty tasty. ]

[ he will be thinking of this exchange for the next three business days, thanks. ]

[ it seems the cliffs, at least, were closer than the proper spa. it is somewhat of a hike, but eventually they should find themselves faced with a medium-sized pond, enclosed by rocks on its sides. perhaps a few others mill about eeper within it, and steam gently unfurls from the water’s surface. strange, glowing runes look to be carved into some of the rocks in indecipherable writing. bioluminescent algae laps at the water’s edges, glowing with each stir of the water. ]

[ it may not be a full-fledged resort, but riz appears nonetheless excited for the find. besides - even in just closer proximity to the water, does the air feel warmer, with ice and snow visibly lessened. ]

... It actually looks pretty comfy.

[Poor Riz... Kaworu's thought process was simply: "if I were a giant bear I would simply eat anyone who annoyed me".

Thankfully, he doesn't make any more comments as they walk towards the Rocks. Mostly just sniffling and sighing as he climbs over things. He's not... particularly athletic, apparently.

But he perks up once they get close and the air starts warming up. He already feels happier about that and it's inspiration enough to peak over the edge and check out the runes and algae.]

It's warm.

[So, he ducks down and unties his shoes, kicking them off, and then unbuttoning his collared shirt and then pulling off that and his t-shirt in one go. He's pretty skinny, every bone seemingly visible underneath his pale skin. No wonder the Lockjoint got him good.

Anyway, yes, he is just going to strip down right there and go into the water with zero shame.]

[ geez, he sure is bony - riz wonders what his usual diet is like (he's not built like a healthy carnivore usually would be, that's for sure). and he is a little amused that kaworu's evolved from not quite processing the cold, to now 'thanks, i hate it.' he keeps that to himself with a small smile. ]

[ he likewise peels off his clothing, draping them neatly on the edge of some rock. then he dips in, fur appearing to fluff and darken beneath the water as it's submerged. there's a soft glow with the movement beneath the water. he sits to sink in about mid-level to his chest, feeling immediate relief wash over any sore joints and muscles. ]

I could stay here for a few days...

[ if only. ]

[ sighing and leaning back, he peeks over to his companion. his coat may have been discarded, and now has snot smeared onto it, but riz has enough experience with getting, uh, much worse out of his clothing, so - ]

You do have warmer outfits are your home [ a pause - considering what's been said, he's inclined to doubt this ], yeah? Who knows how bad this winter will get, or how long it'll last...

[Well, that's nearly up to Kaworu's neck, but he scoops up water and lets it fall from his hands back into the pool, disturbing the algae and making it dance like lights across the surface. It's... enchanting. Maybe not a resort but much better than a bath.

His fingers flex more easily, like he could get up play piano right now.]

Ah, I've been staying at the orphanage. I'll have to see what they have. ...How long does winter last? It's so quiet.

lockjoint

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