reddosmod: (Default)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2021-09-08 06:20 pm
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All men must die, but first he must live.

SEPTEMBER 2021 EVENT
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

Prompt One
[Image One: Woman holding skull in bag. ]
[Image Two: Plants sprouting out of earth.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Woman rocking back and forth in dark.]
[Image Two: Woman rowing down river with corpses on stakes on horizon.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Beef cake man breaking arrows off of shield with a sword.]
[Image Two: Beefy man slamming axe into troll-like creature, spraying blood.]

GROWING PAINS
WHEN: September
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Minor blood ritual.


September, for many in Trench, is considered a month of personal sacrifice. It is the month of self-actualization and promise. To grow your future, you must first be willing to sacrifice your past. You cannot walk forwards while walking backward. All throughout Trench, natives can be seen in yards and on plots of land digging small holes and planting a variety of items. Some plant seeds, some drop in a ring, others bury small parts of a body. But the ritual is simple: bury something that represents your past and seal it with a promise for your future.

You can write yourself a note or cut off a lock of your own hair. The ways in which people do this are limitless since it's a largely personal experience. Find a small patch of soil and dig yourself a shallow hole. Bury the item inside, say goodbye to who you used to be, and cover the item up with dirt. Once you are done, you must shed at least one drop of blood onto the sacrifice. It must be your own blood willingly given. Once the blood hits the soil, a small flower will miraculously grow out of the earth within seconds.

A single, powerless flower, but this flower will be completely immortal. You can either keep it on the patch of land or dig it up and bring it home. The flower will be a representation of your progress in Trench: if its petals wilt, you are lingering too much in the past. If it is in full bloom and vibrant, you're on the right path to a better future. If the flower starts to rot, you're heading down a dangerous path.

The flower may not be able to sway you one way or another, but it may serve as a valuable reminder of the kind of life you wish to lead. Some people abandon the flowers entirely and never bother with them. After all, there are no real consequences if you let the flower rot. If a character is dropped, their flower will fleck away like dust. Many believe that the flowers are made of the same stuff omens are made of.

You can dig up other people's flowers and watch their progress (make sure to get player permission) instead. After all, not everyone will care enough about their own flowers to really observe them closely. The flowers can come in any species or size, even fictional flowers, but they will only be replicas. Meaning if your character's flower is typically used for healing, there will be no healing properties in this replica. The flowers cannot be destroyed.

Many natives in Trench will repeat this ritual a few times every couple of years since the ritual is for letting go of the past. After all, the promises you make to yourself now won't be the same promises you make to yourself ten years from now. People change and so too will their flowers. What the characters bury is largely open to interpretation.

RIVER OF REGRET
WHEN: September
WHERE: Some obscure location within Gaze
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mangled corpses of loved ones, birds eating corpses, themes of regret.


You will find raven feathers all over Trench. They may drift through the air, lightly touch you, or you might decide to pick one up. The moment you come into physical contact with a feather, a conspiracy of ravens tears through the air and scoops you up into a whirlwind of feathers and caws. It only lasts a few seconds before you're deposited into a canoe drifting along a still river. Another Sleeper is in the boat with you. You pass beneath massive stone walls carved into the likeness of Never Mind and his ravens.

The world is silent around you. There is no rain here. Instead, sunlight pours through breaks in the clouds. Sunlight dapples across the water and golden-red leaves of nearby trees. It's more serene than most places in Trench.

You turn a corner and smell it before you see it. The picturesque summer day is dampened by the stench of rot. Then you come upon them: corpses. Corpses tied up to posts with barbed wire, corpses put through spikes and suspended in the air. Ravens flutter to and fro, picking at strips of meat. It isn't until you're close enough that you realize you recognize the corpses.

They are the corpses of people you have hurt. And that doesn't just mean people you killed or physically harmed. These are the bodies of people you have deep regrets towards: a lover you wronged, a best friend you lied to, an enemy you wish you had forgiven. Not everything is as black and white as murder, after all, and this grisly graveyard of mangled bodies says as much. Sometimes our regrets haunt us like the dead, and it seems like yours have followed you to Trench. You might even see your own body up on a post or the body of your canoe companions.

You have one of two choices: ignore your regret or face it.

Choosing to ignore your regrets doesn't seem to have any ill consequences at first. You pass by the corpses and continue on your river voyage. But the water grows thicker, and you come across the same corpses only in a worse state. The situation gets progressively worse each time you ignore it, and the river gradually becomes a river of blood and gore. The stench becomes insufferable and you will become increasingly corrupt. Some may even turn into beasts right there on the river.

Facing your regrets means talking about them, even mildly, to your canoe companions. You simply need to acknowledge the corpses, acknowledge the slightest truth to your feelings towards those regrets. When everyone in your canoe has acknowledged their regrets, the ravens will come for you once more. You will be brought back to Trench and awaken in the School of Mutter. Those who faced their regrets will discover that they have been gifted a white gold compass. The compass's needle will always point in the direction of the nearest Lamp Friend no matter the chaos going on in the world. But the compass only works once you have calmed down and focused.

QUICK FACTS

1. Each boat can hold up to 4 people. There can be multiple canoes in the same area.

2. If you try to leave the boat, you will drown in the River of Regret.

3. This does not have to encompass every regret someone's had. It can only represent one or two things. The regret should have to do with another individual or one's self. Something like "I regret not going to college" wouldn't necessarily work within the parameters of the prompt.

4. The river can only be accessed by touching a fallen raven feather. Touching a raven feather attached to the bird or a quill does not count.

5. Characters can engage with this prompt as many times as they touch a raven feather.

6. Characters with no regrets will not see corpses, but they will still be able to interact with characters who do have regrets.
BLOODSPORT
WHEN: During the Blood Moon
WHERE: Everywhere but specifically, The Gate
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, fighting, forced aggression/violence, forced fighting.


The Blood Moon invokes religious reverence among Trenchies. September and October are the ultimate months of sacrifice to pay tribute to the gods and the blood that rules this world. An energy begins to swell among Trenchies and you keep hearing the same word whispered excitedly around the city: "Bloodsport."

As the Blood Moon floods the streets in red, you begin to feel antsy, like you don't know what to do with yourself. You're not necessarily angry, you just have an abundance of energy. You don't need to be told what it is: your blood is reacting to the moon. The Blood Moon enhances blood powers significantly and you're simply not used to that yet. You don't feel in control of your own power or maybe even your own mind. At least until you exert some power, some force. Slam a door shut or swing a sword, shoot some electricity or spit some poison and you'll feel at peace with yourself. That nervous energy will ease out.

Only to come back twice as strong. It starts to put you in a real fighting mood and you start to realize why the locals call this Bloodsport. Hunting down beasts and monsters might seem like the fun thing to do right now, but the real attraction for Bloodsport takes place at The Gate. You can hear the roaring crowd blocks away. Hundreds of Trenchies have settled in to watch Sleepers duke it out with each other or with locked-up monsters. Maybe join in the fight. At least you know the other Sleepers there want to be there...Right?

Unfortunately not. Those who resist Bloodsport will find themselves passing out more and more frequently. Eventually, they will be taken by Mysterious Forces to The Gate to be pitted against other Sleepers and monsters. Some Sleepers will be forced into a gladiator-style fight that they either must win or die trying. Most fights at the Gate do end in death, but there are some circumstances where someone surrenders. Of course, that never stops their opponent from killing them anyway...Hopefully, you're fighting someone who is still relatively reasonable. Both parties can be resistant to fighting, but they will feel obligated to fight each other. If they don't, monsters will be unleashed into the arena and your situation will get a whole lot worse.

Bloodsport can greatly enhance a Sleeper's ability and many believe it is a gift from the Pthumerian gods. It is generally considered an advantage to Sleepers during the Season of Blood to prepare them and train them to hone their skills for the Season of Bone. Many believe it is wisest to submit to Bloodsport and let yourself get used to the motions of violence in order to survive the remainder of the year.

QUICK FACTS

1. Casual physical training will alleviate Bloodsport feelings. You could get through the month just by jogging around a lot.

2. Characters forced to the Gate will not remember how or when they arrived - they will just wake up and be thrown into the Gate by some shadowy force.

3. Characters who willingly participate in violence/fighting will feel temporary relief from Bloodsport only for the feeling to increase.

4. Effects of Bloodsport last as long as the Blood Moon shines through September and October.

5. You can treat symptoms of Bloodsport with calming techniques such as aromatherapy, meditation, medications, etc. Can be based on what would ICly help calm your character but it should require a lot of it.

6. You can invent the monsters/beasts that are at the Gate. They should be killable creatures and easily captured for the purpose of the Gate.
CODING
eudaimonikos: (mutual awareness)

growing pains

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-09-12 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Michael's been lingering around here, watching other people do the flower ritual, for maybe ten or twenty minutes now. He doesn't feel particularly inclined to do it himself, exactly, or to think very hard about why he doesn't want to...but he's still sort of curious about it.

He notices Eurydice's hesitation, but doesn't really say anything until she speaks up. At which point, he snorts.]


Wait, was this whole thing their idea?
howtheworldwas: (talk)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-09-12 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
It must be. That's how these things work, right?

[ There are all kinds of similar rituals back home, after all. Eurydice knows the ones for safe travels -- gifts for Hermes, for Zeus, and others. ]

Give something up and they'll treat you kindly. Happens all the time.
eudaimonikos: (utilitarianism)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-09-12 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugh. What a bunch of creeps.

[That's a nasty way to be, in his opinion. Sure, he's not really a god; he can't do much for humans while they're alive, at any rate. But if you're really that powerful, why bother making humans sacrifice for you? It's like if he demanded money or something in return for a good afterlife. It's something they need, that's utterly useless to him - how greedy. If they don't want to help people, they ought to just leave them be.]

They don't need any of that stuff. Sounds like a weird power play to me.
howtheworldwas: (thin lipped)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-09-12 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Eurydice likes to think she has a pretty good poker face, that she's good at keeping it together. But she's never heard someone openly critique the gods like that before -- doesn't he know that's likely to get you cursed? Or worse? Eurydice's jaw practically drops, and she quickly follows up with a shh and a finger over her lips. ]

I mean -- [ he's not wrong. But Eurydice can't say that! ] -- that's just how things work. But you shouldn't say that out loud, aren't you worried they'll hear you?
eudaimonikos: (half and half)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-09-12 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[He shrugs. He'd say it to their face! If he knew for sure they were doing that in the first place, he guesses.]

People need to hear when they're being crappy. Only way they might improve. Immortals...well, we need that more than most, I think. It gets to be a sort of weird, emotionally-stunted echo chamber.
howtheworldwas: (evaluate)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-09-15 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ Eurydice is prepared to agree with that and move on, until he says we. Then, she stares up at him, like a deer caught in the headlights. ]

You're immortal? Are you a god?

[ Or, like, a really old person? Sometimes gods grant immortality to humans, it's not totally unheard of. ]
eudaimonikos: (a lecture probably)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-09-15 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
Pfff, no! I'm a demon.

[Which isn't really a good thing to be, but at least he's not a god.]

I don't usually have much to do with living humans. Definitely not out there starting cults.
howtheworldwas: (thin lipped)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-09-26 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, okay, that is significantly better. He's a spirit, then, which isn't that far off from what she is -- just a little more powerful, but not god-like powerful. She relaxes, a little. ]

Yeah, that's -- [ you know what, this conversation is already so goddamn weird. she offers a little huff of a laugh. ] -- that's a relief, actually? My experience with gods has been, uh. Different. You're not wrong, though. About the, uh. Emotionally-stunted bit.

[ lord hades talk to your wife challenge ]
eudaimonikos: (a lecture probably)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-09-26 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[Michael chuckles too, folding his arms and leaning against the nearest wall or whatever.]

Guess if you start off a full-grown immortal, you never really have to learn to act your age. Don't get me wrong - I learned all that from humans. You guys do a lot better at getting your shit together, generally speaking.

[They are on a time limit, which must help - but we all know that.]
howtheworldwas: (talk)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-10-07 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's nice to hear that at least some immortals are capable of change. There's a bitter voice in the back of Eurydice's head that wishes Hades were that type, but she's able to mostly ignore it.

Her tone softens, a bit. ]


So you were around humans, before you came here? How'd you meet them?
eudaimonikos: (a boost over heaven's gate)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-10-07 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I work in the afterlife, so...they died.

[He can recognize that this is, objectively, maybe sort of depressing? But he's never really viewed it that way himself; it's how he got to know them at all! Maybe that's a little selfish, but they were gonna do it in a couple dozen years either way.]

Plus I met a bunch of folks in the dream - have you heard about that? A bunch of us here were there, before we were here.
howtheworldwas: (examine)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-10-08 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
Mm. Your afterlife sounds nicer than mine.

[ Eurydice takes that in stride, all things considered. At least, she doesn't seem especially surprised. Instead, she offers a tight little nod and a wry smile, as if to say, of course. ]

I've heard about the dream, yeah. Orpheus was there, and he and his friends told me a bunch about it -- all sorts of things about danger and puzzles.
eudaimonikos: (the song of god)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-10-08 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Ha! [Michael barks out a super comforting laugh!] Well, it's alright now. A lot better these days!

[But he's not at all surprised to hear that she had a bad experience. That seems to be...very common, if not standard.]

Oh! Yeah, I know Orpheus! Been a while since I've seen him - he's around here?
howtheworldwas: (flower)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-10-11 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
It improved?

[ That's almost better than hearing that his afterlife is good. Knowing that there are better places to go than Hadestown just gives Eurydice a twist of resentment. Knowing that even a terrible Underworld can change, though...that's something to hope for. (If he can do it, so can she.)

Eurydice nods. ]


Yeah. I think he showed up late? [ Which is honestly just like him. Eurydice smiles a little, fond. ] I'm sure he'd like to see you again.
eudaimonikos: (but I want to make yours come true)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-10-11 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, and it was a real pain in the ass. Immortals aren't big on change, either. Or they're all just assholes, could go either way.

[He's fully in support of afterlife revolutions! Most of them need one!]

I'll have to track him down sometime.
howtheworldwas: (talk)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-10-12 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ Okay, so usually Eurydice is not one to say anything controversial, especially around immortals. She'd much rather keep to herself and not get noticed. But something tells her this one can maybe take a joke. Time to test the waters. ]

Or both.

[ Her tone is dry, but there's a little quirk of her eyebrow that suggests she's partly joking. (Partly.)

She shrugs. ]


As soon as we find a place to stay, I'll let you know, yeah? You can come visit.
eudaimonikos: (either/or)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-10-12 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Michael just shrugs and flips a hand: like, "yeah, fair."]

Or a bit stupid. Just don't tell that to the Judge, if you ever see her. But yeah, I'd love to drop by sometime. You like giant dogs?
howtheworldwas: (flower)

[personal profile] howtheworldwas 2021-10-27 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
I don't plan on it. [ Eurydice has had enough with underworld nonsense, thank you very much! She's just fine with staying away from someone called the Judge.

At the mention of giant dogs, Eurydice cracks a wry smile. ]


Yeah, sure. As long as they don't have three heads.
eudaimonikos: (responsiveness)

[personal profile] eudaimonikos 2021-10-27 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
...oh, that's right, you're Greek...

[He remembers those stories! Afterlife-relevant myths were the kind he always tended to hear most about. Michael supposes they're more than myth, in some worlds, but that's just how the multiverse goes. Not too remarkable.]

Nah, she's just a big wolf. She won't bother anyone who doesn't break into the house or something like that, but she does like to check out guests.