Are we out of the woods yet?

[reddosmod]

MARCH 2022 EVENT

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! All the following information pertains to how the entire event works.

- First two prompts feature forced relocations via Moss King's abilities.

- There will be "spill-over" from each prompt meaning certain elements from the prompts may be present in the ordinary Trench. The third prompt features how this is impacting the overall setting and could be a good option for those not interested in full relocation.

- Each level will be infinite in space and impossible to ever fully travel. It will however be very easy to run into other Sleepers since they will naturally be clustered in close areas. The Moss King wants Sleepers to be put together! More blood magic collected in one area = more magic for him to use!

- What does that mean? The longer you stay in one of the levels, the weaker your blood magic becomes and the more sapped of energy you become! You can customize this depending on your character's overall strength/power set.

- Characters with teleportation/reality-altering abilities will not be able to teleport in and out of these levels at will, but they can teleport around inside of these levels.

- All Omni/Omens can receive and send messages as per usual in the levels.

- If your Patron is the Moss King, you can either assume he will spare your character the trauma of the levels...Or send them more often than others.

- All levels and challenges can be experienced multiple times throughout March. All levels will be inaccessible on April 1st. Any characters who are not out of the level will automatically die.

- Characters can leave levels after completing at least three challenges. Some characters may be stuck in one location for the entire month. You do not have to necessarily play out all three challenges, but you should have a general idea of what your character did to get out.

- Only items on your character at the time of their forced teleportation will be brought with them into the levels. They will not be able to summon other items even if they have abilities to. If they have a bottomless bag, they will only be allowed what's inside the bag already.

- All challenges are really meant to be played with multiple characters.

- There is no way to research or get ready ahead of time for any of the prompts due to the Moss King regularly changing up rules and games every year. The only "records" of March caution Sleepers about the Moss King, comparing his chaotic nature to a "less violent version of Mariana" and with more chances of positive outcomes.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Jumanji board game with moving piece towards the center.]
[Image Two: A hippo rushing out of the water and eating up a man while onlookers gasp in shock (comical, not graphic)]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Bloody hand grasping dirty hand as man is buried alive. Slight strobe effect.]
[Image Two: Flickering images between screaming people, burning car, gaping mouths on stone faces, shadow of human on dirt path. Slight strobe effect.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Picture of two good boy Doberman Pinschers.]
[Image Two: Person in suit staring up at plants with blood like bubbles/balls growing off of them.]

[NAVIGATION]

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

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

JUNGLE LEVEL

WHEN: March
WHERE: ????
CONTENT WARNINGS: Forced participation via mental coericon, jungle-themed dangers such as animals and natural risks, potential animal violence/themes of hunting, survival challenges, potential body horror/changes, draining blood via mosquitos,

---

You think you hear a drumming. It's brief and easy to dismiss at first...But then it steadily grows until you can feel it vibrating through your body. It increases your heart rate and instead of feeling anxious or put off...You feel an inexplicable excitement and drive to see what's making that curious noise. As you seek out the source, the drumming becomes louder and louder and louder...Until finally, you find it.

A board game called Jumanji. Those who might be familiar with the movie have all information about the movie completely blanked from their mind. This game is completely new to all, looking like a relic of Trench technology. It has somehow appeared in your home or in the shop you frequent/work at. It might even just appear in the middle of the forest or on The Farther Shores. And when you open up, even if you aren't usually one to play games, you have the undeniable urge to play it. What can it hurt? It's just a board game...

But of course, this is Trench. In order to play, you need to offer a drop of your blood. It happens the moment you pick up one of the player pieces. A little prick of the finger and the sacrifice is granted. Roll the dice and make your first move. The pieces automatically stick to the board and move according to the dice. The goal is simple: move the pieces to the center of the board. There are no other rules. The center of the board gives a smoky message every move you make, some sort of unique challenge.

The first challenge is simple though: Enter The Jungle Level. You don't have a moment to wonder what that even means because before you know it, you're being quite literally pulled into the game. You are sucked into the center of the game and transported to a dense, heavy jungle. You enter with the people you were playing with, or if you were playing solo, you're arriving with other players who found their own version of the game. So, you're in a jungle and you have this board game. What now?

Turns out you can't escape the Jungle whatsoever except by completing the game. All consequences of the game vanish upon completion. Losing the board means you have to get the board back. Don't worry, the pieces will stick to the board and you can make dice if you lose the dice. Ignoring the game isn't possible. You have an increasing urge to complete the game no matter the cost...And boy, is there a cost! Some of the challenges are simple and easy enough, but some are downright lethal. You just have to survive till the next roll which might mean getting to the board and getting in a roll. Sounds simple until you're drowning in quicksand and the board is sinking right next to you. At least the board will appear elsewhere if you lose it through a challenge...But do you really want to risk the time it might take for it to reappear?

The challenges vary completely and there is absolutely no way to determine any sort of trick. If you roll a five, your piece will move five spaces, and on the space it lands, the challenge will appear in the form of a riddle in the center of the game. Then the world around you will throw a very real challenge at you. Some people may experience the same challenge twice in a row while others might never see the same challenge twice. You can play with up to six players but you can play side by side with another group playing on their own board.

THE CHALLENGES
GIANT FROGS: These frogs are massive yet masters of blending into their surroundings. Unless you're highly skilled at detection, you won't even realize that these frogs are hunting you until it's too late. Suddenly their tongues lash out and it's so quick, you're in their mouth before you know what has happened. It's as disgusting as it sounds, but it isn't a particularly fast death. You're more likely to get drenched in their saliva and fight with a strong tongue. But the moment you are swallowed, the acid of their stomach will quickly kill you...and painfully. Thankfully, they are just ordinary flesh creatures. You might be able to cut your way out of them or get them to puke you up if you have something gross tasting on you. Someone could even get them to spit you out by kicking dust into their face.

QUICKSAND: No matter where you are standing when you roll this challenge, the ground beneath you turns soft and pliant. This is more like movie quicksand where the sink is almost instantaneous, sucking your feet down so tightly that you might break them if you try to wrench yourself out. Struggling will only make you sink faster and possibly crush bones in the process. Leaning forward or laying flat backward will help get you out, and if someone is nearby and able to toss you a rope, they could slowly drag you to safety. Losing the game in quicksand is a common occurrence and something to try and avoid. Worst case scenario? You drown in one of the worst ways possible.

RUSHING RIVERS: Much like the quicksand, it doesn't matter where you are. You hear and feel the rumbling of water and a tidal wave of water comes crashing through your immediate area. You're immediately swept away by the water, slammed through trees and against rocks. This flash flood can last up to an hour, but if you're quick, smart, and a strong enough person, you might be able to find safe haven on a large rock or tree. Maybe you get lucky enough to find something to float on in the process.

PERKING UP: This doesn't seem to do much of anything at first...The person who rolls this challenge will feel a little like sneezing. Their skin will tickle and they will have a very funny feeling in their gut. Slowly they will begin to develop animal features: ears, tails, fur on their hands, turning into a hybrid between a jungle animal and whatever they already are (a human, elf, etc). These features will give some helpful abilities, such as speed if you become part cheetah or possibly flight if you become part bird or flexibility if you become part monkey. Some transformations may be full. Transformations will only revert once the game has been beaten.

TROPHY HUNTER: Unfortunately for you, you have summoned a very smarmy asshole who is an exceptional hunter of exotic creatures. And that now includes Sleepers. The thrill of the kill exhilarates him and he seems to have weapons capable of killing any Sleeper regardless of their abilities. He might look like an ordinary person, but he seems to have been enchanted by the game and is an unkillable challenge. You can hide from him and trick him, and you can slow him down with injuries, but he will keep getting back up. He is human in the fact that he needs to sleep, rest, eat, and take his time tracking you down...So you better hope you're damn good at keeping yourself concealed. If he catches you, he won't hesitate to kill you.

MOSQUITO MANIA: In such a humid, dense jungle, it's no surprise the air is filled with bugs. However, after getting this challenge, you will notice an increase in mosquitos buzzing around. These mosquitos are drawn to Sleeper Blood and the more they drink...The bigger they get. It's hard to notice at first, easy to think you're killing small ones and bigger ones are coming back for more. Your blood pollution fills the air, and soon, mosquitos the size of baseballs are slamming into you. Maybe even bigger...And the bigger they are, the more deadly they become, the more blood they drain. It doesn't help that their bites leave itchy welts that grow in size to match the mosquitos. It's hard to fight off all the mosquitos and they seem to be drawn to all blood equally.

One way to get past them, however, is by covering yourself with mud. It seems to cut your smell off from the bugs and they will quickly lose interest. Thankfully there is plenty of mud in a jungle! You just have to think to use it...The mud will help soothe bites as well.

CATACOMBS LEVEL

WHEN: All of March
WHERE: Catacombs beneath Trench. People who escape will find themselves crawling out of a grave in the Sanguine Graveyard.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Catacombs, death, skeletons, optional corpse/undead styled monsters, burning people/animals themes (but not actual), extreme themes of claustraphobia, being buried alive/being trapped, forced panic/hysteria/confusion, time manipulation/displacement, feelings of starvation/thirst but not actual starvation/thirst, mold/mushrooms/fungi growing on skin, drowning, extreme disorientation, extreme feelings of inadequecy.

---

One might wonder where all the dead bodies of Trench go. Trenchies will typically say the Sanguine Graveyard or people are sent out to the ocean...But it wasn't always that way. If you dig a bit more on the subject, you may come across a reoccurring piece about Trench having extensive catacombs beneath the city. Yet no matter where you look or how deep you dig, those catacombs never really seem to appear. So what's the deal?

The deal is it takes the power of a Pthumerian to get you to the now deeply buried catacombs. These catacombs are a testament to this world's blood pollution and power. These do not seem to be just the catacombs of Trench...But the entire world. They are endless, complex, and dangerous. Unlike the Jungle Level, there is no board game to bring you to the Catacombs. It is the mere whim of the Moss King wondering if you might be capable of handling what lingers within. This is a matter of surviving the challenges, getting through them, and seeing the other side.

You have no say in the matter either way. One moment you're standing around, minding your own damn business, next moment you're being quite literally ripped into the earth through vines and rubble. You get a mouthful of soil as you're pulled through whatever bizarre blood magic vortex the Moss King has created, hearing screams all around you, feeling smoke fill your lungs, the scent of grass burning your nostrils. The entire world feels like it's caving in on top of you, and then you're plummeting through open air and hitting the ground.

Once you orient yourself, you will find yourself underground in an open stone shrine to the Moss King. A massive stone goat head is staring at you with two massive torches lit in place of its eyes. The ceiling above is covered with heavy vines and plant life, and there is no way to go back from where you just fell from. You are automatically joined by others and they might be people you were with or complete strangers. It could be just the two of you or a large group of people.

You come to the Catacombs with whatever is on your person, but fear not, the Moss King has thought ahead. Smooth stone cubbies line the walls, and in each cubby is a fully stocked backpack filled with things anyone would want for spelunking, cave-diving, and deep underground exploration. There are plenty of flashlights, head flashlights, ropes, harnesses, gloves, hiking shoes, some basic medical supplies, flasks of clean water, and a few mushrooms to fill up one's stomach. There are no maps, no compasses, but those things wouldn't do you much good anyway.

There is only one way to leave the stone room and that is through the giant goat's open mouth. It's a simple stone passage that leads to the Catacombs. You have no choice but to go through them. You cannot manipulate the space around you with abilities. There is a certain haze in the air that can dim abilities and make you rely more heavily on your intuition and intelligence. Thousands upon thousands of skulls and skeletons are compressed together. Some areas are well-lit with torches, but the deeper you go, the darker it becomes until you must rely on flashlights.

The Catacombs start off relatively normal, but in order to escape, you must delve in deep. The pathway changes for every party, and you may come across other characters completely lost in the Catacombs. Eventually, the skeletal remains become thoroughly buried beyond stone walls. There are tight, narrow passageways that are difficult to crawl through. Some places you need to actually crawl to get through, stone walls tight all around you. Other places you need to drop down into, relying on ropes and harnesses to get safely down. You may need to depend on rock climbing or crawling over bones or wading through cold, murky water.

But it isn't just the enclosed, dark spaces that are a challenge. There are vacant rooms with unique challenges and things lurking in the dark. You can hear unsettling sounds, such as the distant trill of a random phone that keeps on ringing, the sound of feet skittering away as you approach, the musky odor of fresh corpses, the uncomfortable feeling that you aren't alone no matter how quiet and still the air around you may seem. Can you survive the Catacombs? Will you see the world above once more?

Throughout the Catacomb one can find directions pointing you in a certain direction...Only these directions are quite unusual. It doesn't seem like one can rely on the usual Sleeper translation - you either have to know the languages or figure them out...But they aren't ordinary. You might find upside-down kanji directing you or come across braille engraved into the stone or backward French or Latin. Some Dothraki directions might point you in one direction while Na'vi points you in another. Riddles give you warning about possible challenges or solutions to the Catacombs throughout. Can you solve this giant, undead puzzle before you become part of it?

You may encounter a variety of the following challenges. Some only once, some multiple times. One can be trapped in the Catacombs for what feels like days/weeks, but once you get to the surface, it will have only been an hour or so in real-time. While it may feel like you are dying of thirst or starvation, it is not actually possible while in the Catacombs. The water in the packs will sustain you.

THE CHALLENGES
DARK WATER: There aren't too many sources of water in the Catacombs, but when you come across it, approach it with caution. There is a difference between regular water and the dark water of the Catacombs, and telling the difference isn't easy unless you're a darkblood and can detect the slight shimmer to dark water. Dark water will cause a severe disorientation of senses: it can deafen all sound, cause immediate vertigo, make you smell things that aren't there, make your mouth fill with an awful taste. Careful not to consume the dark water. If you wade through the water, the effects of it will last while you're in the water and about ten minutes after you have left it. Some have been known to accidentally drown in the dark water due to its disorientation even if dark water is rarely that deep.

CALLING FIRE: You hear the roar of fire and smell smoke long before you see it. You step into an open cavern and in the middle of it...is a burning house. An ordinary house. Up in flames. You see dark figures standing at all the windows, staring out at you with sightless gazes. They do not scream. They do not move. They merely watch you. Then the front door bursts open with the scream of a woman, and the screaming gets louder and louder. Those who feel the urge to help others will become overwhelmed by the desire to rush into the fire and "save" whatever lurks within, but those who are a bit more sensible about self-preservation will be able to resist this siren screech. They will likely realize there is nothing to be saved in this house.

Those who persist into the house will find, unsurprisingly, a burning house. Only this fire won't immediately kill you: instead, you'll go mad searching throughout the burning house looking for the source of the screams. You will smell the flesh burning, hear the cries of people or animals trapped, rushing from room to room trying to find them. It isn't the fire that kills you. It will be the smokey, strange figures watching you in every room. They slowly drain the life out of you, covering your skin in soot and destroying your lungs, your eyes, your nostrils, until nothing is left of you but an ashen heap. While this is a lethal trap, it is one that people can be saved from...Eventually.

UNTOUCHABLE TEMPTATIONS: You stumble into a room where there are heaps of treasures beyond rusted, cellar doors. All that glitters and more: gold, silver, rare gems, bloodstones, vials of rare potions and elixirs, stunning weapons, delicious smelling food, beautiful clothing, and possibly even relics from your own homeworld. Perhaps the rarest sword of your world is sitting right there. For many, this will be an obvious trap. One must simply bypass the temptations and enter through the next door and continue with your journey...But...Unfortunately, for many, this will prove a great feat. Paleblood glitters among the floor of this room and heavily sways people into being enormously tempted by the treasures, even if they normally might have better sense.

For those who yearn for treasures of any sort, they will find the pull nearly irresistible. Only someone who genuinely wants for materialistic will find it easy to pass by the area. They will likely be the ones to save others. Those who break open the cellar doors and attempt to get the goods, your touch will begin to turn all around you to gold...Including the spots on people you touch. This might permanently render someone's skin gold, and can quickly kill people. Eventually, the cursed person will turn into a golden statue of themselves. They will reincarnate as usual, but a golden statue of them will be forever left in the Catacombs, possibly discovered by other Sleepers passing through. This Midas touch can last well after you have left the Catacombs and you may need to get some extensive darkblood therapy worked on your body to reverse the curse.

CHRONOLOGY OF SEASONS: You enter a stone room with twelve sliding tiles painted to look like the various stages of the seasons in Trench. Season of Bone, Season of Tears, Seasons of Blood. They are mixed around the room and you need to put them in the right order. Each tile depicts the Patron Pthumerian associated with their specific month with their moon in the background. To those who have been diligently studying the Patron Pthumerians, this should be a relatively easy task even if figuring out how to move the tiles might be difficult. You can generally tell where the tiles should go seeing as the wall you entered is decorated with floral carvings, the wall to the right is decorated with leaves, then the wall ahead is decorated with snowflakes. The tiles form one large cohesive portrait that wraps around the room. The moment you enter the room, the wall closes permanently behind you. Each time you move a tile, human blood begins to trickle into the room, and if you mess up enough...Well. You get the picture. Or, in this case, you didn't get the picture. Oops.

TIL DEATH DO WE PART: Throughout your journeys in the Catacombs, you will keep seeing glimpses of familiar faces out of the corner of your eye. Parents, friends, loved ones, people you haven't seen in some time...But it's always someone you know isn't actually in Deer Country. Someone who you know to be dead or to be back home, in another world, another time. Eventually, these loved ones will start to walk after you, looking like undead versions of themselves, limping along, completely unresponsive to things you might scream or say to them. They just gaze at you with unseeing eyes. They don't seem to want to hurt you though, no matter how threatening or unnatural they may look. What they want is some closure: some parting words you never got to say, one last embrace, a final "I love you." Once you have, they will turn to ash and you will be filled with a temporary sense of peace.

THE EXIT: At last, you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally! You see a familiar street lamp or maybe even the surprising sight of your own backyard. It's right there! You can even smell the fresh air. Oh, thank goodness! You have no idea how you wound up finding the exit all of a sudden, but let's get the hell out of this place! You take one step through the exit and suddenly you're pitching forward, falling, tumbling down into a massive pit of...very squishy mushroom. The fungi are growing all over the ground and over the cave walls. They gave you a vivid hallucination to lure you in and damn if it didn't work! Time to crawl out...

Except gosh, you're really drowsy and dizzy...Are those skeletons you see? Are these mushrooms already growing on your skin? Yup! These mushrooms trap living organisms with hallucinations and quickly consume the body by spreading rapid-growth spores all over your body. If you're strong enough you might be able to crawl out in time, or if you were with someone smart enough not to rush through the exit, they might be able to throw you a rope. You can wash the spores off with mushrooms and if the mushrooms had already started to grow, you will just have to rip them off your skin - and yes, that's as unpleasant as it sounds. Otherwise, people can die quickly in this trap. It only takes a matter of minutes for the mushrooms to start growing.

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW: The worst of the Catacombs rests ahead. You are given the warning: THE KINDNESS OF THE WORLD IS BEHIND YOU: HELL IS AHEAD. AS ABOVE, SO IS BELOW. THAT WHICH HAS BEEN, WILL RETURN AGAIN. Before you is a horrifying black hole and you don't necessarily know why it is horrifying, but even the bravest soul will find themselves trembling in its presence. It feels like a creature watching you, waiting for you, patiently evaluating every weakness you have ever had. You will feel a crippling sense of doubt, of anxiety, and you will be crushed into a sense of incompetency until you are bursting at the seams. You will feel the urge to admit to your companion, to someone, what your faults are. If you are alone, you will be driven to contact someone with your Omen/Omni. Some may even feel the urge to confess to the entire network the things they feel most incompetent about, begging for forgiveness that they are not a better, stronger, smarter, faster version of themselves. Only when they have admitted to their faults will they be able to step forward into Hell...

And that is when they will feel as though the world has turned upside down. They will be walking down and then suddenly, they are coming out of a hole and going up into Trench. Out of a random grave in the Sanguine Graveyard, no evidence of the Catacombs around them. Congratulations - you made it out.

BLOOD DETOX

WHEN: March
WHERE: Throughout Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Blood, blood blisters bursting, blood pollution.

---

While everyone is going off the rails in other levels, things in Trench are flourishing. Plantlife is rampant everywhere and things seem to be bursting with life. This includes the apparent expolusion of blood pollution from the earth! Part of Moss King's process apparently includes a phenomena known as Blood Blisters. You can see these Blood Blisters throughout Trench. Some look like the size of soccer balls while others are the size of cars. They are red fleshy lumps growing out of trees or out of the ground. Some grow out of the sides of buildings or maybe, unfortunately, in your living room. They are hot to the touch and reek like blood.

That's because they are filled with blood. Blood from Sleepers, animals, humans, Pthumerians - everything. It's raw blood pollution the Moss King has extracted from the earth like a disgusting magic pimple. None of the blood inside is salvageable for magic and you do not want to be near these things when they pop. Rotten blood splatters the immediate area and it smells pungent. Worse yet? If you're caught in it, it's almost inevitable you rapidly turn into a beast. If you're lucky to only see it happens, don't count yourself lucky for long. The downside to this process is it calls in beasts from your immediate area within seconds.

Thankfully, that's what blood hounds are for. These solid black canines are stacked with a massive pair of antlers and bound around Trench to take care of the Blood Blisters. These dogs stand beside the Blisters and seem to have a magical ability that draws the pollution from the Blisters and gathers them in the center of their antlers. This blood seems to fuel the beasts and they might be one of the best examples of how some beasts in Trench maybe don't deserve to be killed. It's a far better alternative to the Blood Blisters bursting.

The bloodhounds can scent out Blood Blisters and seem willing to help Sleepers find them. Additionally, if someone is exceptionally gifted with animals or very patient, they may be able to adopt a blood hound and train it to summon the blood pollution from Sleepers on command. This process takes an enormous amount of energy and will take months to train a bloodhound. The bloodhound in the meantime does feed exclusively off of blood pollution, so be prepared to keep it fed or else it might just turn on you and eat your blood instead!

It isn't all bad in Trench though. For people who are regularly completing the challenges and levels in the other two prompts, you will find random prizes waiting for you back at your home! You can choose from the following list what kind of prizes your character might get from winning challenges. You can win multiple items. We ask our players to be reasonable and honest about what challenges and how many their characters could realistically win to obtain the following prizes. Some prizes may be more difficult to acquire than others.

THE PRIZES
MOON DROP: A highly valuable stone that can completely cure beasthood, blood pollution, injuries, and even bring one back from death. Gained only if at least three challenges are completed with the survival of two or more characters in a group and the escape from the Catacombs Completion considering "surviving" them. To those who have it used on them, they may experience hallucinations and a commune with Moon presence, feeling as though she is in your head.

A REALLY LAME T-SHIRT: A plain white t-shirt that perfectly fits your character with the bold print of: I'M BARELY SURVIVING TRENCH AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS T-SHIRT.

PTHUMERIAN BLOOD DROP: A blood drop allegedly gathered from a Pthumerian. The Pthumerian Blood Drop can cause instantaneous corruption and/or beasthood in those it touches. It can be used to greatly enhance weapons to cause insanity in those they strike. This blood drop is contained in a small vial and once it is used, it cannot be used again. Its enchanted effect on a weapon lasts as long as the weapon is intact. Once the weapon breaks, so does the effect.

A SPACE HAMSTER: This adorable Space Hamster! How adorable! It's a hamster that never needs to be fed! Maybe it contains the cosmos within its mighty, furry body...Or maybe it's just a suuuuuper cute hamster. Do you dare defy its sweet little gaze?

SUN CHALICE: A chalice you can place in the sunlight. This gathers sun magic. Once a liquid is poured into the chalice, a Sleeper can drink from it and alleviate monthly blood symptoms or blood type-specific abilities. It does not fully remove abilities or suffering, but consistently drinking from the chalice can drastically help. The chalice will need to be placed in direct sunlight for at least one hour to work. Its effects last a week before it needs to be placed back in the sunlight to charge once more.

A POKEMON: A non-legendary pokemon of your choosing complete with a pokeball. Can evolve as per usual in canon (which also means if it requires a Pokemon canon specific item to evolve such as a fire stone, it will still need that to evolve in Trench). Pokemon can maintain canonized moves as long as they do not break the game setting and are used reasonably.

CHAINS OF VASTA LI MAEVE: An apparent urban legend of Trench- a young woman who was once shackled in chains and left on the shore as a sacrifice to Mariana by her deranged mother. Vasta spent several days screaming to be freed. The legend says Mariana took pity on her by taking her life but allowing her shackles to remain as a curse in Trench. These chains have been granted to you, glowing a faint, ominous red. When you shackle a living creature with these chains, that being will not be able to move until you or another removes the chains from their bodies. While they are chained, the sounds of a screamed woman will terrorize the being trapped, and the scent of the ocean will fill their immediate surroundings.

WELL-DONE HAMMER: A massive hammer that is made out of...a...giant chicken leg that has been cooked to perfection! You can eat it and it will taste great, sure, but it is actually a very powerful hammer that can land a seriously damaging blow. The only downside is that it smells heavenly and you will probably summon a lot more beasts using it than not...But hey, you can get in some KO shots before it's eaten, I Guess.

A WEAPON FROM HOME: You can get a powered weapon from your character's canon world - whether it is one of their own weapons or another weapon from that canon. Weapons can come in with their regular powers as long as game-breaking abilities are nerfed/able to be stopped by Pthumerian intervention.

AN ITEM FROM HOME: A general item from home whether a trinket or some clothes or a picture. Something from your character's canonical world even if it wasn't from their storyline. For example, maybe Harry got his mother's necklace or Draco's necktie. You can have characters obtain headcanon-based items as well. Like weapons, any powered items just need to be nerfed to not break the setting.

CODING

Comments

Calling Fire

[swellter]

[ The house was on fire. The ceiling was burned in patches, the blaze consuming it from above. Dark plumes of smoke escaped through the broken windows and the rest gathered at the top.

Todoroki strode through the corridor where the blaze was the hottest barely noticing the heat with his quirk. Half-hot, Half-cold. It made him the ideal candidate for search and rescue operations inside a burning building, but even his abilities had limits. The smoke was too concentrated in some areas forcing him to retreat. Despite his ability to withstand the extreme temperature, his lungs weren't made to breathe in that much smoke. ]

Is anyone there?!

[ An answering yell in the opposite direction had him whipping around and taking off at a moment's notice. ]

Where are you?!

[ He went through every door, frantic in his search. This kind of blaze could kill anyone caught in its grasp and grew worried with every passing minute. Inside a room, the shape of a person caught his eye and he blasted the area without hesitation. Ice smothered the inferno within seconds and Todoroki ran to his side. ]

Are you okay?!

[anthropophagite]

[ Kaneki's lungs were already filling up with smoke, and eventually he has to tug down his head and even crouch to the floor, hoping to get some air and to start coughing. That exact moment Todoroki shows up behind him and Kaneki barely has the chance to process who it is - have they met? No matter, he shouldn't be here ]

I'm fine! [ he says that but in fact, his skin is already burning - his shirt was on fire not so long ago, and while Kaneki managed to put it out, his arm is now exposed to more burning. ]

There is a woman, I-- I can't find her!

[swellter]

[ Todoroki crouches by his side, holding him on one side amid the ice. He checks him for serious injury and his breathe catches at the sight of burning skin. His fingers quickly go to his medical supplies tucked inside the canisters around his waist. He pulls out a bottle of salve and gets to work. Applying the burning aid even as the ice begins to melt all around them. It’s barely anything but it’s all he’s equipped to do. The only thing he can do now is get him to a hospital. ]

Can you stand?

[ He asks voice calm and proper without any of his internal turmoil bleeding through. He nods at the answer, obviously not believing him with that burn but it means he’s lucid. He’s about to ask if he can move when Kaneki brings up the other burn victim. His eyes snap to him, struggling with indecision before he finds his voice again. ]

I didn’t find anyone but you.

[ He swallows, heart palpating inside his chest for what he has to do next. ]

I—- I have to take you out first. I’ll come back for her.

[ The ice captured most of the smoke but more poured in from the hallway. They can’t stay here much longer and he’s already injured. He has to save who he can now. Yet, the idea of leaving someone behind crushes every part of him. ]

[anthropophagite]

[ the wounds aren't that important. Kaneki is a ghoul, he can heal fast and that means once he is out of the house, hne will be alright. Hopefully. ] It's alright, I-- [ he winces a little at the medicine, before he looks around. Ice- that's helpful, then they can find the woman ]

I can walk, but -[ after another cough, he shakes his head ] She has been here long! [ which means she is the priority, not Kaneki. If Ken is hurt and he is a ghoul, he can't even imagine what is happening to her ] There were more people inside too, I saw them from the window! [ he didn't find them and honestly? they were just standing there. So there is a big chance they are hurt too, although they weren't the ones screaming ]

[ but basically? kaneki isn't so sure about being saved when he came into the house to save someone. ]

[swellter]

[ His decision sways with every new piece of information. More?! ]

How many?

[ Despite himself, he looks him over, assessing him for transport. If he kept him next to him, covered in a layer of constantly generating ice, it would cool him and the blaze would need to melt the ice before it did more damage to him. ]

Okay. [ The tug and pull inside him comes to a halt within seconds; decision made. ] Do you know where they are?

[ He asks even as he covers him in a layer of ice with a touch of his hand. It's enough to keep him cool but not enough to induce hyperthermia. The temperature extremes are something he's built for but he knows it's not the same for others, so he tries not to overdo it. ]

[anthropophagite]

I don't know! [ kaneki shakes his head quickly. ] I just saw them through the window, it was as if they were just staring at us--

[ did he imagine it? to be fair, he has only heard the woman screaming, no one else. . But the more he searches the house, more the house just looks completely empty ] I have been calling for them, but no one answers... [ kaneki looks around, but eventually he points at the icea ] 

can you make water? If we could melt the ice and use it to stop the fire--

[swellter]

I tried that already.

[ As the ice melts off him, he doesn't add another layer. Instead, ice forms all around them, encapsulating the smoke. He keeps generating it while the flames increase their fervor to melt it. With every step, more ice forms ahead while the rest melts against the flames, turning to puddles and steam before the flames take over. The wood never fully burns giving the area an endless supply of water ]

I covered the place in ice when I first arrived, but the fire started up again. I don't know what if it's some kind of blood magic, but I can only smother the flames in small areas for a time. Like the room you were in.

[ He lets him stand if he can, if he can't, he'll wrap an arm behind his back to help him through the hallway. ]

We'll go through the rest of the house. See if we can find them.

[anthropophagite]

What...?

[ The fire isn't stopping, even with ice and fire? Kaneki has to wonder how that is possible, shouldn't the fire go out if someone attempted to put it out, specially with powers?

At least the smoke isn't surrounding them and that means they can indeed search for other people - for the screaming woman. Kaneki nods quickly, taking a deep breath ]

We have to hurry...! I can't hear her anymore--

[swellter]

I haven't heard anyone but you here.

[ He was methodical in his search. Todoroki hadn't heard anyone else, didn't see anyone but him enter the burning home. Uniquely suited to this environment, he followed him in because that's what a hero does - save people. He won't leave someone behind, so he continues his search.

With every step he takes, more ice forms on the wall, capturing the smoke as the blaze melts the ice behind them creating a constant rise of steam. ]

I checked the first floor already, so there's only this floor left.

[ And only three more doors up ahead. ]

[anthropophagite]

[ no one? although the woman has been screaming for so long - did Shouto not hear her?

Kaneki nods, following after the other - the heat is getting to him, but at least the ice helps with it and the smoke. Steam is much better than smoke from fire at least ]

I will check the next door - [ it's faster if each of them checks a different room. As much the ice is advantageous right now, the building is still burning and may cave in, so they have to be fast ]

[swellter]

[ He's about to oppose the proposition due to his state of injury when he finds him perfectly able to move without assistance when only moments ago he seemed in need of immediate care. Maybe he heals fast. Kizu provides, but neither believe it. For now, they let it go to focus on what matters.

While Kaneki checks the door on the right, he goes for the one a few paces ahead on the left. The handle is piping hot but he barely notices, his body adapting to the temperature difference with ease. He shoves the door open and snuffs out the flames with another blast of ice leaving nothing but smoke trapped in crystalline. Empty. He steps out, closes the door behind him, and checks on Kaneki unwilling to lose him. ]

[anthropophagite]

[ kaneki does indeed heal fast. Extremely fast since he was able to eat some dead bodies while he walked through the catacombs, thus he has enough energy to do that. But he also is way more worried about the screaming woman than his own burns, since he knows he is a ghoul. He can handle it.

he easily breaks the door open,m the fire almost reaching for his face as it suddenly burst out of that room. It's close enough that Kaneki is forced to pull out the eyepatch covering his left eye before it starts burning - but at least it makes it clear that room isb't salvageable. ]

No-- are you in there?! [ he screams back inside the room, thinking if he should go in. The whole place is in flames, even if there was someone there they would probably... be dead.

He quickly turns to look back at Shouto ] I don't--- I don't think she could be here!

[swellter]

[ Used to emergency response, he meets that stuttered plea with a grim look already dreading the outcome. ]

She's not in there.

[ He moves to shut the door, sealing his words, and preventing Kaneki from going in again. He won't lose him. ]

I'll send my omen to search for her while we head out. If she finds anyone, I'll bring them back.

[ On cue, a golden stream of light bursts from his chest, and a snow leopard covered in black spots hits the ground running, disappearing into the flames in a shimmer of golden light. ]

Let's go.

[anthropophagite]

[ If she is not in there, then where is she? kaneki is NOT used to emergency response, and that means he feels pretty lost on what to do next. The door closes and Kaneki almost reaches for it, but stops before he actually touches it since he had already agreed there is no way the woman could be in there (alive).

Kaneki looks back at Todoroki, before he nods slowly. The snow leopard is a surprise - he barely uses his omen, after all - but there it goes. Is it really okay for it to just go like that? Won't it get hurt...? ]

Alright- let's go then- [ although it's clear kaneki isn't 100% sold on that idea ]

[swellter]

[ Sold or not, he's taking him, even if he has to freeze him in place and send the ice flying out. They've been in the burning building far longer than a human can take. ]

This way.

[ He blasts open another door freezing the room instantly with a sharp stomp of his foot. This one has a window that he breaks with his ice before forming a crystalline slide leading away from the burning house just beneath it. ]

You go first.

[anthropophagite]

[ but Kaneki isn't a human. Shouldn't he be using that to at least do good? To at least fix things? That's what he told himself, that he would try to help if he can, and in this case he does think he can.

But Shouto seems set on letting kaneki go on. With both of them in front of the window, kaneki actually looks back at the house once again, before he looks back at the other.

Alright-


...alright. Kaneki sighs and finally nods, eventually jumping out of the window as told. And even though kaneki was inside the house long, somehow there will be no wounds left on his body, as if nothing had happened. But honestly Kaneki isn't worried about that, and instead he just stares back at the house on fire, feeling guilt taking over.

He just left her there... ]

[swellter]

[ Todoroki follows after him, navigating the ice with expert ease. He keeps an eye on him until he's deposited at the base of the ice away from the burning home.

Kizu?

An image of emptiness flows through their bond. No one. If Kaneki had seen someone there, they were long gone. Todoroki had to stick with the one he could save, so with a heavy heart, he recalls his omen before hitting the ground next to his companion. ]

... There was no one left to save.

[anthropophagite]

[ kaneki is looking back at the house, feeling his throat tight, almost like he can't breathe. This is awful and it feels awful, and when he hears Todoroki, he feels a sorrow he can't explain. He was certain he could help -  he is no good at this, he is no hero, but he could at least have saved her, no? He should be able to do this much.

He nods softly, though ] Thank you...

is... your omen okay? [ he doesn't know a lot about omens, and doesn't know if they can get hurt or not ]

[swellter]

[ He watches Kaneki look back at the house with a forlorn look and remembers how he found him in that room still searching for survivors. How long did he look for them? ]

... It's not your fault.

[ You can't save everyone. His teacher back in UA would always say. So, focus on those you can. ]

She's fine. Fire can't hurt her. [ Speaking of which. ] Can I check your injuries?

[ He asks, eyes sweeping over him in search of any small cuts or bruises. ]

[anthropophagite]

[ for far too long. And in the end, it was useless.

And Todoroki might say it's not his fault, but it's his own weakness. Kaneki is aware of that and takes it to heart, to the point that he doesn't think much over the answer to the other's question ]

They are gone, I don't get hurt. [ he says that still staring at the house in flames. Actually, he does get hurt, but his owns heal fast, so it doesn't matter does it?

But Kaneki realizes his answer and realizes he gave away a bit about himself he probably shouldn't have, and that causes him to finally snap out of it and look back at Todoroki ]

Ah- it's--- just something that happens. [ wow. Amazing, he is great at lying ]

[swellter]

... Gone?

[ His brows crease. ] Is that your quirk?[ A nudge from his omen. ] I mean, is that your power?

[ Like Recovery Girl? ]

[anthropophagite]

[ Quirk? He heard that word before. And now that he thinks about it, the voice is familiar too. That's right, he has heard Todoroki's voice before, hasn't he? Over the network, the person named "Shouto".

Slowly Kaneki snaps out of his disheartened state, specially because he kiiind of might have given away something he probably shouldn't have. He told the other he doesn't have powers, after all ]

Oh- uhm, I guess it's the blood thing? [ why did he say it's the blood thing? Kaneki does not know enough about the blood thing to know if his lood can do a thing like that at all!

But he is nervous, he realizes that now. ]

So you don't have to worry- [ please don't worry. Kaneki is terrible at lying.]

[swellter]

[ The pieces are there for anyone to put together, yet this dense idiot fails to grasp the obvious. Kaneki, you're a terrible liar, but - fire meet gasoline - he's clueless too. ]

... A Blood Minister?

[ The ones from the Lumenarium. The center of healing.

They manipulate blood in ways he still doesn't grasp to heal the corrupt. Healing others is a noble pursuit, which explains why he was so adamant to find the people inside. It all falls into place. No! No, it doesn't...! His obvious lack of experience with rescue operations. How he was virtually unharmed when he found him. Was he healing himself the whole time? To give him time to find the people trapped inside? No wonder he was out of it. After all that and he still couldn't save them.

His heart swells with sympathy. ]

... I'll escort you back.

[ It's the least he can do for someone who's dedicated their life to helping others in the purest form. ]

[anthropophagite]

[ shouto what the hell

how did you come to that conclusion, of ALL the conclusions you could come to?

But kaneki can not read minds and he is just glad the subject is dropped. He is not a blood minister but he has been offering his blood to them to heal others against corruption, so he figures that's what the other meant? naturally he has no clue Shouto believes he is some sort of healer, but those words aren't spoken so he just says nothing and nods softly ]

Alright... uhm- do you know where to go? [ honestly? Kaneki has just been wandering around the catacombs and that's how he found the house. He doesn't actually know where to go next ]

[swellter]

[ He's a special kind of dense... ]

No, but we can find out way together.

[ Come along little duckling. At least, he's not useless in this situation. He's got a good head on his shoulder and the physical training to back up any play. ]

Let's go this way.

[ And down the corridor he'll lead him, avoiding obvious traps or facing them head one. Either way, he gets them through to the end, never once losing track of him until they find their way out of the catacombs. ]