kaisou | March Event Log

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March Event Log

March Event
Dominant Element: Wind
Waning Element: Earth

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It's as they say, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. The early part of March will be blistery and cold, with strong winds and chilly nights. But as the month goes on, the weather will slowly warm and the snow will melt. By the end of the month, it's well into the early spring and the plants already begin to green up once more.

First Signs of Green

With Valentine's over and done with, there's only one thing that everyone's looking forward to, and that's the arrival of spring. Shops in town are stocking themselves up with new outfits for spring and outdoor furniture. The garden shops are stocks with flower seeds and spring vegetables, preparing for the warm weather to finally come rolling in. Many restaurants will be having a special on Bara Brith (malt loaf) and Cawl (lamb stew), in honor of St. David's day earlier in the month as it's trendy this year. On warmer days, people will be finding just about any excuse to be outside and the streets will be busy with people. Enjoy some much needed sunlight everyone!

For adults looking for activities to do, with the upcoming St. Paddy's day, plenty of bars are doing their own promotional celebrations. Most of these are the standard kind of fanfare, where you get a discount if you wear green or there's beer that's been dyed green. Though there's a few quirkier promotions, such as the Deathmatch bar offering free beer for everyone until someone uses the bathroom. Work together to hold the line and your bladders.

Gacha Day

Throughout the month, there's talk in Undertown about being on the lookout for good fortune. On the surface it sounds like the usual fanfare you hear from gossip - someone reblogged a lucky cat photo and came upon some money. Or someone found a four leaf clover and won the grand prize in the raffle. It's easy enough for the more skeptical to dismiss. However for those who are on the look out for lucky signs may find themselves also being blessed by good fortune. A brand new TV will appear in their house, or they'll befriend a new animal friend, or they'll discover they have a new ability. There's no rhyme or reason for what good luck will befall you, but these lucky occurrences seem to have shortly after seeing an omen of good luck. And granted...some of these occurrences might be hard to perceive as lucky. Some may even be downright cursed.

Still! Maybe it's time to keep a closer eye on any patches of clovers you come across, huh?

The Dulahan

The night of March 15th is an usually foggy night. There's an eerie stillness to the world, and the wind that blows with an unnatural chill. Even the normal citizens in town feel a sense of unease, as people rush to get home. As for those more sensitive, you can't help but get a feeling of dread in your stomach. Animals too may seem unsettled, not unlike when they sense an earthquake.

It's late in the night when he shows himself, long after the streets have grown quiet. A horseman riding a horse as black as night, with his own head missing from atop his shoulders. One hand holds onto the reins of his horse, while the other carries the severed head of a woman. He trots through the misty streets of Kaisou, occasionally pausing in front of a place of residences and pointing towards those who dwell inside, before continuing on his way. If you attempt to confront him in the street, he will disappear in a sea of mist and reappear further down the road, focused on his task. Repeated attempts to confront him will eventually enough irritation that he'll pull out a whip made from human spines. Being hit by this whip will render them unconscious until morning.

It's not clear until morning what the Dulahan was after, but when the first rays of morning come through, the horror will sink in. Every person that the Dulahan singled out? Is now missing from the city - whisked away into the Spirit Realm.

New Gate: Tír na nóg

The following morning, March 16th, a new message from Zodiac is sent out

ALERT: SHIFTING GATE IDENTIFIED IN BRICK ALLEY.
Element Classification: Unknown
Danger Level: S
Designation: Tír na nóg
ALERT! A highly dangerous gate has been discovered in Brick Alley. It's already been linked to disappearances across the city. Zodiac is currently investigating but we ask all available people to help investigate and recover the missing people. Please visit the Zodiac office for any supplies. Use caution when engaging with denizens in the realm.

Going to the Zodiac Office, you will find that it's a lot busier than normal. Several Zodiac employees are coming in and out, talking and using tech as they try to sort out the scale of what they're dealing with. Professor Willow is there too, there to help with consultation. According to him, it's a Dulahan that was spotted last night- though his own information is limited to what's known in popular myths. His specialty is more on animals found within the spirit realm, not mythological figures. Notably, it seems he's managed to befriend a Meltan from last month's gate.

Zodiac will supply weapons made from iron, as well as packs of food. If you press them for more information, they will suggest not to give your name or consume any food while within the spirit gate. If you need motivation than saving your friends to help, Zodiac is more than willing to pay you for your services. As for the location of the spirit gate, they will mention that it might be a little hard to spot this time, so keep your eyes peeled!

Hard to spot will turn out to be an apt description. When they arrive in Brick Alley, there's no obvious standing tall gate as there were the previous two months. Instead, they will have to search around until they find a circle of mushrooms that have popped up on a patch of grass. These mushrooms are impervious to harm, and you'll have to stand in the center of them if you want to enter the realm. It'll take a moment or two to activate, leaving you feel a little awkward as normal people pass by and stare at you standing in a circle of mushrooms, but hold fast, because soon you'll find yourself warped into another realm.

The landscape of Tír na nóg is beautiful, looking like it came out of the pages of a fairy tale. Golden sunlight washes over lush meadows and forests ahead of you. Behind you, are tall rocky cliffs that drop down into the raging sea below. In the distance, there is a castle that stands on higher cliffs and looks like the only place of civilization in this realm. If there's any spot where the kidnapped folks are being held, it's there. You must travel through a long winding path through the forest in order to reach it. The forest is full of wildlife that's more like Earth's, but you can't but get that feeling that you're being watched. You better hope that you ate before you left or brought food of your own, because the trek takes long enough that the unprepared may find themselves feeling famished by the time they make it to the castle.

When they reach the castle, they will find the place guarded by several Fae guards along with a couple mythical beasts. They will allow entry, but only if they leave behind any iron they have on their person. If you agree to do so, they will be rather welcoming, offering refreshments for any weary travelers. Curiously, if you inquire about the other people that were brought here, the fae will seem to be of the belief that the people they're talking about have been guests at the castle longer than they've been missing, by several days in fact. What in the world is going on?

As for those who act with more hostility, well: prepare for a fight. The fae would prefer to talk things out, but they aren't afraid throw down arms when faced with violence. What more, they wield much stronger magic than anything the characters currently have. Don't be surprised to see yourself be turned into a small animal for your troubles. Only apologizing to the fae or leaving the spirit realm will reverse the effects.

Waking up at the Castle

Those who were kidnapped by the Dulahan will wake up to find themselves in much nicer accommodations than you'd expect for being kidnapped. You wake up in your own personal guestroom in soft beds. Fae attendants will come in to check on your needs, checking if everything is to your liking while any requests to go home seem to fall on deaf ears. While this place is much more medieval in terms of technology, they seem determined to make your stay as comfortable as possible. You are even allowed to leave your rooms to wander the halls to see others in their guest rooms, though for a least the first morning they block you from leaving the guest wing. It should also be noted that anything made of iron has been removed from your person.

At midday on that first day, the kidnapped characters will be invited down to the main hall of the castle for a grand feast. Any type of food you could possibly desire, as well as foods you've never heard of, are laid across the giant banquet table. The fae are friendly and more than curious to learn about their new "guests", asking personal questions and encouraging them to eat up. The fae themselves come in all shapes and sizes. Some look like classic fairies while others more otherworldly appearance. It's only when they've made sure enough of their new guests have eaten and shared their names do the head of the fae announce their reason for bringing you to their realm: they could sense something special about you, and have decided to have you joined the fae. It's been a long time since they've had anyone bolster their ranks after all.

After this announcement, the fae will allow the guests to travel where they wish. You can explore the realm or spend time with the fae as you like. However if anyone who ate the food or gave their name will find that even if they reach the gate, they won't be able to use it to get back to Kaisou. For now, you're stuck in the spirit realm.

Life among the Fae

One thing will become obvious when the kidnapped meet up with their would-be rescuers: time flows differently in this realm. A single day in Kaisou is several days in Tír na nóg. By the time the would-be rescuers have found the people they were looking for, several days have passed - more than enough time for the kidnapped to explore and experience this realm on their own. The fae themselves aren't too concerned about the new arrivals, and will treat them as guests as well. It's not like they have a way to ESCAPE after all. Though just like those kidnapped- any who share their name or eat the food will also find themselves stuck in the spirit realm. Whoops.

The fae are friendly and playful race. While they rarely give a straight answer, they enjoy playing games and hearing stories about places outside the realm. Some of their games include riddles, fishing, or playing with balls made of sheer gold. However, their good nature will quickly sour if you do anything to cross them. Attempting to cheat, steal, or honestly any perceived slight against them may result in you getting cursed with magic. This magic will either turn you partly or fully into an animal, depending on the severity of their rage. Though at the same time, getting endearing yourself too much to the fae may also end in your body getting changed, with them deciding to "bless you" by granting you fae-like features.

It's not just the fae you need to be wary of. A popular dish among the court is called the "Fish of Knowledge". It's a type of salmon that admittedly tastes extremely good. However anyone who consumes it will find it having an effect on their memories. AU characters may find all their AU memories getting swapped for the memories of their canon counterpart, now even more lost and confused to what's going on here. Otherwise, characters from other worlds (and any AU characters that rather go this route) will find themselves becoming an expert in a random field of study. Never went to medical school? Doesn't matter, you now have a PhD worth of medical knowledge in your head, or any other subject that you feel apt.

The Rescue

As much as the Fae want to keep their new friends, it's not like you guys can actually stay forever. Eventually, they'll be able to strike a deal with the leaders of the Fae. If they can retrieve the head that the Dulahan carries and bring it to Gwenffrwd well atop the mountain (there's murmurings among the court whether it's ACTUALLY a mountain, this seems to be a contentious opinion), everyone will be allowed to leave the realm. They'll even be nice enough to give back your iron weapons for this quest -- once you leave the castle grounds, that is.

Finding the Dulahan will take some work, as he wanders the bogs of Tír na nóg. These bogs are treacherous, where taking the wrong step could lead you to fall under the murky waters. No matter the time of day, it's dark and gloomy in these spots. Will-o'-the-wisps appear as lights floating over the bog, intent on leading people off the path. Undead skeletons are also found in these bogs, and they are more than happy to try to get you to join their undead horde. When you do finally find the Dulahan, you'll have to be careful to make sure he doesn't run off before you can grab that head. Not only that, but his power is stronger now that he's in the Spirit Realm, meaning his attacks might do more than just knock you out for awhile. Teamwork is likely your best option here.

Once you have retrieved the severed head (which is the real severed head of a woman, wonderful), it's time to go up the mountain(?)! Away from the bog, the path up the mountain(?) is winding but straightforward, but it'll turn out about three-fourths up the mountain there is one teensy little detail the fae left out. And that detail being that the path to the well is being guarded by a large, fire breathing, red dragon. It seems some fae have even gathered around to spectate the whole encounter, because who are they to turn down free entertainment?

Good luck guys!

If you manage to find a way past the dragon, then the rest of the trip to the well is pretty straightforward. Drop the head into the waters of the well, and there'll be a glow of magic. All characters, regardless of if they ate the fae food, will be allowed to come and go from this realm as they wish.

Aftermath

While for those trapped in the realm, it'll feel like they were there for a month -- once they return to Kaisou they will find they were only gone for 1 IC week (the 15th to the 22nd). You're welcome to deal with the consequences with work or school that'd happen for being missing for a week, though if you rather not then you'll find that Zodiac stepped in and was able to give believable excuses for your absences. It's uh, a little unnerving how good they are at handling explaining people disappearing, honestly

Any knowledge or memories that your character gained from eating the fish will disappear, becoming fuzzier and fuzzier until it's hard to recall anything they learned. As for any animal/fae features they received from Fae magic, it is optional whether or not they will stick around for any amount of time.

For the rest of the month, characters are allowed to come and go into Tír na nóg as they wish. The fae will be sad that you won't be staying with them forever, but they are still happy for your company. With the crisis averted, Zodiac will once again offer paid incentives to bring back items from the realm. Those gold balls in particular are of interest to them, but don't let the fae catch you thieving. And per usual, there'll be penalties for anyone who doesn't return the items that Zodiac loaned out.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is wind! Anyone with an affinity to the wind element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for earth will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

Memories gained by eating the fish will not remain, but characters are welcome to retain any animal features. If they were turned fully into an animal, they'll find they are now able to shift between human and animal form. Nice! (EDIT: Details on the feature have been elaborated on here.)

Any fights or interactions with NPCs will be handled by the players! Feel free to thread out things however you'd like! If you have any questions, please ask them on the plot questions thread below! The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

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[Mirabel unfortunately, doesn't take into account how weird this must be. He didn't see her before she got cursed. If she wasn't so relieved to see him - to be alive to see him - she might be more mindful, more... ashamed, of her body.

Mirabel looks back at her sister, and then nudges her head to come over to them.]

Luisa protected me. We're not hurt... [Anymore.] but it was pretty shaky for a while.

[Mirabel doesn't want to get into the details beyond that. Bruno doesn't deserve that. He already looks worried enough.]

[ Luisa still hesitates for a moment. She shouldn't...she'd failed so badly and had gotten them both - she doesn't deserve to...

But Mirabel beckons her over, and with a sigh she steps closer, a shudder passing through her body as she pulls them both into her arms. ]

...It...probably looks worse than it actually is.

[ Which is at least...partially true. While they were still covered in the evidence of the struggle, any wounds they had suffered had already healed. Anyone really looking them over wouldn't find more than maybe some scratches on them.

And, given everything, they were technically doing much better now than they had been earlier. ]

Of course, she did. [Because protecting people was what Luisa did best.] Was anyone there to protect you Luisa?

[He knows the answer to that. He returns all the hugs, but his worry is only growing more and more. Something isn't right. He expected more injuries, but there's none really and Mirabel is covered in fur and he knows he's missing out on a lot here.

It's not a feeling he's used to, and he doesn't care for it at all. ]

It doesn't look as bad as I'd expect for people who fought a dragon.

[Its very peculiar that neither one of them seem to have any scratches or injuries of any kind.

At Bruno’s question, Mirabel feels an ache of guilt running through her. No, she didn’t have anyone protecting her…]

Actually she would’ve been fine if I haven’t… if I… I um… was the reason we ran into trouble in the first place.

[She’ll take all the fault so Luisa doesn’t have to. As for his second comment… she doesn’t say anything. She’s not sure if she can say anything without outright lying to him.]

[ Luisa hesitated as well. In truth, it had been Mirabel looking out for her. She might not be alive if it hadn't been for her.

So when Mirabel says that, she frowns and tightens her hold around her slightly. ]

That's not - It wasn't your fault.

Mirabel found me while I was fighting the dragon. [ Which she never should have done in the first place. If she hadn't, then Mirabel would've had no reason to be out there.

It's the only explanation she provides, though she knows it doesn't address his confusion. She doesn't have an answer for that, other than the truth that they were both afraid to tell. ]

Edited 2022-03-11 22:03 (UTC)

[Bruno lets out a soft, unhappy noise. He checks Luisa over again, just in case she was hurt and he somehow missed it. But there's nothing here, not really. ]

Ay, Luisa, why were you fighting a dragon?

[That is not a safe thing to be doing, young lady!!! They've talked about taking it easy!]

Okay, okay, so you were fighting a dragon and Mirabel you found her fighting a dragon and now...I uh, I hate to address the elephant in the room but now Mirabel is furry?

[It was her fault. If she hadn't distracted Luisa, Luisa would've been okay. Plain and simple.

Mirabel lets go of the hug pile, staggering a bit. Without thinking, she grabs Luisa's arm to stay upright. She doesn't get it. She doesn't get why she's so tired. Was it the possession? Did it... do this to her?

She doesn't have an answers, but she can answer his last question.]

I... made a fae mad, and got cursed. Now I'm stuck looking like this. And I can't. Figure out how to do undo it.

[ Luisa reaches out her free hand to help steady Mirabel, a look of worry crossing her face as she briefly glances towards Bruno. ]

Maybe we should...let Mira get some rest first.

[ She can't help wondering a bit herself about why her sister seems so exhausted, but it would be best to take care of that first.

And if Bruno's question about the dragon gets forgotten...well, she won't bring it up again. ]

[This is all terrifying. He knew things were bad when the girls went missing, but this? This is worse than he could have ever imagined. Guilt plunges into his chest like a dagger again. He really should have been able to stop this. What sort of seer is he if he can't even keep his own nieces safe? ]

Okay. Okay, let's get you both back home to rest. Maybe you mamá can figure something out to help.

[Though he feels curses are probably our of Julieta's remit. ]

We'll- we'll get this right.

[Honestly? It's terrifying to her too. She doesn't want to stuck like this. She doesn't want to look like some half-animal, half-human freak. She tried to change back, it only made it worse.]

We can go home now? Is mamá okay?

[It's been a really, really long week. She feels like she's been here a whole month.]

I'm fine, I just - I took a wrong step-

[She tries to straighten herself out. Letting go of Luisa, determined to walk on her own...

And then the room starts spinning. And she starts to go down again.]

[ She catches Mirabel with a surprised sound, keeping her sister upright. ]

Hang on...I've got you, sis.

[ And she'll scoop Mirabel back up into her arms, carrying her as she turns to Bruno. ]

Do you know where Mamá is?

[He's still watching them, his concern evident and going absolutely nowhere. He startles as Mirabel starts to fall- reaching out even if there's no way he's big or strong enough to successfully catch her. Luckily, Luisa is there. ]

I...we lost track of each other. I ended up in the swamp with...the angry kid with the mask. I'm really hoping she got back to the city.

[And she's scooped up! Not terribly happy about it, but it is what it is.]

I haven't seen her either... maybe Camilo helped her get back?

[It's a little concerning to hear her uncle was in the swamp with everything that was going on, but it's not like she can talk.]

Angry kid with a mask?

[ Luisa could only hope Julieta and Camilo were both safe. But the mention of the swamp has her frowning a little. ]

The swamp...? You mean where the Dulahan was?

I really hope so. We all need to be able where it's safe.

[He wants to get the family out of this horrible, horrible place back to Casita where they have half a chance to recoup and heal.]

Hmmm- and uh- the Golden Guard kid. We ended up dealing with the guy without a head on a horse and I got the lady's head in my bucket and hucked it down the well.

[That obviously explains everything. ]

I'd like to go home, for real.

[Mirabel pauses, looks at Luisa with wide eyes, and then tries to awkwardly look at Bruno from her position in Luisa's arms.]

... You took on the headless man on a horse?!

[Should she be impressed? Worried?? Both maybe???]

[ Luisa takes in a breath. ] You were able to get the head?

[ If he had gotten the head, then at least her taking on the dragon hadn't been entirely for nothing. ]

...are you okay, Tío Bruno?

[ Because that did still sound like...a lot, especially for him. ]

Oh, no-no. The Golden Guard kid took on the headless horseman. I just...got the head where it needed to be.

[Oh, Luisa, Tío Bruno is NEVER okay. He laughs, it's not a good laugh. Not a ha-ha sort of laugh. ]

Not even a little bit!

Were you… trying to save us?

[That had been the plan, right? Take on the Duluhan, and they kidnapped could go home. Mirabel had heard that much.

If so… thank you, tio.]

I think we could all use a really long nap after this.

[Even though she doesn’t think sleep is going to come easily to any of them.]

So that means you were able to get the head to the well?

[ If so, that means that she had managed to distract the dragon after all. So she at least had managed to do something.

She just wishes Mirabel hadn't had to pay for it as well. ]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind resting a while after all this.

[ A long, long while. ]

Uh...yeah?! [He says that like it's the most insane question to ever ask him. It's like asking him if water is wet.] Why wouldn't we try to recuse you? We were worried.

[Children, please.]

Yeah, we managed that. And now that's all...super done and we should go home. And rest up and...try to figure out how to deal with-

[A pause. He means Mirabel's whole dog thing.]

Well. Fallout.

... Thank you. For the cool heroic rescue, tio. And for protecting me, Luisa.

[She doesn't think he wouldn't try to rescue her, but the fact that he did means a lot anyway. Same with Luisa - even if it didn't work out, she would've been much worse off without her. She closes her eyes for a moment, tempted to let exhaustion take her, but she fights it off.]

I've got a really great family...

[At the mention of fallout... well, she knows she's a dog now. And that her and Luisa tangled with a dragon. She's not sure if they should say anything about the dragon.]

I don't know how I'm gonna explain how I look to mamá... or... anyone. Resting sounds nice, though.

Edited 2022-03-28 23:32 (UTC)

[ Luisa can't help a small sigh of relief. They had gotten to the well, and from the sounds of it they hadn't run into the dragon themselves. So she had done at least one thing right.

At the cost of several others going wrong.

Glancing down at Mirabel, she manages a faint smile. ] We'll worry about all that later. Rest first.

Ha-ha, I don't know about cool, it didn't feel cool. More screaming panic than cool.

[It was a terrible time. Still, now they have something to move forward from and that's...something.]

We'll uh- we'll figure that out once we get back.

[She doesn’t want her mom to panic - heck, she’s not really sure how she can face any of them right now. But that’s a future Mirabel problem, she supposes..

She can’t think anymore. With a sigh, she nods at Luisa and… closes her eyes, drifting off and letting the exhaustion take her.]

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March Event Log

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