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kaisou2024-10-03 12:36 pm
October Event Log
October Event
Dominant Element: Earth
Waning Element: Water
Full Moon: 16th - 18th October
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The fall weather continues as October begins. The wind dies down, and Kaisou's weather is perfect for the fall; the air is crisp and cool, and the trees are dressed in brilliant autumn hues. As they fall, they leave you with perfect crunchy leaves to kick through. The weather is cooler, but you can still go out with only a light jacket- though the promise of much colder weather is just around the corner.
As Autumn Colours FallGetting into the Halloween spirit, Kaisou's streets are lined with pumpkins and all manner of spooky decorations. On Halloween night itself, children and children at heart can be found running around in costumes from door-to-door with their treat buckets, tick-or-treating. Best be sure you have plenty of candy to give out, lest you want your home to be TP-D in retaliation. There's more than just the night itself, of course. The city has plenty of parties throughout the month- for both adults and children alike. The movie theatre is showing a marathon of scary movies and naturally, a Spirit Halloween pops up in the city only to vanish again as the month ends.
Blue Fish Park has a "horror walk" set up. The winding pathways lead off into various knock-off horror movie sets- with volunteers dressed up in matching costumes to leap out and frighten people as they pass. The Kitsune, as usual, have one of their scams going- this time shilling out "bottomless treat buckets". The buckets sure do not seem to have a bottom, as you can pour endless amounts of candy into them... but you also can't get any of the candy out again. Where does it go? Who knows.
As is always the case in October, the barrier between the supernatural and the normal parts of Kaisou is at its thinnest. This means that normal NPCs are able to perceive supernatural things for what they are as they have in years prior. If you look inhuman, they can now absolutely see you as such- instead of someone wearing a strange costume. They'll see you casting magic and will have plenty of questions about your... everything. It might start to get annoying after a while- might be best to avoid the general populace if you can't hide your strangeness- unless you want to be grilled for a good long while by randos on the street.
Where Timeless Spirits MeetYou'll hear of a commotion in Kami State Park, and should you choose to investigate it, you will find yourself in the heart of what looks like a harvest celebration. All around are people seemingly made from carved pumpkins. They have with them carts pulled by giant turkeys- which are filled with more pumpkins. While the pumpkin people look pretty unnerving, they seem to be here to have a good time. They can be found singing, dancing around a maypole, bobbing for apples (catching them in their carved eye-sockets in their pumpkin heads)- all the sorts of things you would expect from flesh-and-blood people enjoying a harvest celebration.
They don't seem that bothered by you at first if you gatecrash their celebrations. They just address anyone (except, for some reason, Gravelord Nito) with confusion - asking you if you're not a little "too early" to be joining them. That's... kind of weird, but probably nothing to be worried about. Eventually, a pumpkin towering several feet above all with vine-like tendrils catches you in his gaze. He introduces himself as Enoch- the leader of this little group. He explains that they celebrate their harvest every year, but this time they have decided to drop by Kaisou to "catch up with some old family". Enoch isn't super happy that outsiders have encroached on their celebrations, but agrees you can stay if you help.
"Helping" turns out to be driving the turkeys carts around and harvesting various foods you might forage from the park. Finally, Enoch finds a secluded place and asks you to start digging. Specifically, he asks you to dig 8 foot long by 2 feet wide. Perhaps partway through your digging, you realize this sounds like the dimensions for burying a person and the worry you might be digging your own damn grave for wandering into some weird pumpkin cult's party might start to eat at you. It probably isn't helped when your shovel strikes something hard. On further inspection, you realize you have dug up a skeleton. While you might choose to scream about this- or at the very least get out of the damn hole- you'll find the skeleton gets up out of the grave with you. The pumpkin people cheer - passing over some pumpkins for the skeleton to gleefully dive into. Turns out they really weren't kidding when they thought you were "too early" to join them- this turns out to be a community of living skeletons - happily donning gourds to celebrate the season. Enoch is happy for you to join in with the rest of the partying, though no one would judge you for making a quick exit after all that.
All That Was Lost is RevealedALERT: SPIRIT REALM ANOMALY DETECTED
Element Classification: Earth
Danger Level: Medium
Designation: The Unknown
Zodiac has detected a Spirit Gate at Blue Fish Lake. There is a concerning matter we would like to request your help with. Please visit the Zodiac offices for more information.
Zodiac have decorated their offices for Halloween like the rest of the city, but the workers within are looking deeply worried as they bustle around. There's no normal holiday spirit within these walls. At first, you might think this is simply due to the extra workload they have from the normies being able to perceive so much, but as you're led further into the building to be briefed, you learn this is much worse.
The Professor (Barbie) will tell you that a spirit gate appeared under the water in Blue Fish Park. Unlike so many times, there was no contact from within the gate for help, so they sent some Zodiac members into it to find out what was happening. They have not returned in the time allotted, however, and all contact attempts have failed. They're worried, and would like to find them- though she does understand they are going into what is, quite literally "The Unknown". She explains all Zodiac can gather from this realm is that is named The Unknown and it appears to be a realm with no barriers at all protecting the natural from the supernatural. She understands that you going into here might mean you are as trapped and lost as the Zodiac employees who went in first- but if the realm closes and moves on with them inside, they may be lost forever.
Should you agree to help Zodiac with this, you won't even need breathing apparatus- it's not that deep, you can even see the faint, white glow of the Gate under the water. Prepare yourself as best you can and it won't take long for you to swim towards the gate at all. You will be enveloped in that warm, white glow just for a moment- and then everything goes dark.
The Loveliest Lies of AllThe next thing you know, you're walking in deep, deep woodland. You're bone dry as if you hadn't just taken a swim at all. It takes a few moments for you to get your bearings and remember you entered through a Spirit Gate. Turn around to look behind you and there are just more woods. You can try and retrace your steps, but all you will find are more trees. You start to realise why the Zodiac employees never got back to Kaisou. It seems the Gate has completely vanished. Your communication devices, should you try to reach beyond The Unknown are completely incapable of working. If you're fortunate enough to have telepathy, you can try and send a message out- but anything that gets through to the other side is crackly, every other word lost- like radio static. Attempts to teleport out will only dump you further into the woods, and a Homeward Compass or other such magical navigation items seem to lead you to nothing. It appears this realm (or something IN it) doesn't want you to leave. All you can do is move steadily onward, hoping you'll find some sort of answer and a way back.
The Unknown isn't just spooky woods, thankfully- though the woods still swallow up the vast majority of the realm. You can find little towns and rolling farmlands on your journey. You will notice there is an unusual mixture of beings here. You can find plenty of humans, you may also find all manner of animals, both normal-looking and anthropomorthic. You may get even stranger denizens, like literal vegetable people. Everyone interacts and lives amongst each other just fine. But none can really point you the way out of The Unknown. One strange constant are little black turtles. If you touch them, they feel sticky, like tar. They don't seem to be causing any harm, and they don't speak. They just wander along on their little turtle way.
On your journey, you will wander into Zodiac members throughout The Unknown- all in various states of confusion or annoyance, depending on what nonsense they've been dragged into by the residents of The Unknown- and oh boy, you'd best be ready to be drawn into some nonsense yourself. There is a school run by a human teacher passing on knowledge to her animal students- some poor Zodiac members have been dragged into class too, and look pretty miserable about the ordeal. This is weird enough, but she'll start waxing poetic about her lost love who left her which is frankly, a little much to be dumping on seemingly young minds. Not only will you learn that the teacher is extremely down bad for her ex, but her father is threatening the school and there's a wild gorilla on the loose!! Confusing as it is, no one from within The Unknown are treating it as such. At the end of the day, she will ask you to play at a benefit concert from the school- the money raised is enough to save it (wow that probably was solved so quickly, what is this school funding?) - the benefit concert is attacked by the aforementioned gorilla, but it takes almost no effort at all to fight him because he's... literally a man in a suit. Turns out this was the teacher's lost love who got stuck in a gorilla costume- having got a job in the circus to buy her a wedding ring. As you move on, you start to realize this world is going to be a lot weirder than you're used to.
You'll have a few oddball adventures like that. From visiting a tavern where people label you for what they perceive as your "job"- such as a candlestick maker or a soldier, to visiting two lonely, eccentric billionaires living in a mansion so big they think one another are ghosts- may even meet the the talking horse that wants to steal from them both. Mostly solving their problems involves simply giving them what they want or encouraging them to spend time together- very little of it seems to make sense, and absolutely none of them can help you find your way home. At least you come across plenty of Zodiac workers on your travels, equally pulled into this nonsense.
The WoodsmanAs night draws the shadows of the woods ever closer, you hear the sound of the chopping of wood. Should you choose to investigate, you will find an old man, chopping down some of the spindly trees that make up the woods. Attached to his belt is an old oil lantern, burning bright in the darkness. The trees he's cutting appear to have faces etched on them, that hold a sickly-looking black sap inside them- trees definitely shouldn't be leaking that, but he seems unbothered by it.
Inevitably, he eventually spots you and is clearly unhappy about you being here. He explains that anyone who wanders into The Uknown does not find their way back and you have all but doomed yourself by stepping foot into this place. Just the sort of optimistic point of view you wanted, really! It gets worse, though- he explains "The Beast" stalks the woods of The Unknown and you ought to be wary of him. If you ask him to elaborate, he will just tell you The Beast is "the death of hope" and leaves it at that. On top of that, he explains he needs the heart of the creepily-faced Edelwood trees to fuel his lantern- which he stresses must be kept lit at all times. The lantern is his own literal torch to burn, his cross to bear and as such he is very unwilling to accept help in harvesting the trees- but he won't stop you from helping carry them for him- he's an old man, after all. His back isn't what it used to be.
Once he has enough wood, he will lead you to an old water mill. He'll light you a fire to keep you warm, telling you that you can spend the night here, as he heads into the milling room proper. There, he can be found grinding the Edelwood branches into oil. It seems like you have a nice (if unsettling) setup until morning. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple. Only a few hours after settling in, an enormous creature with tar seeping out of its skin and glowing eyes bursts into the mill on the attack. The Woodsman gets knocked out in the fray, and it's up to you to try and fight the damn thing off. No matter what attacks you land, nothing seems to bother the creature- maybe this is the dreaded "Beast" he was talking about? The battle is a rough one, the creature is huge and destroys the mill in the process- bursting through walls and crashing into cogs and gears. As you battle, you eventually get it outside, where it gets trapped in the waterwheel. He gasps and gags- before spitting out one of those little black turtles, sinking into the water. Moments later it reemerges - as a basic-ass dog. It's quite happy to get lots of head scritches and belly rubs now! The Woodsman comes to and tells you that is not The Beast - he's pretty damn angry about his mill and his means to make oil destroyed- so it's best to beat a hasty retreat into the night.
The SistersEventually, someone does point you in the direction of someone who can help you- an old witch known as Adelaide of the Pasture. She lives in a tiny brick cottage- a fail-looking old lady who appears to be working on a fierce sewing project. Her single room has threads hanging from the ceiling, draped across every wall, snaking along the whole floor. But maybe she's just really into yarn-bombing or something. She seems pretty sweet, asking you to come inside quickly and close the door to stop the air from getting in- she's very adamant about the door closing.
As you get inside and close the door, you can see a flock of bluebirds, huddled in a tiny cage. With worried voices, they yell at you that you have to get out, NOW. If you've hung around Zodiac enough, you might recognize their voices as Zodiac employees. Unfortunately, with the door closed, you have fallen right into Adelaide's trap. She pulls tight on one of her threads, and suddenly those on the floor leap up, to spin tight around you, cocooning you like a fly caught in a spider web. Adelaide will gleefully tell you that you're going to be her servant now, and as soon as she fills your head with wool, you will become like "a little sheep", following her every command. It's clear she is not being metaphorical here. Luckily the bluebirds are there to give you the means to defeat her- find a way to get out of your bounds, or wiggle yourself close enough to a window or door. If you can open it and let the air in, she will disintegrate into a screaming pile of smoke. Turns out the cold air really can kill her. Free the Zodiac bluebirds and they will ask you to snip some scissors on their wings- though it SOUNDS horrifying, as soon as you do this, they are returned to their normal selves, not a scratch on them. They don't know a way out either, but they know Adelaide has a sister, Auntie Whispers- maybe she would know something- though given how Adelaide was, it might be best to exercise some caution.
And so you'll find your way to yet another creepy old cottage. Inside, you'll find a young human girl and a huge spooky-looking figure. They introduce themselves as Lorna and Auntie Whispers- seems you found her. You'll also find baskets full to the brim of those black turtles (y'know the monster creating black turtles, those ones) set by the fire- Auntie Whispers regularly dips her hand into them, before devouring them, leaving only the shell. Auntie Whispers cannot give much help on a way out, but she allows you to stay to rest a while. Notably, as you spend time in the house, you see Auntie Whispers controlling Lorna with a ornate bell. With a ring Lorna's eyes go white and she does whatever Auntie Whispers commands. You COULD do nothing about this, but perhaps your heroic nature cannot ignore this blatant child slavery going on.
If you choose to stay and help- you'll notice Lorna coughing a lot- she explains that she has an "illness" and the reason why Auntie Whispers is so hard on her. If you tell her you want to help, Lorna states that Auntie Whispers tells her that outsiders can lead her to become "wicked". She explains her tasks are never done- and she is compelled to complete them through the bell- that she must be kept busy. Help her complete her tasks, and she'll be done in half the time, you reason this is a great idea to give the kid a break from the bell's compulsions and maybe even give her a chance to escape.
Unfortunately, Auntie Whispers was not kidding about the wickedness. Once Lorna's tasks are complete, she starts to let out a guttural hissing sound, before turning into a monstrous creature. In a scratching, hissing voice, she tells you that you are "more bones to eat" and attacks. She's fast and hard to hit, but you'll have to hold your own as best you can. The only way to stop her is to find and ring the bell- if you think on your feet, you can compel the thing possessing Lorna to leave, releasing her from her torment. Once Auntie Whispers catches up to you, seems pretty heartbroken about the spell being broken- tears in her eyes. She loves Lorna deeply and was only keeping her busy to protect her from the spirit inside her. Now the spell is broken, she will leave. Lorna refuses, stating she will stay with her family. Aww what a nice ending to mind-bending horror.
The Death of HopeBy now, you've likely been trapped in The Unknown for days- hell, maybe weeks. Every lead you find that might get you out of here only brings you to more nonsense and magical peril. Even the hardiest of you might start to feel a little... despondent about getting back to Kaisou. As soon as that doubt and despair starts to touch your conscience, you can feel it grow. It lays heavy on you like a weight. Maybe you will never get back, maybe you'll be stuck wandering these woods forever. You're so tired of it all. Your feet ache, your eyes feel heavy. Perhaps... you could just lay down and rest for a while. Should you give in to the temptation pulling at your mind and lay down on the ground, you'll soon drift into a deep unwakable slumber. You start to pale, as a tree sprouts around you, slowly growing up and swallowing you, inch by terrifying inch.
Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones who wasn't overcome by despair. Great! Because now you need to save those who were. You will find them, half-swallowed up by the tree, a small lantern like the one the Woodsman had on him glowing next to them with a weak little flame. Nothing you do seems to wake them up, and nothing can part the tree from them. But you are not alone. Pitch darkness seeps around you as a deep, gravelly voice tells you that there is no saving your friend now. Turn to the sound of the voice and you see something lurking in the shadows. It is humanoid in shape, with white glowing eyes and what look like antlers growing out of the side of its head. Should you shine your light on it, you will see it is made up of the trees with faces on (tw:trypophobia) that the Woodsman was cutting- it is quick to retreat back into the shadows. It- he- introduces himself as The Beast- looks like you have finally found him.
The Beast explains that he will move your companion's spirit into the lantern, in order to save them. To to keep their spirit alive, you must chop down more Edelwood trees and fuel it with the oil within. After all, this is where Edelwood comes from, souls lost in the wood- so only other lost souls can keep this one alive. You may be (rightfully) horrified by the idea of cutting down and grinding up other people's souls to keep your companion alive- but The Beast is unbothered- that's what he got the Woodsman to do, that his daughter's spirit is currently in the lantern. He wants you to be his new lantern bearer - to keep it lit at all times.
You may try to attack The Beast, but for something made of wood, he moves with natural fluidity. There's no way to strike a blow on him at all. But through either by trying to fight or trying to flee, you'll notice he gets very panicked if the lantern gets close to being extinguished. It's as if HIS spirit is the one inside it. Suddenly, the means to defeat him, to end this cycle of souls being lost and fed into the lantern is clear. All you need to do is... blow it out. If you do this, The Beast lets out a screech and just vanishes. Like he was never there at all. Your fallen friends come around as the tree falls apart around them. You're finally free.
With The Beast defeated- the Gate reopens- allowing you to escape through it. You find yourself underwater once you step through it- but it's a quick swim to the top- where you can burst through the surface of the water and take a good gulp of city air. The folks you left behind might be worried sick, as many unsent messages from yourself or others suddenly pile up on your phones. But hey, it's fine, you got out. If you want to, you can revisit The Unknown- the Gate remains open now The Beast is gone. You might want to check up on the people you met there- even the Woodsman is happy now, his daughter alive and free from whatever The Beast did to her. Or you can just steer as clear from the crazy of that world as you can, no one would blame you.
The dominant element this month is Earth! 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 Water 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.
The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. There will be a midmonth Zodiac post on the 15th.
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