October Event Log (HORROR PLOT)

[kaisoumods]

OCTOBER EVENT
Dominant Element: Earth
Waning Element: Water

Full Moon: 6th - 8th October

※
The fall weather continues as October begins. 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. The spirit vein is alive with browns and dark oranges, heralding an Earth dominant month .

TRIGGER WARNING: This event features heavy use of mental manipulation and gaslighting, strained relationships between CR, characters acting out of norm due to external factors, hallucinations/illusions, physical injury, and death. Please proceed with caution.

The Carnival's In Town

ALERT: SPIRIT REALM ANOMALY DETECTED
Element Classification: Earth
Danger Level: Medium - high
Designation: Omatsuri Carnival
Zodiac has detected a Spirit Gate at El Nido. We have noticed flyers attracting people to this area. Please visit the Zodiac offices for more information.

The Zodiac offices are not their usual bustling selves this month. Oh, sure, there's Halloween decorations up, it's clear that people are trying their best to enjoy the holiday, but something's off. Some staff members look worried, some look annoyed, buried under huge piles of paperwork. Luckily, Professor Barbie is soon on hand to shed some light on the situation.

She asks if you have seen the flyers going around town, advertising the Omatsuri Carnival - she then explains that a team of Zodiac workers when to the carnival as a team building experience. The strain to her smile tells you that this is the sort of corporate enforced fun office managers like to drop onto their staff from time to time. The problem is, the team went two days ago and they haven't come back. They have managed to get in touch with one of the team, but he only sent one message "staying on the beach, this is worse than the time you made us go bowling" and then stopped responding to any more messages. She knows Jarry doesn't like answering his phone to colleagues, but they're worried!

Barbie isn't quite sure what is going on - but she does say the earth elemental energy in this place is through the roof. There are readings for earth elemental energy like she's never seen before - even if this is an earth dominant month, this place is powerfully earth aligned. There's either a lot of earth energy spikes here, or there's something big. There's only one real way to find out!

A Little Slice of Paradise

Regardless of if you went through the El Nido gate to help Zodiac out, or if you simply woke up there as if some invisible force pulled you into the gate, the first things you'll notice is the spirit gate slamming shut behind you. It turns out people can come into the gate, but they cannot leave it. The beach looks pretty normal, thankfully, with a few people milling around, complaining to the bird staff attempting to run it - as if they have any control over the gate. You will also find a familiar face, lounging on a beach chair with a cocktail in his hand - it's everyone's favourite Zodiac employee, Jarry! He looks about as pleased to see you as he always does (which is not at all) and confirms Barbie's message, that they went here for a team building exercise. But the second Jarry saw the pathway to the carnival, he knew it was blatantly cursed and wouldn't go near it- the rest of the group went in, and he hasn't seen them since. He can't leave El Nido, so he decided he was just gonna wait it out on the beach until "you altruistic idiots went in and fixed it like you always do." Great, thanks Jarry. As you turn to the path he mentioned, you can see little twinkling lights and the far-off sounds of wurlitzer carousels and roller coaster tracks. Nothing unusual there- but those who have a sense evil power will find the vibes coming from this place are rancid. But you can't fix the problem by standing out on the beach - so off down the path you go.

A you walk along the jungle path, you find the air has a strange scent to it. It's like the heavy-pollen scent of a field of flowers on a summer's day. The more of it you breathe in, the more you forget about what you were here to do, or the desire to go back to the safety of the beach. By the time you pass through the jungle and into the clearing, you don't want to leave at all. And why would you? The carnival in the clearing is a beautiful place. Lights are strung up around the palm trees and classic carnival rides can be dotted around everywhere. A carousel with horses - paint still gleaming, turns round and round, a roller coaster races around a track to the delighted screams of the people inside the cars, a mighty ferris wheel rises up above them all - giving stunning views of the island. There are food stalls serving up delicious looking carnival fool - the smell of which wafts around, tempting you to partake. Beach cabins line a quieter space to the side - providing a place for people to sleep if they so wish - after all, why would you want to leave and go home to do that when you can do it here! Finally, there are games upon games upon games - it's clear this is the main focal point of the carnival. Ring toss, hook a duck, water pistols, milk cartons - there's just about every game you can think of and all are set up to encourage people to play with their friends, with notices saying the game can only begin if two or more people are playing.

The evil sense has not gone away, but the pollen in the air has made you feel less bothered about that with each passing minute. For those with an affinity to sense elemental powers, they will notice that this place is lousy with earth elemental power, even more so than you would expect in an earth dominant month, just like Barbie had said. This can be dismissed by the carnie staff running around, as they are all some form of plant people. They look vaguely human shaped, but have roots for arms, or sprouts growing up on the top of their heads. They all seem pretty cheerful, if not with that usual sense of suspicion that you're being scammed that come with all carnie workers. They greet everyone happily, enticing you to partake in all the carnival has to offer. Then an imposing figure with a flower on his shoulder appears. The flower has a happy smile and while it doesn't talk, it's clearly listening to everything around it. The man introduces himself as Baron Omatsuri, the owner of this carnival. He tells you that so long as you are attending with friends and loved ones then everything in his carnival is free. Personal bonds matter a great deal to him, he explains, and he wants his carnival to be an experience that people go through together, one that they will never forget! He encourages you to enjoy his carnival as a group, have a great time, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask his dear friends and staff and they will see to getting that done for you! If you question him about the disappearances, he waves you off, saying he's already looking into the matter, all you should have to worry about is enjoying the carnival. Another lungful of the pollen laced air, and you can't help but agree with him.

Breaking The Bonds That You've Made

It starts innocuously at first. Perhaps you won a game against a friend and they took the loss harder than usual, perhaps you crowed about your victory more than you normally would. Perhaps your brother stole your delicious sugar covered donut and crammed the whole thing in his mouth before you could protest and that really got under your skin. Maybe your friend was too short to ride the roller coaster and you decided to make a few ill-timed short jokes that genuinely upset them. No matter how it starts, the bonds you have with your loved ones feel more frayed the longer you stay here. Personality traits in your friends you normally grin and bear because you love them become unbearable. Suddenly that weird nervous tongue click your friend does is the most annoying sound on earth. You snap at each other far easier than usual and start to struggle enjoying being in one another's company.

It steadily gets worse, the exaggerated personalities you have been showing become more prevalent the longer you're in the carnival- your worst traits brought to the light to act as direct attacks on the people who you are with. If that wasn't enough, the pollen starts to make you hallucinate. You might hear voices in your head - perhaps they sound like the person next to you, making you think it came from them, saying something hateful, dredging something from your past aimed to hurt you badly. Perhaps you see someone else from your own past, pointing out what a danger your companion is to you - how you absolutely should be removing them from your life... Immediately. Maybe you see a hallucination of your friend doing something terrible, and feel the need to intervene in this behavior. Auditory or visual, the hallucinations feel so very real, and combined with the almost suffocating feeling of distrust, anger and betrayal you're feeling towards your companions, it isn't hard to lean into it. To push them away or straight up attack them. If that attacks end up with someone badly injured (or worse, a fatality) the plant people in the carnival quickly show up to take the person away - assuring you they will be taken care of. Considering how angry you feel about that person right now, you don't much care.

However it happens, some of you might get sick of this - of the screaming and the fighting and want to get yourself as far away from these people you thought you knew and trusted as quickly as possible. That, it turns out, is exactly what the residents of the carnival want. As you walk your way further into the jungle, away from the carnival, you start to realise that someone is following you. If you try to run, try to fight, it's as if the whole jungle itself is working against you. Vines reach out to grab you, roots rise up from the ground to trip you. When you're eventually cornered, some of the plant people show up from the darkness, they're quick to tie you up, holding you at spear point, pushing or even carrying you further into the jungle. If you struggle too much, the plants on top of their heads release a pollen which knocks you out. Either way, you're going where they want you.

All For The Love Of You

"Where they want you" ends up being the top of a hill in the jungle, where a strange, almost apple stem-like construct is sitting. They drag you up the spiral of the stem, to the pure white tip. You can see strange, black shapes laying on top of it- slowly sinking into the stem. After a moment, you start to realise with horror that those are people - people being slowly absorbed by the stem- those captured before you, the injured and the dead from fights, anyone who got separated from their groups. And they clearly plan for you to join them. No matter how you try to struggle, the plant people make sure that you can't fight back, can't escape, and casually push you onto the pure white surface. It's like being stuck to it by glue- and you can feel your whole self sinking into it. If you're lucky enough, you might have been unconscious for the entire process. If not? Well, you certainly get to feel your life essence slowly ebb away, into the stem. You can scream and beg for help, but you have abandoned your friends. There's no one left to help you.

If you have not been captured, you likely noticed your friends missing - even if you no longer see them as such at this point. If you're smart, you go looking for them in groups - you will not be hunted if you stay together. You'll find parts of the jungle where fights clearly broke out - where your (ex?) friends were fighting for their lives. Go further in and you'll find the spot they were last. While your companion's body is gone, what is left is a perfect replica, made of plant matter, just laying there - open eyed, staring in horror at something. It's very clear something is killing you all, one by one.

The entire time this has been happening, Baron Omatsuri has been mingling around you, watching the breaking bonds with a smile on his face. Notably, as people start to go missing, the flower on his shoulder is continually chewing something. When he's finally confronted about the missing people, he'll try to brush it off by telling you that they abandoned you, so they're not true friends, are they? If you push him enough, eventually he snaps. He tells you they're better off where they are and you're better off without them. You likely didn't want a sob story now he's told you that your loved ones are dead, but you get it anyway. He tells you that he was a pirate captain, and the plant people you see dotted around are his crew. A horrific storm wrecked his ship and killed his crew, leaving him with no one. The island he washed up on had a sentient flower- the Lily Carnation. It brought his crew back as plant simulacrums - but he had to keep feeding it with other people to keep them functioning. As he fully believes all friendships do end painfully, he has taken it upon himself to destroy friendships - the pollen from his plant sows discord and well, all those lost people might as well be food for the plant, right? To keep the carnival and the inhabitants of it alive and running.

So now there it to do is fight the baron - you might not be able to get your friends back, but it's clear if you don't fight him, you will not survive this experience. With the charade well and truly up, the baron's plant changes. It grows large and sinuous, like a thick vine, and within the vine? You can see the bodies of those killed by the plant, pressed up against the green "skin" of the plant. They scream and moan as if they're still alive, though they're definitely not. The ones of you left will need to band together to fight the baron and the giant, snapping Lily Carnation on his shoulder. It's clear you cannot do this fight alone, he is quite literally a two-in-one battle. Teamwork really does make the dream work though, and once you have beat him down, the plant on his shoulder shrieks in rage as it dies- the baron dying with it.

Aftermath

With the baron and the Lily Carnation dead, all the plant people die with it. The carnival shows itself to be an illusion. What was once a shinning, beautiful space is instead shown to be a rotted, abandoned space, covered in plant growth and fungus. Those who had been devoured by the plant wake up on the beach, largely unharmed. Except for the trauma. That's definitely there. The denizens of El Nido are grateful, happy to be able to get back to the rest of their realm. Jarry looks less thrilled to have his coworkers back, but them's the breaks sometimes. You can now leave the El Nido gate, to return to Kaisou and try to mend the relationships the experience has damaged.

OOC plotting post can be found here.

Comments

ARRIVAL

[kaisoumods]

[For when you first arrive in the realm! Jarry interactions will be handwaved I'm sorry]

[burgersplease]

[Anby had been sent the by the Black Order in order to investigate all the disappearances of Zodiac workers, already putting on her edge. The gate shutting behind her? Is another red flag- it's like the Red Gate all over again. And when asks Jarry and some of the locals to find out it's a carnival that appeared...

Well. Time to warn everyone.]

Mysterious carnivals are a frequent hot spot for paranormal activity of the lethal variety. Should you decide to proceed further, please take the following precautions: do not turn your back to clowns, assume every doll is alive, do not go anywhere alone, and avoid any places with mirrors.

Also if you have recently cheated death, I'd recommend sitting this out entirely. The grim reaper has been known to use carnivals to catch people who have cheated death.

[...........is she talking about movies again]

[loupmorque]

[ Ears swivel on the top of his head. His eyes focus on the carnival lights in the distance. His eyes close and while the portal behind him has forced itself shut--he'll also note that his attempt to 'Go Home'--a teleport spell that his Hellhound form always managed with ease--was acting like it simply didn't exist. That tells the Warden three things:
Something is forcing those who come here to stay here.
That something wants something from those its trapped here.
And until they do something about that 'someone' or 'something', more and more people were just going to get trapped.

He reaches up to straighten and loosen his tie a little around his neck. ]

...The air smells like dirt and clay. [ a fourth observation. ] And I can hear the sounds of... a ton of voices, coming from that carnival. Something tells me everyone who's gone missing who aren't here, are up there. And whatever 'up there' is, [ he points towards the jungle of fancy, flashing lights. ] it reminds me of the jellyfish back home. Flashing bright lights and sounds so you don't see the stinging tentacles that are slowly wrapping around your legs.

[ whatever it is, it's too good to be true. ]

[leontas]

[ this is not his beautiful nightmare home, these people are not his brother and his brother's clownwife!!

instinct of a past life kick in as the gate behind them all closes and they start questioning Jarry, his gaze scanning the beach and the path that leads towards the rest of the island. there is something off with this place, that much is painfully obvious, yet there is no option to retreat.

Mydei exhales heavily, casting his gaze to the others, regarding them much like a commander regards his troops. if it is a fight that awaits them he has faith they will be able to pull through, but if it isn't battle? that thought sits uneasily in his chest. he knows only two of those gathered here and only one of them he knows well enough to call friend. ]

Waiting here won't get us any closer to freedom. We have no other choice but to follow the river's flow directly into the monsters maw. We will win our freedom by way of tearing out it's heart or finding the key hidden amongst the noise.

[ gods help them. ]

[paraselenic]

[Lycaon had heard the news of the missing Zodiac workers, and his worry for his engineers was first to come to mind. However, he knew if he left Meropide he would be causing more harm than good, so he was ready to leave it to the others to handle.

Sometimes one has to admit that they are not what is needed in the situation.

Fate, however, seems to have other plans. While sleep didn't come easy for Lycaon the past week or so, eventually his eyes had to cave to the call of slumber. It's hard not to think this is a dream, but the way the sand presses into the inner grooves of his prosthetics is reason enough to know this is real.

His nose twitches as he sniffs the air, feeling the power of Earth around him (and moreso the weakness of his own element) as his ears flick up, immediately on alert. It'd been awhile since he'd smelled fresh air. Which means he was outside.

Which means people will see him. His ears swivel to the sound of the gate closing behind him.]

So that's their aim. Very well.

[If he was to be trapped here, so be it. With his head held high, he moves to investigate the area. Thankfully, the group of Zodiac employees (hi Jarry) are close by, along with many of the people he's come to know in Kaisou.]

What's our situation? [His eye settles on the carnival ahead, teeth gritting under his lips. Something...felt very off about this place. Vibes, instincts, call it what you wish.]

I did not intend to join in the search party, and yet here I am.

[uttertomeyourideal]

[Hours spent on the Jackdraw had finally paid off. A metal boat of companions. A promise and desperate search in the sea, a woman with flowing orange hair that shouted above the din of the storm with madness and spite to match the thunder. A calamity of white that peered down with an eye the size of a towering building. And at least one name. #8, Ish-]

[splash]

[The increased clarity of the memory came at a cost, that of Yi Sang's balance, the force and cold of the water knocking him unconscious.

Waking up, Yi Sang start coughing and hacking, and slowly pushed himself to his feet. Absent a ship and his rental car, the gathering group of individuals seemed the best place to start. It's out of the corner of his eye that Yi Sang notices the closing gate, that was important, wasn't it? At least there were a couple familiar faces here.]

Forgive me friends, my knowledge avails me not here. My eyes tell me we are not in Kaisou proper, is there [cough] aught else we know of this place?

[Of course, as soon as he spots the carnival, Yi Sang will fall silent, staring. A different memory pricks at the back of his mind...and it suddenly puts him on edge.]

[pharmacologic]

[A chair on a sunny beach is definitely not where Baizhu went to sleep last night. He opens his eyes slowly, confused.

Chevy?

I'm here. But where are we?

A beach resort of some kind. Maybe the one through that gate. Did you see what happened?

I woke up when you did. ...Be careful, Baizhu. I don't like this at all.

With that discussion concluded, he'll rise from the chair and make his way over to the small gathering of people he can see on the beach. Some of them he recognizes as customers, or from the network. No one he knows especially well.]

Pardon me, but...just what is going on here? I have work that needs doing at the pharmacy.

DAY 1

[kaisoumods]

[For anything happening the first day]

Rose | OTA

[poisontippedcure]

[Carnival]

[Rose has her misgivings, as always, but she’s missed festivals. It’s all too easy to push her fears to the side in the beginning, and when the pollen starts—-she never had a shot.]

[Anybody who sees her near the entrance will see her grinning from ear to ear. It’s a party, after all, and there’s no need to waste time.]

Come now, hurry! There’s a lot to see.

[Games]

[The frustration starts slow.]

[Or, perhaps, it has always been there. She’s never been one whose good at physical activity, after all, and when she loses to a close friend in the mallet game she can’t help but bite back:]

Well, it’s not like it’s that impressive.

[Break CW:Overstimulation]

[It happens slowly, and then suddenly, all at once.]

[One moment, she’s enjoying the carnival, apple cider in hand. She’s in a bad mood, sure, but nothing worse than she’s been in the past.]

[The next she’s on the ground in pain. Suddenly, it’s clear to her just how bright the lights are and how loud the sounds around her are. She puts her hands over her ears, hoping it will help, but it doesn’t.]

[Thinking fast, she ducks behind a nearby stall that’s unmanned. She doesn’t want anyone she knows to see her like this. She doesn’t want anyone at all to see her like this.]

[OTA]

[Hit me up for plotting things!]

Knuckles the Echidna | Open!

[ampersand_me]

[I. A Cheerful Jungle Jaunt]

If anyone had asked, Knuckles would have cheerfully proclaimed he was here for the fighting that was almost sure to happen. And definitely not as a distraction from the fact that he needed to take care to avoid the normal folk in Kaisou for the month, nope. Much less actually be concerned or anything, of course!

Whatever his reason, though, clearly it had been a good choice, with Knuckles' mood perking up considerably on the trek through the jungle. Enough for him to turn to whoever happens to be nearby.

"What is a "car-knee-veil' anyway?"

... The fact that he's willing to strike up a conversation with people he barely knows at best should be the first sign something was off.


[II. Fun and Games]

The very moment Knuckles spotted a sign challenging comers to TEST YOUR STRENGTH!! he was there in an eyeblink. And then, moments later, the center of a small commotion.

"Ha! It clearly could not hold up to my unparalleled strength! Now, what is my prize as new champion?"

Someone might want to explain that breaking the game was not the same as winning it...


[III. I Feel Called Out]

And then, there was the rollercoaster. A monster of gaudily-painted fiberglass that roared along its metal rails. Clearly, Knuckles needed to ride it. Just to see what all of the fuss was about.

There was just one tiny little problem...

"What do you MEAN I cannot ride?!?!"

Seems like someone didn't quite make the height cutoff.


[Wildcard]

Feel free to throw something at me, or poke me in PM or Discord (Altocumulus) to plot. And yes, any/all jokes about Knuckles seeming no different than usual prickly self are fair game.

Blade | OTA

[unreachableside]

[i. it's about dexterity]
[The games aren't rigged, though the people running the games seem pretty goddamned suspicious. Still, with a deft enough hand, Blade thinks he can fetch some prizes for his dragon before they go back to investigating.

... Right, investigating. They were, uh, doing that at one point, right?

Anyway, he'll be haunting the ring toss, darts, hook a duck, and one of those mallet strength contests at first. After that he moves onto the firearms-based games, though with less of an advantage, seeing as he's never been a fan of guns or loud noises.]

[ii. brain fog]
[It feels like... something weighing on his brain, making him irritable, impatient. Maybe he's just hungry? The food does smell good, but it feels like there's more at play here. Breaking away from his last run at the games (frustrating, he was so sure he had that win in the bag!) he looks around for the direction of the food stalls, or maybe someone he knows. For the time being he's still clearheaded enough (19), but who knows how long that will last?

Clearly, food is the answer. He grabs the first thing on a stick he sees that isn't being held by another person and shoves it in his mouth. Then he chews it with disdain, glaring especially in the direction of the ferris wheel.]

Zevran | OTA

[mmmleather]

CARNIVAL General
[What is this place? It's fascinating. There are lights and movement everywhere. Honestly, he'd want to explore even if he hadn't woken up here out of nowhere. But some of the magic fades as he's informed this place needs the power of friendship or some other such nonsense to be free. Zevran wasn't exactly sleeping with a full coin purse on him, and all the people he'd truly considered to be friends are far from here. It... annoys him.]

[Nevertheless, he will find someone to drift toward. To loop an arm around (which could be very comical, given his lack of height), and gesture at the carnival before them.]

Come, my friend! [A little too loudly. Take that, carnival people.] Let us explore, if we cannot leave!


GAMES
[More couples games, he thinks. This is less of a fun adventure and more of a couples' retreat. But ... it's nice. It's stunning to watch, and as long as he can smile and sweet talk his way into someone's company, there's no need to worry about paying for any of it.]

[The water shooting game looks fun, though. Enough for him to abruptly link an arm with someone standing near it.]

What do you think? Shall we give it a try?


NIGHT OF THE FIRST DAY
- What did you say?

[It's a pleasant evening. The sunset is brilliant. It's not chilly. There's a nice view of it from this part of the carnival, near the beach cabins. A good time to take a break before nightfall.]

[And Zevran could have sworn he heard some smart comment from the nearby people. From anyone else in the vicinity. Something again, about friendship and how sad it would be to be here alone. It's dim enough to set his eyes to reflecting the waning light.]

I... believe I must have misheard you.


wildcard;
[I'm up for plotting anything! Hit me!]

Vergil | OTA

[kowase]

//.1 → { Too Good to Be True? } // OTA

[ it's not like Vergil is some big carnival-goer. He doesn't know the ins and outs of a circus, let alone a carnival or fair ground. This is more Zulius--or even Dante's wheelhouse. Which is why he's even here in the first place--summer was dying and he figured this would be one last outdoor outing they might enjoy fully before the winter months.
It was hard to bring a centaur ice skating.

But as he's here now, and looking around, it's... a lot. A lot, for free, and being run by freaks with a lot of magic running rampant in the air. ]

While I am no man short on change.

...

It feels like this much being offered for nothing expected in return is... it sets my teeth on edge.
Something feels wrong, here.
Even the people.

//.2 → { Competitive Spirit } // OTA

[ have you ever gotten a stink-eye from a sparda? it's about as sharp as one of their swords, followed by that quiet, burning resentment. Vergil's cat-like eyes burrow into the back of the head of the person he'd just lost a game to, and he tosses down the little fucking pop-gun they were using to aim at targets with a little bit of petulance. ]

Guns are an archaic form of weapon anyway. I never did like them as much as martial weapons, and this game would benefit far more from thrown knives or even a ball instead of these inaccurate little things.

We should play a different game. [ he needs to beat you at a different fucking game or he'll lose it. ]

//.3 → { Blood Mist } // OTA

...Stay sharp. Something's wrong. [ he's heard it twice today. People arguing--bitterly angry arguments that are unkind and the words being used are ones you certainly wouldn't choose for trying to show a bit of irritation at someone who bothered you.

No, he's sure at one point he even smells blood in the air when one of the couples at the carnival came down to blows.
Blows hard enough to draw blood.

Be you one of the people he knows from the city or Zulius himself, Vergil's... staying a little closer. His hand hasn't left his sword for at least an hour, now. ]

I have a ... sneaking suspicion about what's happening here.

Edward Kenway | OTA

[jackdawvision]

[one: ferris wheel]

[Edward hangs at the back of the group when the cheery old Baron shows up, and out of idle habit dips into the eagle's gift. Freezes in place as the man flashes blood-red, and just...watches him the entire time he's talking with narrowed eyes. He wants to trust him, he truly does, but red spells hostile and he isn't the only one here. He crosses his arms over his chest, troubled, then lets out a breath.

Not now. Not with all these people around. Edward's not about to risk getting his friends caught in the crossfire. Might as well enjoy the carnival while he's here, and wait for night to come.

So his first port of call?]

Let's go ride the Ferris wheel! We can pick up food on the way and eat cotton candy while we're high up, how does that sound?

[two: duck hunt]

[Edward keeps to the back of the group, fiddling about with the hidden blades strapped to his arms, still clearly worried about something. He's as genial as he ever was, but there's something almost...distracted, about it. Like he's trying not to worry anyone else.

His aim, usually good, fails him at the duck-shooting carnival game. He laughs a little, passes it off to the nearest person, but there's something about the way he's moving, the way his eyes keep flicking around as if trying to catch something...]

Ah, I must be having an off day, hm? Maybe you ought to try it, see what you'll find.

[three: compost for the garden - closed to established CR]

[Night begins to fall. As everyone's winding down, their relationships strained and bonds fraying, Edward pulls someone aside.]

I don't trust the baron. Something about him—I can't say for certain, but I don't think he's telling us the whole truth. [A quiet breath.] Maybe I'm just being paranoid and we'll laugh at me once we leave. Ah, look at old Captain Kenway, letting his worries get the best of him. But I...

[That flash of red.]

I have to go check things out. [It might be a lie. He's been fiddling with his blades for the whole time, after all.] Easier for one person to sneak around and see what they might be trying to hide, after all. But I should be back in an hour, maybe less. If not—

[A breath.]

Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.

A BODY HAS BEEN FOUND (Pirate Edition)

[burgersplease]

[Anby's been on edge all day. She had already plenty of misgivings about the carnival, especially when it made her head feel fuzzy. Even past that, she found herself getting more and more irritated at the people she hung around.... even though she didn't know most of them enough to have a bone to pick with them.

The feeling felt. Unnatural. Anby wasn't someone who had a lot of fire and strength to hold grudges or keep anger going. That was more her sister's deal. So it put her more on edge, and made her more determined to patrol and get to the bottom of this. She was keeping an eye peel for some of the others who wandered off - like Edward, who hasn't been seen in a few hours.

Fortunately, she has enough sense to do it with a partner- this time it's Blackwargreymon. It turns out to be what save them... as they stumble upon a plant version of Edward- the pirate guy that Belle didn't like. He had knives out and looked like he was being dragged-- fighting until the very last.

Once the place has been noted, she'll immediately flag Blackwargreymon to follow her back to where the others were. Once she sees a group of them:]

We located the pirate-- Edward. He's dead.

DAY 2

[kaisoumods]

[For anything happening the second day!]

Persephone | Stray Gods | OTA

[aslowburn]

Around the carnival

[Persephone first came here to investigate the huge surge of earth elemental energy in the area. After all, she is the Goddess of Spring, and if something else is a threat to her territory, she needs to see to it and preferable snuff it out before it becomes a problem. She was expecting perhaps a minor deity, or a demon - something to battle and remove from her general vicinity. Instead, what she got was a carnival and a lunatic talking about playing nicely with friends.

Persephone is someone who doesn't play, nicely or otherwise. She certainly isn't interested in playing carnival games - games are her family's MO, and she is not about to let herself be distracted by them. Instead, she's been following the baron around, glowering at the stupid little flower on his shoulder that isn't right. Everything about it is making her skin crawl, and she would very much rather just dispatch it now and be done with all of this. But the damned fools in this world have gotten to her, and she supposes she should be certain before going immediately on the attack. She hates it, though.

So you will find her always stalking around in the background, watching the baron, watching his little shoulder flower, watching his minions scuttle around, arms folded, looking increasingly annoyed by all of this. ]

This is ridiculous. There's blatantly something wrong with him, we should just destroy him now. Nip this in the bud before any more or us are taken out.

[ As the day gets on, though, the anger in her is getting worse. She's starting to hear a voice, just on her periphery, a voice she hasn't heard in a thousand years, a voice that makes her heart still in her chest. She tries to remind herself this is obviously a trick, that this is a game the baron is playing. She's lost sight of him, and she needs to kill him now. She should have listened to her instincts and done it the moment they arrived here.

She blinks, and there he stands. A horror from her past that she never thought she'd see again. For a moment, genuine fear crosses her features- a sight almost none in Kaisou have seen on her. But it's swiftly replaced with rage. She pulls her sword out, blossoms following in its wake, the air around her heating up considerably in her anger.]

Hades! I don't know how you came back, but I assure you, you will not celebrate your return to existence for long.

[ Trouble is, it's not Hades- it's you. But she's too far gone to remember this is a trick, that she's not looking at her former tormentor. Right now, all you have is a very angry god bearing down upon you.]

Your candle isn't finished (tw: character death)

[ Persephone is almost completely out of her mind by the time she runs into the jungle. She can still hear Hades' voice (it's a trick, it's a trick, it's a trick) following her. She needs to end all of this immediately. She will not allow this to best her. Not after so many centuries of earned freedom. ]

OMATSURI?!!!!! Where are you? Come and FACE me, you coward!!!

[ They attack her fast - they have to, to get a jump on her. When his minions strike, Persephone bellows in her rage - they do not obey her commands. None of the plant life here does. She takes out a couple with sword and fire, but ultimately, they overpower her and a spear in her heart soon still her.

Persephone does not fear death. She has gone through it hundreds of times herself. And she's the QUEEN of the dead. No, death is not what she fears - so when her plant copy is generated into the forest, it is instead contorted in rage - leafy eyes burning with rage, mouth open to show her final scream of defiance. While her actual body is taken to feed the flower - her copy is left there, waiting for anyone to find her. ]

Lycaon | Zenless Zone Zero | OTA

[paraselenic]

a. around the carnival

[Leaving through the gate is not happening. Lycaon's tried by this point, using what force has to try and move it. Even his strength can't get it to budge. After reluctantly admitting that there is nothing left to do but wait, he checks out the carnival.

He's not a fan of carnivals. Something about the decor, or the overly enthusiastic and equally tacky attitude of the employees sets him off. Maybe he's just more aligned on the elegance spectrum, but it has his fur ruffled. The employees themselves, plant-like as they are, seem to be nice enough, and are merely just doing their job, but it does little to settle his nerves.

The smell of the earth element is almost too potent for his nose. Being of the water element, he's exceptionally susceptible to the effect it has on him, try as he might to mask it by hovering around food stalls. He's even gone as far as to order some of it, hoping that by walking around with some it'll keep the tingling in his nose at bay.

As Hugo has joined on this venture, they will often be seen together during the happenings of this carnival, Lycaon making sure the man doesn't leave his side.]

b. overstimulation

[That is, until Lycaon personally meets the Baron, who is exceptionally potent with the smell that's been numbing his snout. It's...frustrating, that one of his senses has been rendered not only useless, but a detriment to him. It makes it hard to focus, and he can't speak with the Baron for too long before he briskly walks off, brow furrowed.

The smell has gotten so bad that it's giving him a migraine, and the smell won't leave. That smell of earth, the opposite of water and it was enveloping his entire being. It's suffocating and irritating. He may even run into you as he tries to walk away from it, only for there to be no escape.

Taking away his senses... he's far from being in the right state of mind.]

c. destin et malédiction - closed to hugo

[In an effort to escape the scent in any way he can, he moves as far away from the Baron as possible, towards the edge of the carnival and towards the jungle. As if the numbing in his nose wasn't bad enough, as if his sight being overstimulated at the earth magic suffocating him. His ears now pick up the wisps of a voice. A voice that was all too familiar to him. A voice that shouldn't be.

Lycaon.

His eye snaps open, with the look of a man who's just seen a ghost. Or heard one, at the very least. Ice flows through his veins as he stands frozen on the spot.

The curse that flows through his lineage is a curse that fate branded him with.

If he doubted the source of the voice, he has no reason to now. He looks ahead into the jungle and sees the ghostly image of his mentor, Jack. Standing there with a look of sheer disappointment in his eyes at him.

He knows why, too.]

Jack.

Baizhu | Genshin Impact | OTA

[pharmacologic]

morning stroll

[Baizhu has always been a natural early riser, when he's not feeling under the weather at least. He's up with the dawn here too, holding a teacup with a serene air and watching the jungle from the resort balcony.]

It's nice to have a few moments of peace, isn't it?

[Even more so with all the drama of yesterday.]

quietly between the leaves (tw: character death)

[There's no particular drama to this one. Baizhu doesn't know anyone here well, and to his own mind, he's never alone as long as he has Chevy with him. They've always handled everything just the two of them, and he has no reason to change that now.

He'd wandered off into the woods after breakfast to see if he could find out anything interesting about the plants, and maybe take home some cuttings or seeds that he could bring up in his Serenitea Pot - he has quite a collection of rare plants now, after all. By the time he realizes his mistake, it's far too late; he tries to fight back with all the magic he can bring to bear, but the plants here have their own will that overpowers his easily.

The last thing he hears is Chevy screaming his name inside his mind. The simulacrum of his body that the plants leave behind is wide-eyed with terror.]

Rose | FFXIV

[poisontippedcure]

[Mounting Tensions - OTA]

[On the second day, Rose is good. She doesn’t stray too far from the group.]

[But she wants to, she wants to so bad. She’d thought a decent night’s sleep would calm the worst of it, but no such luck. No, she didn’t sleep at all. At this point she’d have settled for a Power Nap.]

[With Edward’s death fresh on her mind, and no nightmares for a reprieve, her sanity is starting to fray.]

[Anyone who approaches her directly will get a less than warm response.]

Leave me alone! I don’t need anyone checking up on me. I’m not doing anything stupid.

[Our Fabled Crimes - closed to Wriothesley]

[It’s so loud.]

[It’s still so loud.]

[There has to be something here she can use to dull the pain, right? In her desperation, she turns to a nearby cotton candy stand.]

[Of course, what she’s doing looks rather suspicious. And that cotton candy next to her does look the color of blood, doesn’t it?]

A Knight's End

[kowase]

[ He's on high alert. People have died. Not just random normies or the unfortunate Zodiac Employees who barely had names or faces as far as he was concerned--but their friends. Edward, the Pirate who he (while not willing to admit it) did enjoy both the company of and the novelty of having a living relic as both a friend and employee.

There's no uncertainty now, in Vergil's mind, that they were in a situation that was meant for the sort of Chaos that Zulius had experienced before. In the Cabin. And the Devil has made it his goal--no, his Motivation to make sure nothing hurt Zulius this time around.
To a nearly obsessive degree. Even if it meant pissing Zulius off and threatening their friends--their friends were dangerous in this place. Everyone was acting wrong and --friend or not-- he wouldn't let anyone take a step closer to Zulius without him knowing their intentions weren't ill.

Which is to say, it's gotten past a point where Vergil would quietly watch others talk and interact with zulius -- always a hovering, severe figure just a few feet away; and now he's gone to actively guarding the other from any sort of interactions with others.

It's for his own good.
Edward was dead.

he won't let that happen to someone again.
Especially not Zulius.

Which is why he's currently staring death over at Diarmuid, who's got a funny look in those inhuman, magical-servant eyes. ]

Keep your distance, Fianna's Knight.

A Body Has Been Discovered - oh no not the Zebra

[loupmorque]

[ Wriothesley had been nearby when the chaos between Diarmuid and Vergil had erupted. However, given that he'd only just escaped the Queen of the Underworld not a few hours ago, the Duke was still shaken and not on his best alertness to jump to the situation.

Thankfully, Dan Heng and Anby had jumped to action (The Duke Will Remember This)

And when Zulius left...

Wrio's decided instead of backing up the perfectly capable Dan Heng and Anby, they need to go make sure nothing happens to the Zebrataur.

Immediately, he's turning to Maxima. His eyes also glancing over at Jon, as well.

He points at both of them with a severe, commanding gesture with his hand. ]

...We need to find where Zulius went. We can't have him running off on his own.

You two. With me. Don't get split up. I'll try to listen to figure out where he's gone.


[ it's easier to listen out for the sound of hooves in a jungle, after all. With the Duke's keen hearing it doesn't take terribly long to figure out what direction the man teleported off into.

...But the problem was, without the ability to immediately get to his side, when the trio do eventually find where the Zebrataur went...

All that's there to greet them is the same grotesque, horrid mockery of a corpse. Too little, too late.

Wriothesley's ears pin back as his fists settle at his sides, shaking in anger. ]

...Tell the others.

We were too late.

DAY 3

[kaisoumods]

[For anything happening the third day!]

A Body Has Been Discovered - Catgirl Edition

[poisontippedcure]

[By the night of the second day, it gets to her.]

[Not that it hasn’t been getting to her before, of course. But on the first day, she could tell herself she would sleep it off. No sleep came.]

[The night makes it easier to manage, but the cloud of dread hangs over her. Something in the forest must be the cause, she reasons, so she goes to investigate while the others are sleeping.]

[Who is awake to hear her screams?]

[Whoever finds her will notice that her remains are in the fetal position, with her hands covering her ears. Her eyes are wide open.]

[For anyone with magic sense, why, you could be pardoned for thinking nothing was wrong at all. Her soul still shines bright.]

[Approaching her corpse, you’ll find the source. A bright red gem next to where she lays.]

DAY 4 - FINAL DAY

[kaisoumods]

[For anything happening on the final day!]

[ The Baron Omatsuri and The Lily Carnation ]

[omatsuri]

[ He's had his big speal; his sob story of his friends who had died, how he believes that not all bonds are meant to be kept--he's shown his entire hand here. That he's the one behind the Murders--or, at the very least, that the Plant-like people that have been busy-bee'ing around the carnival have been behind them. For any familiar with the Magic of Kaisou, it becomes clear now: These 'People' were never people at all; but familiars created via Earth Magic by the Baron himself. Simulacrums of friends long lost, controled my his sicking amount of earth magic that now saturates the air and makes it smell like rotten petrichor, vegetation left out to compost far too long.

Your friends are dead, the flower on his shoulder has started to grow and warp and change from the cute little thing to something far more twisted.

In his hand grows a long shape of a bow--complete with an earthen drawstring as dozens and dozens of arrows start to form out of plant life and rock as he lifts his hand to take one.

This was a man who killed so many of you and your friends so far; and is fully willing to kill more in order to feed the plant that's been giving him the power to keep his simulacrums--the shadows of his friends--alive. He's even managed to kill a goddess of Spring; but his success so far has counted only on one thing:

That he's taken everyone out alone. One by one, unexpectedly and without giving them a proper chance to fight in the way the people of Zodiac know best: Cooperation with your friends.

There are a dozen of those humanoid-looking Plant-People scattering around him now.
Any players who do not want to take part in the fight, you may assume your character is hanging back or aiding in the battle against his familiars/the smaller, less dangerous threats.
But to anyone else who wants to put an end to this:

The Baron Omatsuri is ready to take your challenge.

And your life. ]

PURGATORY (Dead People Only)

[kaisoumods]

Congrats on your untimely death! After you die, you will awaken in a very drab waiting room. The only other people in the waiting area seems to be the others who also died back at the carnival. On the wall, there is a sign that reads: Welcome to Purgatory! Please take a number and wait while your soul is processed for its next destination. Thank you. Sure enough, under the sign there is one of those old number ticket machines.

From there, there is nothing to do but... wait! There are plenty of old chairs to sit in (some are even comfortable), along with stacks of magazines that are all discontinued. If you get hungry, there is a cabinet and fridge that is full of various discontinued snacks and drinks. Fancy yourself a New Coke or Pepsi Blue?

Notably, there are two much nicer armchairs that reserved signs on them for death gods - with the words "RESERVED" along with the names of Persephone and Thanatos. There is another somewhat nicer chair that's reserved for a "good boy" with a dog print. Those who get these chairs will be treated to a nicer level of snack and meal during their stay.

Finally, there is an old fashioned tv and antennae. You can use this either to watch some cancelled shows or watch a feed of what's going on back at the Carnival. You'll have to deal with adjusting the antenna regularly and bad reception though.

That's about it for purgatory though! Enjoy your stay.

[OOC: This is the log for all the characters that die during the October Horror plot! ]

[aslowburn]

[Persephone is the Queen of the Dead. She is deeply aware of the intricacies involved in passing a dead soul off into the Underworld. It is her literal job and one she takes very seriously. It's a point of pride, to be able to make sure people can finally rest, wherever in the Underworld they so end up. It's a great honour. A process of importance and dignity.

...Which is to say, this absolutely fucking isn't it. She's looking around the space with a curled lip. She's still pretty pissed off she got killed at all, and now this? There's a seat reserved for her - a big comfy affair, and there are better snacks set aside next to it, with a note stating these were just for her. It's good they have acknowledged her position, at least, but still.

She sits down, picking up a (branded???) snack and opening it to eat it irritably. ]

This is nonsense. This is not how things work.