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westwhere2023-07-02 05:47 pm
groundrules) wrote in westwhere2023-07-02 05:47 pm
Entry tags:
- 911: evan 'buck' buckley,
- arcane: caitlyn,
- doctor who: clara oswald,
- doctor who: the doctor,
- game of thrones: jon snow,
- harry potter: hermione granger,
- kingdom of the wicked: emilia,
- kingdom of the wicked: wrath,
- legend of fei: xie yun,
- lockwood & co: anthony lockwood,
- mcu: america chavez,
- mcu: kamala khan,
- oh! my emperor: beitang moran,
- owl house: eda clawthorne,
- penny dreadful: vanessa ives,
- star wars: cal kestis,
- tian guan ci fu: xie lian,
- umbrella academy: five,
- untamed: wen ning,
- untamed: wen qing,
- warcraft: wrathion
the sunken | moonrise
The final Arc VI event lasts three days ICly and until 23 July OOCly. Yancai goes back another two years in time to the Huntress’ visit, Miang-Si’s corruption and the memory-meddling rite of the ladies of the lake.
The party can choose to stay neutral, only heading to the House of Commerce to access its now-active beacon — or they can inevitably get mixed up in the affairs of Yancai and endanger the village’s time loop.
For a quick catch-up: the latest clues | everything about Arc VI.
BOAR’S HEART
Rattled, on high alert, feeling watched and skin prickling from static electricity, characters wake to find Yancai has gone back another two years in time. It is now nearly dry, barring rare waterways. Mould is absent. The village bustles with activity: a heavy influx of new arrivals comes by sea, and frequent fishermen’s and merchants’ markets set up in the open road — enjoy fresh fish delicacies, discounted pearls, rare cloth textiles and dyes that include the unique Yancai green!
- ■ No more hauntings take place, and only one moon loiters above the village. Villagers still remember the party under their false identities.
■ Word has spread of the conflict between elder Quanze Tsaymien’s council and a beautiful woman who has taken up in the forests at the village’s outskirts. Gossipmongers say she wastes away in the woods weeping — while ground cracks beneath her feet, grass wilts, waters poison and animals drop dead nearby. Young men are drawn to her and are later forcibly recovered in a state of rambling, feverish exhaustion. Village healers gladly accept your nursing help.
■ Village elders have given the woman — correctly identified by the party as the Huntress — until the following sunrise to leave Yancai on pain of death. You have 24h to encounter her.
■ The forests are livelier than in previous iterations of Yancai, but you feel perpetually… watched, as if sharp eyes follow your progress. These heavy gazes may belong to the young men bewitched to protect the Huntress, or to razor-clawed venom-spitting creatures that hunt her.
■ You may find some of the aforementioned creatures bleeding on the forest path. They possess slightly above canine intelligence, cannot communicate in human tongues, and hesitate to let you approach — but nursing one might reward you.
■ The death-touched (necromancers, those who died or revived, or otherwise marked) may optionally feel compelled to join the Huntress. Physical distance dwindles her pull, as can your own magic or solutions.
■ Luck (?) leads you to a silent and bloodied forest clearing, come sunset. Here, two dozens of Yancai’s recent dead have risen alive and surround the Huntress, some battling the creatures that assail her, while she speaks to 16-year-old village beauty Miang-Si. There is a gaping, if regenerating hole in the Huntress’ chest; in one hand, she holds her yet-beating heart she cuts in several parts she wraps in parchment. She asks Miang-Si to bury these pouches near Yancai to ‘hold her power close,’ in exchange for permanent and ever-blossoming beauty.
■ Wait as the Huntress and her forces retreat — then catch up to Miang-Si, capture her, or find the pouches. The ground where they are buried is desaturated, brittle, nearly pulverised. Hawks and ravens circle above and plunge down to claw at intruders, or attempt to pick up children or feebler adults. To the magically or death-sensitive, the pouches emanate a revolting aura of withering death.
■ Beware if heart pouches were buried beneath aged, thick trees — their roots burst out like nooses and writhing spiders’ legs, looking to either slam you against the tree trunks or entrap you within.
■ Finding at least two heart pouches prevents the dead from rising in Yancai in the years to come! Keep the heart cuts fettered — touching these parts directly can overwhelm you with the need to consume this or other hearts, to compensate for the sudden and unfeeling… coldness in your chest.
WAKE, UNWAKEFULLY
Sunrise finds the Huntress gone from Yancai — while waves of the dead rise from the sea to attack the village. Some come chained, or dragging pieces from the casket-ships in which they were set for water burial.
This is the first undead attack witnessed by Yancai villagers, who are largely clumsy, slow and petrified. Some sentimentally believe their revived relatives never died and plead not to kill them. Many are caught in undefended areas, such as open port harbours, fishing boats, markets — and need help to travel to their families. The Huntress’ spell starts dissolving by midday, with the dead largely pulling back into sea and lake waters
- ■ Beware the village waterways: touching the water replenishes the strength of the dead and saps yours. Look closely at the bottom of the waterways, and you find them lined with dozens of resting corpses. Some wake slowly, as they clutch shards of glistening black mirror — best to… use a very long oar… or plunge very quickly to recover shards.
■ Carrying a mirror shard puts the dead around you to blissful sleep. Those who possess a cut of the Huntress’ heart can take control of up to 20 of the risen dead. Necromancers can control up to 10, even without such a token.
MOTHER MOON
Come midday of Day II, Yancai villagers start to move freely and reunite with loved ones. Waters begin to gently rise and flood the grounds, while the first spores of black mould appear on walls.
The first to help the injured are the washerwomen of Yancai, who favour the young and magically sensitive. You notice they work in perfect synchrony and have developed a hand sign language they can teach you. Keep an ear out, and one might entrust they are hedge witches, the so-called ‘ladies’ of the lake.
■ Join them, either invited or unseen, when they gather at one of Yancai’s three great lakes. Each lady picks up one of the silver coins tossed in the water for luck-bearing. Take one yourself, and you will be able to breathe and speak underwater, following as the ladies dive and swim through thin underwater passageways. Beware countless skeletal remains that line the lakes and sinister fish — both burst out to shackle your limbs, or sound the alarm about intruders.
■ You find the ladies have begun to shelter and ward the dead in lake caves, to avoid their rising up again. The ladies re-emerge in the forest, speaking of a protection rite they agreed with the elders’ council. They are not strong enough to break the Huntress’ lingering spell, but hope to later recruit nascent witch Miang-Si, who teases she has power from the Huntress. For now, the ladies have decided to create a five-year time loop, moving Yancai back and forth in time whenever the dead attack.
■ To achieve their rite, the ladies use large pieces of black mirror confiscated from the Huntress’ dead and the energy of the hunter’s moon that shines down a bloody red tonight. Those with a lunar connection feel the moon aches, disgusted by this violation. Even those unaffiliated with the moon feel irascible and prone to violence while under its gaze.
■ Interrupting the rite rescues the moon, earning you a reward, and breaks villagers from the five-year loop, allowing them to live their true lives. It also exposes Yancai to the dead, unless you remove the heart cuts. Co-ordinate and choose wisely.
■ The ladies conduct their chanting, rune-painting and summons throughout the night of Day III in the forest. You have a wealth of options to break their spell: interfere with the magic flows, disrupt the guarded ash circle of convened witches, summon irate villagers to raid, persuade Miang-Si to intervene, break or steal the rite’s black mirror pieces… You can also reach out to the coven’s strongest witches, who agreed to sacrifice themselves to become overseers in the time flux — the Lumberjack, Red Lady, White Woman, Man in Black and the Milk-Toothed Babes. You can still sign up for a RNG draw to chat.
BAIT & BEACON
To take attention off the ladies of the lake, Yancai’s council organises a sumptuous masked banquet and charity auction for the victims of the undead attack at the lavish House of Commerce. The House has been thoroughly cleansed by the time of your arrival, with only faint, clumsy traces of blood, decay and debris lingering from the previous offensive.
On site, servants are still jittery from the undead assault, while openly armed guards walk the grounds and answer any small provocation. Be kind to the staff or offer sympathy for their likely recent losses, and they might let you in unnoticed, or offer a hand.
- ■ Anyone who brings an item for the auction or who
can pretend s/hepossesses massive wealth can join the banquet. Show up with anything you can brazenly talk up as elite, exquisite or one-of-a-kind — or perhaps auction your services?
■ The House of Commerce contains a locked room with the village’s now fully active beacon. The Master of Commerce has the only key-tokens to access this quarter, somewhere in his study room — pick a lock, sweettalk the staff, or work your magic to get inside the study and grab one of the rune-inscribed tokens. The study room brims with scrolls, globes, letters to and from the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company and maps of… Arc I’s Sa-Hareth in the west, where hand-written news reports say the dead are rising.
■ Back at the banquet, the richest wine and… relaxing herbs and powders are offered freely or sometimes slipped into food to ease spirits. Aiming for levity, participants don comical animal masks or play a local game of ‘bait or hook,’ whereby they approach you with the aforementioned fishing bait or fish hook in closed fists, asking you to pick one. Depending on your choice, you must ‘bait’ the audience with a song or dance, or ‘hook’ them in with a joke or anecdote.
■ Around midnight, attendants are invited to an increasingly competitive auction, punctuated by elbowing, loud voices, crowding and the occasional threat. Beautiful concubines might stick to your arms, asking to be purchased this or that (exorbitant) small nothing as a gift. Participate to keep up your cover, but beware landing in hard debt!
■ Most banquet goers pretend they are indifferent to the undead attack, but some question whether the woman of the forest was to blame — while others mention that the mysterious, far too independent coven of the ladies of the lake is meeting even now, and might be cursing Yancai.
■ However you spend your night, the witch Karsa asks you to infiltrate the House of Commerce by dawns and attempt to leave through the beacon. This will only be possible if at least one person has picked up a key-token…!
no subject
I know. It's scary, honestly, how awesome I am.
[ But she does, once again, warm at his praise of a job well done. ]
How long on the invisibility clock? I'm hoping it doesn't matter anymore anyway, but just in case we're in a rush.
[ Still staying close, she's armed with her spoon in one hand and his hand in her other, letting him lead her while she looks at the ground. There are more exposed tree roots, and she's trying to be careful in the dark. ]
no subject
[ He grins and taps her nose fondly with his free hand. ]
Thirteen minutes and twenty-two seconds. More than enough time! We could save the universe and be back for tea with that sort of time. And we will, won't we? Or at least, this particular pocket of the universe.
[ He keeps her steady as they walk, able to see in the night far better than she can. He won't let her fall, of course, won't let her stumble even for a moment. As they walk closer to the tree, the Doctor begins to notice the ground shift beneath them as they walk; what was previously soft earth is now brittle, almost crunching underfoot. Nearer still, and he hears before he sees — a very large raven swooping down to the right of Clara. Quickly, he gathers her and tries to pull her up against his body to shield her before it has a chance to claw at her. ]
you son of a bitch
We could pop in on the Queen with that sort of time.
[ Clara feels more confident with the Doctor guiding her, but the nearer they get, the weirder the feeling in her stomach becomes. It's a healthy warning from her brain that screams 'what in hell are you doing?, which she promptly ignores. By the time she clocks the raven, she's already being pulled close, but the bird is near enough that she feels the flap of its wing whisper through her hair when it passes.
Soon, it seems to call as it angrily flies away. ]Was that a massive dinosaur of a bird or am I really just that small?
[ She's exaggerating, to try and hide the fact that her heart feels like it might beat out of her chest. Although, the fact that she's still got an iron grip on him might blow her cover. ]
♪ every now & then I fall apart / turn around bright eyes ♪
Its presence alone wouldn't normally unsettle him, but something cold passes through him as it flies near Clara. Something foreboding, something...beyond this place. Like the withered hands of time and fate reaching out for Clara; a pang like a sudden hole on his heart. His hold on Clara briefly tightens, even when he's sure the raven has gone. ]
[ Tenderly: ] You're bigger than you even know, Clara.
[ Just as quickly, though, he tips her head back slightly, gently, offering a smile of reassurance. ]
It's gone. Where's our friend Mr. Poe when you need him?
[ He looks around again in the air, though, just to be sure he can't see a raven flying close, or any other winged, beastly creature. And when he's sure, he tugs on Clara's hand again. A few steps further and he notes the change in atmosphere. ]
I can smell it...old death. Very old, very not fragrant, definitely not a perfume I'd recommend.
no subject
[ His reassurance goes a long way though, and so does his grip on her. But his words, you're bigger than you even know, make her feel braver than just a few seconds ago. She thinks he has a way of doing that for a lot of people, and it might be one of her favorite things about him. ]
It is midnight, and it is dreary.
[ She pauses. ] Actually, I dunno what time it is, but what does that even matter right now? It's dark, is my point. Poe's bound to have friends around here somewhere.
[ She doesn't stumble, not quite, but she can feel it when the ground becomes bumpy with tree roots. ]
We must be getting close, yeah? What does your unfortunate sense of smell tell you?
no subject
[ Now he's just talking to himself, but he's still leading Clara forward, and as they reach the base of the old, bent tree with its branches twisting towards the darkened sky, the Doctor at last tugs Clara to kneel gently on the ground. ]
Here, it's here. Well, one of the its, in any case. She's scattered the bits all around.
[ Producing his own spoon alongside her, the Doctor begins to dig. With his other hand, he guides Clara to right where he's digging, and though the pouch isn't entirely near the surface, it shouldn't take them too long either, working together. ]
This is sort of our modus operandi, isn't it? Well, not specifically the digging up of body parts, exactly, but it wouldn't be the strangest thing we've ever done either, would it?
no subject
We've never gone grave robbing together, no. But you and me? We've done some weird things. Every day is more awesome than the last with you.
[ Smiling to herself as she digs (ridiculously) with her spoon, she's focused and unaware as tree roots inch closer to her from behind. ]
How much can I tell you before I risk blowing up the universe? Because the time I basically spoke for humanity to an alien during the Cold War was - wait. Ah-ha!
[ Reaching into the shallow hole, she pulls out the wrapped piece of heart and tries not to think about the hole it came out of. There's blood and muscle and something that was pulsating once, sitting in her hand, at least a part of it. Even if it is wrapped, it gives her the creeps (which is putting it mildly). ]
I'm really not keen on holding onto this the whole way back. Do you—
[ Before she can finish her statement, she's pulled backwards quickly, yanked as if on a wire. Dropping the piece of heart, her arms are pinned to her sides and she realizes belatedly that she's wrapped up in the roots of the tree. ]
Doctor!
[ She can't move anything, being squeezed tightly the way she imagines a snake would begin to crush its prey. The thought makes her panic a little, trying anything to get herself loose. In response, the roots pull back, seemingly winding up to toss her away. ]
my my my how the turntables
[ He smiles with no small measure of pride, only briefly pausing before they're back to digging. He's about to reach for the wrapped piece of heart they've dug up when Clara is thrown back against the tree, and that brings the Doctor immediately to his feet; the spoon and the cut-up heart temporarily forgotten.
He comes closer, carefully, avoiding any roots himself. The last thing they need is him getting pulled up into the tree alongside her. His wide, worried eyes gaze up at her and he holds his hands out towards her. ]
Don't panic! Stop fighting it for a moment and let me think. Okay, thinking now, definitely my best work yet, just give me a moment.
[ Don't panic. Easy for the Doctor to say. His hearts pound in his chest, but he doesn't consider for a moment that he won't get her out of this. Of course she'll be safe. And all the while, he's fidgeting, searching his pockets for something to cut the roots with. ]
at least he's here for this one
Not having the best time ever, please hurry!
[ Wheezing the words out, she's helpless to watch as another root begins to creep toward her neck, beginning to wind around to finish the job. Did the Huntress enchant the trees or does the forest really not want the heart pieces to be dug up? It's the last thing she wonders as spots begin to dance around her vision. Still, Clara isn't afraid she'll die, never once does it cross her mind. The Doctor won't let it happen, and she knows it, even if that is a hell of a lot of trust to put in someone. ]
fistbump
And the moment he can, the Doctor grabs for Clara, lifting her up and into his arms, quickly carrying her away from the tree itself. ]
Had to put a bow on the night, did you? Okay, Clara, feeling alright? How many fingers am I holding up?
[ All ten. ]
teamwork makes the terrifying dream work
I'm alright, just tell me you got the piece of heart.
[ She's technically fine, but she definitely hurts, an angry redness around her neck. When she stands up straight she winces even more, bringing an arm around her middle. ]
Also, ten, and thank you for the tree trimming service.
no subject
[ Once she's safely on the ground again and steady on her feet, the Doctor leans in a bit, focused on her neck, his fingers lightly tracing her soft skin for a moment as he examines. ]
I have the heart, I've got you — most important — off we go.
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Nope, not yet, I don't think all the oxygen has finished getting to my knees.
[ Closing her eyes, she leans against him, seeing stars briefly in her peripheral vision. ]
I just need a second.
no subject
Right. We'll need to be moving. Only option —
[ He moves to simply lift her again. ]
no subject
There's a sound behind them, back at the tree, and she hears an angry...howl? Screech? Opening her eyes, Clara looks up at the Doctor and tightens her grip on him. ]
How fast can you run while holding onto a slightly terrified woman?