Oops, All Nightmares w/ a side of ice

[steadypulse]

Because I realized it could be fun for some if I made notice of this if some of y'all wanted to;

Due to 76's going Full Noctaere, as part of a small player plot heavily involving the Glowing Dawn flowers he helped discover and get in to certain peoples' hands, there's an uptick of Noctaere/nightmare energy corrupted wildlife around town and the residential district, and of course spreading out through the Wildlands. There are also zones of extreme burning cold with an overgrowth of rock-hard frozen thorny vines and other plant overgrowth spread throughout the same areas depending on where he moved for his escape towards less populated areas. This is where they'll be mostly populating and just drawn to.

There's also a few of these wolf-shaped things moving in small packs turning these critters corrupted for a good Nightmare Meal for big ol' Noctaere 76 that spawned them. These things are mostly made of shadow and are little more than Noctaere puppets, but still vicious if encountered.

I'll answer questions about this stuff if needed/wanted, but still have fun if you decide to play about with any of this.

Comments

Question

[perfectenn]

Actually, I was wondering something. OOCly from the plotting memes, I know there's been a build-up. But I'm curious what's known ICly? Like has anything about the cave been made public? Or for those who visited the Wild Harvest and inquired about 76's absence, what would they have been told? Has 76 been seen at all since last month? Any other 'oh hey that's weird' tidbits leading up to this?

Basically, what's been the NPC chatter if players poke around?

[steadypulse]

Answering this in parts to not get myself jumbled;

Nothing about the cave has been shared publicly, it's also been burned and cleared out of all life as if the middle of last month. As far as I know only Yujin, Kazuma, Jude, Zelda, and Susato knew about the cave before Reaper torched it and made sure there was absolutely 0 life left after 76 was attacked in said cave and nearly killed.

Those who have visited the Wild Harvest and noticed 76's absence last month/commented/asked about it would have been informed that he'd been under the weather.

He's been seen here and there after a week in to this month and near the end of last month, picking a bit back up but still taking it easy- so basically around with Blue the dragon in tow. He could also be seen in his room of the Wild Harvest, milling around and resting on the couch in there and noticeably coughing. All work staff had been keeping him off duty even then.

So otherwise, no one would have really heard anything other than the man had been sick and was under Yujin Mikotoba's care. No one chattering about anything in regards to him other than his noticeably being sick and thus not as around and about as he normally would be.

Anything I've missed/you would like more on?

[perfectenn]

Adding that Jude told Tenn about the cave and flowers in December, but Tenn never went to the location.

Interesting... I wanted to get an idea for whether this seemed to occur out of the blue, or if there was a discernible trail leading up to it. I'm sure the characters will investigate the Noctaere-forming process more as the game progresses, so I'll keep it in mind for the future. Thanks!

And psst the mod team will need to update the World Directory: Wildlands, since the cave location is still listed.

[steadypulse]

Their player mentioned that! Well, about the flowers but not the cave, neat.

Those who were more personally involved in 76's care will know where this was coming from at least. The price of hiding growing corruption for months upon months while trying to figure out how everything works, ha. Figured the side effects of it all would just be a neat thing for players to use for their characters to run in to if wanted. Otherwise those involved in the plot talked to me when I put it out there I was planning on doing this early on. o7

The cave is still there, the insides have just been torched and everything living within it killed. Something will move back in once Reaper's tantrum is over, so no changes needed to be made.

[perfectenn]

In that case, and after reading the comments below, I do have one more question… or a jumble of several?

Now that I’ve had a chance to read around and think about it some more, I’m realizing that I’ve been very confused about the cave’s description and access. The cavern and flowers were announced in the Monthly Dream Notes and put into the World Directory, implying that this is a location open to all players. However, from your replies, this was actually a secret location for a player’s plot, and therefore known only to a few players. Also, the destruction of the area wasn't announced in this month’s Notes, and the Directory still lists it as healthy and thriving with flowers and ents. So I’m finding conflicting information depending on where I look for worldbuilding updates. it’s Schrodinger's cave

Likewise, I’m also concerned that new players coming into the game will have no way of knowing this is an exclusive – or changed – location. In the Directory, it looks like just another place characters can find and wander around.

There seem to be multiple snags here, and admittedly, worldbuilding games like this with lots of individual story threads are a challenge to keep organized! I wanted to broach this to you first, but I can also comment on the State of the Game post if that would be easier for the mod team?

[steadypulse]

I can see where you're getting confused, honestly. Lemme see if I can word it well;

It's not exclusive, but the knowledge of it hasn't ICly been widespread, yet alone used by anyone save for the listed characters that do know of it. It's open to the public, but updates about it's condition since it was added just haven't been publicly spread yet.

Any actual updates will not go through until March, due to things not being finished. There's still more to be done as I've mentioned to the Zelda-player.

[professorbestie]

Adding to this, Yujin told Anya that the flowers were found in a cave by the river. But he also warned her against going there because of the Ents (thread still ongoing). I don't actually know whether anyone told Yujin that the cave was torched and the ents killed, HAHAA...

[steadypulse]

It likely would have come up- hit up Taisa since Kazuma would've likely gotten to him if not 76 to explain WHY ENT SKULLS ARE APPEARING IN 76s ROOM SUDDENLY. O o p s.

[steadypulse]

Thinking about it if Yujin came in to check on 76 and saw a pile of skulls, 76 would have told him personally. WHICHEVER WAY YOU WANNA SWING THAT ACTUALLY.

[steadypulse]

Just to make this a triple chain at this point, remind me to pull you in on the aftermath plans because oh boy, for when you're ready since I'd rather not overwhelm you with what else you've got going on with Otto.

Y'all left Taisa and I alone again..

[professorbestie]

I have no idea which way exactly I wanna swing that, but it's good to know that Yujin should absolutely know by now, regardless of who told him.

Also I'm always ready. The Otto thing is technically just one thread and it isn't even going yet.

[steadypulse]

Like the very moment he came in to check on 76 within the time he was still living with them, so he'd have known for a while at least to make that easier. Reaper leaving the gifts of Ent skulls like a giant murder cat- more reason for Yujin to learn early in right there because 76 would be concerned for the mans' family's safety, too. But yeah, however you want to swing that can grab Taisa in to work out something smoother than my rambling.

Wanted to be sure not to put too much on your plate but still keep you in the fun /o/ Fun Times, fun times.

[professorbestie]

You do understand, of course, that we have a big Dreamshift event right around the corner which is sure to add way more to that plate? lmao but it's fine, really. I finally have a job that gives me a bit of leeway to tag during work hours, so I can handle it. Bring it on!

[steadypulse]

I helped make it so y u p, and all the more reason I wanna make sure this isn't adding too much on your plate- and why I've just got it out there 'm going to b backtagging this thing through next month and onwards as need be. It's at least slowing down after this part, since it isn't the end. Just goes to a more relaxed and less threatening pace.

Flexible to work with you right there etc.

[judicialassistant]

just going to toss in here that i was also going to offer myself up for aftermath things, since i didn’t want to step on any toes with what was planned out already :> been fun to follow along on plurk though and i appreciated the ping!

[steadypulse]

Very likely to get pulled in on the Kazuma side- and hear something from 76 eventually possibly STILL SEEIN HOW THAT END END GOES.

[multidisciplinary]

Piggy backing here for a sec: just for reference when did said-torching happen?

[steadypulse]

Early-ish-Middle of January/A few hours after Reaper found 76 and got him to the Mikotoba household in pitch black night since there was no moon. Zelda may get this story from Jude since Jude's getting info from 76 in person backdated to some days after it's happened.

[multidisciplinary]

Cool, that'll be enough time for Jude and Zelda to have collected samples of the flowers a couple times before they're all mercilessly destroyed (THANKS, REAPER). She'll definitely grill Jude for an explanation when she finds out what happened.

Hopefully they'll grow back eventually.........

[steadypulse]

I had hoped that it would! I'd tried to place it somewhere that'd not crush plans for y'all with that and give time for any visit to happen(flexible for all involved even in the fringes, honestly).

I've got plans there, honestly! If you want some involvement in that I'd be happy to arrange, and it'll be happening sometime in March if you don't have a full plate. Like if Zelda'd be curious about meeting the guy who helped initially discover them etc. Just happy to work with you and getting her deep in some flowers.

This part, what's in the log that just went up, is also creating a variant of the Glowing Dawn, a mutation due to them growing within a human body rather than what the Ents have been doing(I'd also be real happy to go in to that if you want to know for ooc information's sake!). I've put a lot of thought in to things and it's grown from the initial discovery that Taisa and I created.

[multidisciplinary]

I appreciate that! I'm definitely not up to speed on everything that's going on with the TGAA/OW blended family drama, lol. It sounds like it's been A Lot.

Zelda would actually be curious to meet 76! Jude was deliberately vague when talking about 76 and discovering the Glowing Dawn, and while Zelda didn't pry, she is curious about what's up with that.

If you have OOC info about the Glowing Dawn, I would LOVE that! I will 1000% take all of your information, please and thank you. It'll help me get an idea of what Zelda would have learned about the plant, since she's been studying it for a couple months now.

[steadypulse]

The unexpected! It's been a good time and it's the sort of thing I didn't expect in the beginning; the beauty of RP right there.

He's pretty open to answering questions about things like that at least, even if he's careful and makes sure whatever danger is known rather than leave it unsaid. Some things he keeps close to his chest when it concerns his own condition but hey it be like that. Which is to say these two meeting and talking is very much an easy thing to work out!

What's known behind the scenes to a few already(I mean OOCly of course, before I confuse myself so making it very clear) is the fact that these particular Ents in the cave(there are other populations, just hidden like these were and have gone even more hidden since Reaper's tantrum.) is that hey actually cultivated the Glowing Dawn flowers themselves! For the purpose of warding away nightmare energy/corruption a noctaere can cause; they also implant these in their own bodies, to fight off corruption from clinging to them. Of course this means the flowers are important to them in a sense, and a reason nothing else like them exists elsewhere(outside of Yujin's greenhouse and the little patch Kazuma and 76 managed to get growing). A reason that the deer that graze in their cave have Glowing Dawns growing off them as well, because they are partially plant themselves so it's easier for them to be wht they eat.

So you can imagine how a "well meaning" Ent putting one inside of a human body could go really wrong. They're used to their own biology and even that of the deer, not something that isn't plant at all.

[steadypulse]

Also, so many days later it's nearing the end of the month so you can tell my brain's been scattered.

If you'd like to plot out this little meeting and outing for discovery you can add me on plurk here for any ease of communication, if you're comfortable with that. Either way, I look forward to getting it started in March should that timing be good for you.

[lonelysmiles]

Oh yay. Dogs. Alastor's favorite.

Shadows are Alastor's wheelhouse but I don't want to just jump in. Skimreading the comments, it looks like there's already been a bit of buildup with other characters, so I'm not sure how to get involved without potentially screwing up any plans you have with them. Any suggestions?

[steadypulse]

You could take these elements in to a post of your own!

But of course if you'd like for Alastor to have a run in with Noctaere 76 himself it could just be some nebulous time before running in to Reaper as Reaper's thread is where it ends(none of the tags of those who are planned encounters otherwise are at a set time/order if that makes sense? Reason it's semi-closed, as I'm leaving it to just a few who hit me up like this for my own sanity{aka you good!}.). Like the only thing solidly planned is that Reaper's who pulls 76 out of the Noctaere state.

So to better answer- Legit can just see some shit's afoot and come investigate!

[flamekthunder]

how dare you break eustace's heart like this

[steadypulse]

nightmare, baby