Night 021

[allthekeys]

|| THREAT DOWN

|| NIGHT 021: GENERAL As the sun sets, the rainfall begins to subside. By the time it is dark, it has stopped completely, leaving the overbearing heat and humidity from the previous morning to return. In the wake of the rain, the ground outside is covered in a slippery and inconvenient layer of mud. Shortly after nightfall, an earsplitting screech rings through the sky. The noise is unidentifiable in nature and source, but it carries on for several long minutes and can be heard from anywhere within the castle or the Keep. It is startlingly loud—enough so to even be distressing—and will leave ears ringing and heads aching even after it has gone silent. || THE TOWN The townspeople and merchants pack up their wares from the festival and return to spend most of the night indoors. However, the Gamekeepers remain outside in the square; they keep their booths set up and offer plates of hearty food and pints of ale, encouraging passersby to play games and make merry throughout the night. The bonfire also remains lit. The Bullmen continue tending to it as the night carries on, laughing and telling stories amongst themselves and welcoming anyone else to join in. Wandering outside in town carries an invisible risk tonight. Something—or perhaps many somethings—has become ubiquitous in the air, though without any physical form, its presence is incredibly difficult—and to those without sensitive abilities, flat-out impossible—to detect. Until, of course, it is too late. Its victims will experience an inexplicable burst of deafening static in their heads before falling unconscious—for absolutely no reason as it would appear to anyone who is observing. When they wake, however, something has changed. The Echoes that have infected them will either steal their voices or take control of their bodies to lead their companions into danger. For whatever reason, they will avoid the area around the bonfire. After a full day of rain, the basements of most buildings throughout the town have started to flood. Although the extent of the flooding is thankfully minor, consisting of mostly shallow puddles and for the most part merely an inconvenience, the dampness has attracted hoards of slimy, fishlike Leeches. The creatures will attempt to swarm anyone who enters what they’ve claimed as their habitat. If successful, they will latch onto their prey with several rows of sharp teeth to gorge themselves on blood; once attached, they are maddeningly difficult to remove and will try to keep feeding until there’s no more blood left. || CASTLE The Walking Dead once more march, this time in lesser number and keeping themselves to the second and third floors. Again they prefer human life to animal or non-human, though their feral instincts do direct them to attack the door behind which the zoo creatures are kept. They will doggedly if not particularly quickly pursue anyone who approaches them, and seem to recover from most blows. Much like in town, the Basement of the castle is flooded. It, too, is filled with Leeches that will swarm and hunt the unwary. The Pixies have been caught and returned to their cages, however, the Guards in the castle are busy with yet another hunt. As usual, they will not give much detail if approached and questioned—but it will be possible to gather from talking to them that this time, they are on the search for an escaped bird. || GARDENS AND YARD The Hunters that now populate the river in the Ruins emerge in large numbers and settle in the Courtyard to bask in the mud. Before long, the area is teeming with the beasts—which, as usual, makes it highly risky to wander through, particularly if one is alone. || THE RUINS A soft clicking can be heard in the fog towards the end of the day. As night falls Something steps out of the fog. They look human - at least superficially. Their eyes are made of glass, and their skin has been carefully maintained, their hair is neatly trimmed, and their clothes are in good repair. A close look at their faces reveals that their faces do not move, save to gnash teeth together as they walk, their eyes shifting constantly. Gears are visible in many of them, faces and limbs held together only by these workings. They are quite dangerous, though they are slow moving. Anyone who lingers within arms reach will find themselves pulled close, the unnaturally strong limbs crushing them into nothing.

Comments

[solitarynuvola]

rest in pieces, gamekeepers, because he clearly has better luck than he did in the daytime.

Intelligence game: 76; Strength game: 5; Dexterity: 4.

[mostpositively]

Masaki is trying her luck with games again!

Dexterity: 23 Strength: 88 General: 91 perception: 74 Intelligence: 8 Logic: 1

(she hasn't been spending her chore money on anything but food so...)

[whiteofcrime]

Apparently Shougo does worse in his games now but perseverance wins!! (?)

85 61 87 27 3

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, this post is nice, my sister is analyzing these things, thus I am going to tell her.