December Event: No Rest for the Wicked

[lifeaftr_mods]

DECEMBER EVENT: NO REST FOR THE WICKED

Who: Anyone and everyone
What: Your trials by fire
When: December 15th - 18th
Where: On Maati and Ensō
Warnings: Character deaths and violence are both likely - please mark as you go!

The Trials: Only Then Can We Begin

As noted in the OOC info post, your Trials will all begin on December 15th. As many of you will not be deposited into your trials with food and water (or any items of your own at all, in most cases), the Trials will last only as long as December 18th. If you've failed to complete your Trial by this deadline but have not used up all the deaths allotted to you, you will awaken by Maati's mana pool at the event's conclusion. If you have not failed your Trial by using up all your deaths, this will not count as a character death, and you will not need to submit for a penalty; you simply won't be able to obtain the reward you would get if you had succeeded! When your character wakes in their allotted Trial, they will discover that their starting chamber has been inscribed with the name of the Trial, the names of those participating, and the number of deaths they have remaining - though the latter aren't labeled in any way. You'll simply have to learn it the hard way; every time your character suffers a death, the number will go down by one. If it wasn't obvious what those numbers stood for at first, by the time the dying starts properly, it certainly will be. And you probably don't want to see it go all the way down to zero...

Should you reach the end of your Trial, you will step out onto the rocky cliffs of Maati, exiting from one of the seven doors set into the cliffs at the seven points of the island's star shape. You see, those doors you discovered earlier weren't the entrances to the Trials at all. They were the exits. And set into the towering cliffs...why, those house the winding mazes that comprise the Trials themselves.

There will be a top-level below for each Trial. Remember to plan with your groups and communicate with your thread partners! Whether you choose to do mingle-style threads or lengthier group threads is up to you.

Once you know the outcome of your Trial, success OR failure, please do let us know so that we can ensure your character gets the reward that befits their triumph...or lackthereof.

Remember also to let us know if your character uses up ALL their deaths during this event. While death penalties will not be inflicted during Trial deaths, if you use up all the deaths allotted to you and die for real, your death penalty will NOT be reduced.

The Water: Don't Let Them Get Away

The rest of you have plenty to contend with as well, of course. If you've opted out of this month's event, be advise that the waters creeping across shores of Ensō, along with the rest of the island, aren't going to take evasion kindly. They'll seek you out, spread along every inch of the island if they can, until they can find you. There is a top-level below, if you're intrigued! Though if you end up top-leveling yourself, we may very well reach out and find you anyway...

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] December 15th: The Trials on Maati begin, and the water begins to rise.
[ ♆ ] December 18th: The Trials reach their end.
[ ♆ ] December 19th: Those who have "perma"-died in their Trials are revived.
[ ♆ ] December 20th: The monthly Storytelling occurs.

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[hyperlit]

lup

[Which is to say, the one other person here they know. She's unmistakable, and there's a tide of something akin to relief that teems in their veins; like them, Lup is capable, and prefers action. With three of them as driven as they are, surely nothing can serve as a barrier so great that they cannot triumph over it, right?]

[The Drifter draws close, dropping to a crouch just across from Lup to pull back the lip of their glove. The glyph glows on the back of their hand, the cyan dull against blue skin.]

the same?

[hellawrath]

[Lup's attention is finally drawn to, you know, the other kidnappees around here, and she pretty much shares the Drifter's feelings on the matter when they come closer. At least one other competent person got dragged here with her! Today's abduction is looking about 5% less shitty already.

The other woman gets an assessing glance; can't say the face is familiar so she's probably some kinda newbie? Looks useful in a fight though, which is probably absolutely gonna happen sooner or later.]

Yeah, since a couple days ago. [She answers the Drifter's question, unnecessarily holding up the back of her hand for them both to see. Then she gets to her feet and scans the area more closely. No Umbra Staff in sight, so that's fucking cool and great!]

And I am so going to wring that goddamn bird's neck when I get out of here!

[lesbeau]

[Man, if only this was all fighting. She watches the two of them talking before snapping her fingers in recognition.]

Wait-- door girl. We talked on the uh, the rocks.

[Instinctively, Beau feels for hers, but it's gone just like the rest of her stuff and she mutters a 'fuck' under her breath.]

Okay, so we all have these symbols and we all got taken. So next up, where the hell are we and what's with the pit?

[She jerks a thumb over her back towards the big ol' hole at the other side of the room.]

[hyperlit]

[The bird - the god, they'd presume. They don't waste time in admonishing her for blaspheming; they've not met the god in question, and so they don't concern themself with turns of phrase. Instead, they straighten up in parallel to Lup, tracking the contours of the room with a sharp, assessing gaze.]

[They don't waste time with introductions.]

one way out

[Of course, it's likely not to be as simple as that. But there is a chamber that proceeds forward, so...]

proceed?

[hellawrath]

[Oh right, one of the people she'd explained that shitty door business to. Well if anything, at least everybody can agree Lup was incredibly right and everybody should listen to her always. Not that that's a ton of comfort when they're stuck in a fucking dungeon and-- everyone else with a mark probably is too, somewhere. Fuck all of this! They've got no time to lose, here.]

We could be underneath Enso, but I bet we're on that new island. The bird had some shit to say about judging people for their like, their virtues and vices, like that's any god's fucking business! Also, I'm in my pajamas! [She just got up and she's already so done. Huffing, she glances over to the Drifter's text.]

Yeah, why the hell not. We're not gonna get anywhere by sitting on our buttmeat. Just remember kids, glowing crystals will fuck you up. [And she follows them to the pit, rubbing her bare arms a bit as if she's hating even the idea of touching the walls.]

[lesbeau]

[Beau's been thinking about that too- her friends back at their camp, the variety of marks between them. None of them are here, but they also didn't match, so it's to be expected. Maybe they're just a room over, and she can bust through- it's something to watch for as they go.

At least she sleeps in clothes she can move in- she's missing her top coat, the sashes usually tied around her, but her crop top, pants and boots are the same.]

Well unless one of you can fly, I dunno if I can jump this thing. Looks damn far without any kind of assist.

[She peers back into the hole.]

And a long ass way down.

[hyperlit]

[The Drifter remembers the crystals, they consider darkly. They don't need the reminder. They're also not prone to blaming gods, but they're not one to voice such an opinion aloud, just yet.]

[They're dressed more or less exactly the same as they always are. It seems the Drifter sleeps in their cloak and tunic, with the expectation that they might need to rouse abruptly, battle-ready. This is absolutely the case.]

[They peer down at the pit, trying to discern an end to the long, inky drop. None presents itself. They feel about in their cloak for their equipment - and stop short. Their motions become choppier, shorter, imbued with a vague frustration that comes from things not behaving as they should.]

weapons
gone