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

[suspecteverything]

Jules works in the exact opposite way as Nezumi. Jules expects people to hate him because they always do. The problem is they hate him for no reason. In his mind, if they're going to hate him anyway then he might as well give them a reason to hate him. It hurts less inside that way.

"I'm sure whatever monster turns up will be kind enough to give you that oppor-"

Jules stiffens and whispers near silently.

"Dodge left."

He doesn't explain but simply moves and assumes Nezumi will follow him.
It's only once they've both moved that he continues.

"There's something ahead on the right. No idea what. Just a big shadow for now."

[jelliclerats]

Some people hate Nezumi, but they usually find themselves afraid of him as well. Unlike Jules, however, he's created a persona for them to love. On the stage, when in dress and makeup, they love him. Or, they lust after him, but sometimes, the line is thin. Fear can rule a man, but if he thinks he's in love, that hold can be so much stronger.

Weapons come in many different forms.

He sees nothing. A curtain of darkness is his world. His ears try to compensate, but still figures make no noise. That leaves him completely dependent on Jules. Maybe he's trying to make Nezumi look stupid, but he can see no reason to lie otherwise. If he wanted him dead, Jules could do it himself.

So, he dodges.

"How big?" He listens. Nothing. "What can you make out from the shadow?"

[suspecteverything]

"Bigger than me, which says something. Course it's also a shadow."

Depending on the light the shadow could be a hell of a lot bigger than whatever is actually causing it. Not that size truly means anything. His wife is a perfect example of that.

"It's dark," Jules returns incredibly dryly. "Can't see anything. My sight isn't what it should be."

[jelliclerats]

"That must be very hard on you."

The sarcasm drips from Nezumi's words. He can't see either, though his darkness is more mysterious. What if it doesn't fade? This isn't how he wants to live his life. There are too many elements of the unknown.

"Go ahead. Stay quiet. We can't fight what neither of us can see."

[suspecteverything]

"When you're relying on my for my eyes too? Doesn't exactly make my life peachy."

Jules wouldn't like it if it were just him. The fact that his lack of vision could get Nezumi into trouble too made it harder. He has let enough people down in his life.

As much as he hates approaching danger without knowing what to expect, he does as Nezumi asks, moving closer as slowly and carefully as he can. Coiled as a wound spring, he's ready to pull his dagger as soon as there's any indication of movement.