EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

[avalonmods]

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Autumn, despite the chillier weather, is a season of warmth and gathering. Perhaps moreso this year than normal, given the rather unplanned gathering of Celliwig and Lestari underneath Camelot's roofs. Though significant contributions from otherworlders have made food, shelter, clothes and other productions and donations, medical care, security and protection, and childcare an amazing group effort, typical individual celebrations for the departure of the dead from Avalon aren't being held, like Lestari's Death Ball. After looking at all the support they've been given, Lestari and Celliwig have looked at what they have to offer to help both their own people and the people of Camelot and other worlds.

The people of Lestari excel in cognitive magic, and while there are those who use it for mind-altering magics, there is a good portion who dedicate their studies to emotional and psychological support. One such method is the enchantment of origami paper into something affectionately called Worry Monsters: an specialized counseling technique used to help form support bonds between people with negative emotions. Having spent a portion of the month enchanting paper, two square sheets of paper are handed out to anyone the encounter. The first paper says: "Personifying your emotions can give them a tangible form and make them easier to face. Write down something that causes you worry, stress, fear, or sadness. This is your Worry Monster." The second paper says: "When your Worry Monster is present, how does it make you feel? Any reaction is valid."
When both papers are written on, the writing on both will disappear as if absorbed by the paper, then the pages will animate and fuse, then begin to fold into a monster! Halloween is this month, is it not? There is no sense in not having a little fun. These little Worry Monsters will stomp off and begin roaming Camelot until they find a match-- someone who shares those feelings. Once they find an emotional matching Worry Monster, the monsters will return to their creator and grow to the size of kaiju. They are very light, enchanted paper, so even if someone or something gets stepped on, they won't be hurt or damaged. However, they are strong enough to pick their makers up and carry them to the matching monster who will do the same. Don't worry-- characters will be invisible while being carried by their monster, so their identities will be protected until they are brought to their match. The paper monster will turn to butterflies and fly away once their task is complete. What matches do after they are brought to each other is up to them-- but they will know, undoubtedly, that they share the same worries-- they are with someone who understands. Do it as many times as you'd like, for as many negative emotions as your character wants. For finding something to do, Celliwig offers a solution. While Lestari's people have spent their efforts this month enchanting papers, the people of Celliwig are less apt to share so openly. Instead, they take their time learning about a variety of holidays from other worlds, and come to find one they can apply their particular talents to. While most of their showcase in the past has been on light magic, a holiday such as Halloween plays in particular to their talents in dark magic. A number of locations that have opted in and won't interfere with other relief efforts have been enchanted with dark magics for brave souls to venture into and test their courage! What's more, each of these locations will yield tokens for the victors that can be used to gain prizes. All courage tests must be performed with partners. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
	The library has been converted into a haunted art gallery, many of which have had their paints and other implements enchanted. Some paintings will seem like they're watching you, others will seem like a small figure in the background is following you throughout the library in different paintings. A painting of fruit may start throwing the fruit at you and materializing it into real fruit, so you may find yourself pelted with tomatoes if you don't run fast! A single painting filled with black paint might start leaking and filling the room you're in, pulling you into shadow until you're stuck in the library's underground labyrinth. (Reference monthly quests here and here for more info about the labyrinth.)
There are a variety of paintings with different curses applied. Navigate through the library and escape the haunted paintings-- pairs who make it through without turning back will gain a Celliwig Token.
Another token can be gained via scavenger hunt in the Broceliande. Find cursed dolls from within tree hollows. The dolls will giggle and try to run away, may move when they're only visible in the corner of your eye if you set them down. What's perhaps a little spookier is that they take on the appearance of the first person to touch them, though they will never exceed three inches in height. Beware during your search, however, as there are a good many trees that have been transfigured into mimics. Though the mimics are not going to attack anyone, they do have giant hidden, wriggling tongues that will reach up and wrap the unalert up above the ground for capture. The only way down is if a partner fights the mimic, so don't go alone! Find a doll of both you and a partner and make it back to Camelot to obtain your token. The curse will break once they're exchanged for a token, so you can keep the cute little doll for yourself if you'd like.

The last test of courage invokes a temporary blindness hex on one of the partners. Both partners are walked into a soundproofed room, entirely silent in a way that truly seems to mess with one's head. The unblinded partner is only allowed to answer "yes" or "no" questions, though no one will fault them for giggling as long as they give no clues otherwise. The blind partner is to stick their hands into a tank of water with mystery items hidden within. These items may be mere objects like peeled grapes in soggy noodles, or perhaps the tank is filled with chicken bones and those tiny garra that eat dead cells and are sometimes used for pedicures. All the items are set up to feel spooky, but ultimately are unharmful. As long as the partner who can give clues doesn't break the yes/no rules and the item is guessed within 3 guesses, a token will be rewarded!

Bring tokens to the inn where a stall has been set up, with Gwion working the booth to exchange tokens for the following prizes: 1 Token: Celliwig glasswork glass set of 4-- spooky themed! It's filled with candy upon receiving, so they are friendly for everyone. 2 Tokens: Recipe: Smokescreen - Cast this spell on any liquid to make it billow plumes of fog. The smaller the water surface, the smaller the billow. A shot glass might just create a small whisp, but two mop buckets would be enough to fill up a medium room. Will not effect the contents of the liquid. Cannot be used on water bodies larger than a swimming pool (could screen about half a block). 3 Tokens: Recipe: From the Void - Summons a disembodied tentacle from the shadows. It takes a lot of energy, so you could probably manage up to three casts a day at most before becoming exhausted. Great for binding enemies, sneaking in small spaces, and reaching places you might not be able to otherwise. The tentacle will follow whatever command you have in mind upon summoning, so be sure to concentrate on the task at hand!

Comments

[mayoninofukucho]

Alright. Give me a moment.

[Alcohol is bad for the Shinsengumi's health for sure, given how much they tend to drink of it back in Edo, so some tea will do Hijikata good. He sets to it a little clumsily, not used to making his own (back home he has subordinates for that, and here on Avalon he flat-out stopped drinking it ever since he moved out of the hotel with its convenient ready-to-drink tea dispensers), but after a few minutes two steaming cups stand on the old wooden kitchen table. Hijikata sits down and invites Chang Geng to to the same.

He blows on the cup's surface to cool the drink down, warming his hands and feeling the quiet settle in around them... hell, alright, he'll break his secret first, if only because he's the host here and they're technically in his new organisation's headquarters.]

I recently took a leadership of a new night patrol organisation. My subordinates are mostly completely new to the job, and I've never worked with ghosts before, so I hope it'll all go well.

[This was a curt, sloppy and emotionally evasive way of putting it, but it's a start!]

[mayoninofukucho]

[If Hijikata knew that Ryouma doesn't intend to hand in his tokens he'd nag him to do it. Even if he doesn't need any of the prizes now, one never knows when they may come in handy, and even if not, there's always the option of gifting or selling them!

As it is, though, he just looks after him, his smile at the other man's positive assessment of their teamwork briefly turning into a frown when he sees him trip. He makes a half-move to go after him, but stops himself - he said he'll be fine, so he'll trust him on that! He's not his escort! He does, however, call back after him.]

Walk slowly!!

[He hasn't known Ryouma for long, but if anything happened to him he wouldn't be happy. He observes him until he's out of sight, musing about how he's too kind and trusting... such people tend to be taken advantage of. Well, if it happens on Hijikata's watch there'll be a quick and ugly turnaround.]

[unhappy]

...Impress someone so they'll keep you around?

[ Haha... Sorry Morgan, you're admiring someone who's a tsundere on the outside but takes a hard left into yandere sometimes. She pats her hands off on her pants after there's nothing in the tree and sighs. ]

[emet_sulk]

[ It is the 'forgotten' part that most likely brought them together then, he thinks irritably. He certainly doesn't want for money, nor does he believe himself to be weak. A failure, though...

He hadn't written that down for this activity, but he has certainly failed a great many people. ]

Why do you believe they would look at you differently? Have you undergone some drastic change in personality of late?

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera slows down his eager pace and glances back at Naomi, a pout in his expression.]

Fine… fine… we’ll do better as a team anyways.

[fujimaru]

[ She takes his hand automatically, getting to her feet. If she's a bit wobbly, then she's allowed. The whole thing probably didn't take longer than half an hour, but it feels a little like it's been all day.

And if she sticks a little closer to Crow than she would normally, when walking with someone... that's probably fair too, right? If they have to band together again, it's better for them to stick together. She also holds her breath a little, only letting it out once they're actually outside.

After a couple of seconds just waiting to see if another shoe might drop, she throws her hands up into the air and says, in the most deadpan tone possible: ]

We made it. Yayyyy.

[chatwithdeath]

[For all his acting, still such a kid. She nods still.]

Indeed. In fact... I believe I see one of our dolls...

[Though, where it is... amongst others in an open hole of a tree.]

[bakudan_bambino]

[Definitely not an adult. But hey, he never really got to have a good fun childhood.]

Which one? We both have like… the same colored hair.

[He starts patting around his shirt for his glasses, unable to tell which of them the doll is supposed to resemble.]

[chatwithdeath]

[Which is unfortunate.]

Yes, we do. [And may no one else point that out.] Hm... they are cursed dolls capable of movement and escape. Perhaps their appearance can change as well.

[Because, aside from the 'hair', she's not really discerning any other features.]

[yorhaberserker]

She hurried after him, a small, colder smile on her lips as they drew nearer the winged creature. "What the fuck is that?" it had to be illusion magic. But they probably couldn't go on until they got through this.

The winged cat roared at Dust as he approached, slashing out.

[weenwoon]

"Offal would be a rather crude choice, too. I would fault them for a lack of imagination."

Hythlodaeus watches his friend try to explore the box with a smile - Hades is usually very coordinated and in control, and it's rather adorable to see him be clumsy and a little awkward. At the same time he leans in closer to look at what Hades would have to fish out, and - ah. Hm. That certainly is a lot of teeth. Hythlodaeus raises his eyebrows and looks over to his friend, waiting for his questions.

[bakudan_bambino]

[He hasn’t met many people that share his hair color, and he’s just now thinking over how interesting it is that that’s the case.]

You think? I wouldn’t put it past them.

[Fae magic, after all, is tricky.]

[emet_sulk]

Hades feels around and his first, immediate clue is the faint, muted rattle they make as he moves his hand about in the water. Tiny rattling, like pebbles clattering upon stone. But...not quite stone. They're too light for that. Feel too sharp as well.

...The sharpness could be a trick though.

"Are they something natural?" he asks dubiously.

[weenwoon]

Hythlodaeus pauses for a moment, mulling his answer over - it's not exactly in his nature to answer anything simply, but it would be a shame if they got disqualified because of his tendency to run his mouth. If he's only allowed to give "yes" or "no" answers...

"Yes, yes and yes."

He hopes that the sheer repetition will carry across the message of "you don't get more natural than this".

[emet_sulk]

"Are you really going to trust its word?"

Emet-Selch frowns at the doll, so suspiciously obedient all of a sudden. "You would let it tie itself up after all the effort it went to in order to evade capture?"

[emet_sulk]

The enthusiastic response has him tilting his head slightly towards his friend.

"One 'yes' would have sufficed."

--But very well. He may as well eliminate one clear option.

"Are they pebbles?"

[latkje]

[ Geddoe? Hmmm. That's interesting. ]

Extremely sporting of you. [ Nash does see the difference between attacking and self-defense. ]

But I'm not going to attack you, at least not today.

[ One straight turn deserves another, he supposes. ]

[tantailizing]

"It's a mini-me. We'll be fine."

Unless it was an evil mini-him! But no, he doesn't think so... maybe. Either way, the doll's pretty cooperative if... playing up the role of hostage like a small nerd. So dramatic the way it begins to lie around after the knot is made.

"We still have to find your own doll."

[mithrarin]

[Wasting not a moment of time, Dust violently smacks the tree with the flat of the Blade of Ahrah. Take a hint and behave, whatever you are!]

[mithrarin]

Oh, well, that made things easier. Dust parried the attack with a ringing blow that almost sounded like thunder as his strength collided with the beasts -- but he'd been expecting that, and as the recoil staggered them both back, he recovered first. The Blade of Ahrah whipped through a huge arc as he swung it.

[chatwithdeath]

I wouldn't either.

[Curiously, they don't seem to be attempting to escape now... but the tree itself seemed off to Naomi.]

[letmewin]

( Asriel practically trips and falls when the familiar finally releases its grip, but he catches himself just in time. He looks up to Asterios worriedly. )

... Are you okay, Asterios?

( He's never seen him react like that... )

[letmewin]

Y-Yeah!

( Asriel quickens his pace, not daring to let her hand go. )

We have to hurry! The ink is getting closer!

( It almost feels as if-- the more their own pace quickens, the faster the ink becomes as well. )

[suetekh]

[Set tries to think about what he should say but he only comes up with blanks in his mind. Part of him does know that Emerald isn't expecting him to say anything to make her feel better. Just like he doesn't think there is anything she could say to help him. Simply put, things are just bad. Words will not bring back the people that are gone from their lives nor will it make the anger and pain go away.]

I am angry at myself but I guess I...don't have time to be so angry. I was angry for a long time and it didn't get me anywhere. Only losing my lord brother and all I can do is keep his last wish true. That I lead like the king he was.

[So he is angry and yet day by day, he feels like that angriness is being taken from him. Replaced by something far more passive that he can't put a name to.

But him saying this out loud makes him think.]

The person that died for you. What do you think he would have wanted? I don't know if it's the same but I guess it helps me knowing that I'm trying to be somebody that Osiris would have been proud of.

[morganknight]

[Look, he sure as hell isn't admiring her unshakeable moral clarity.]

If that's your goal, you're taking a totally unnecessary risk by definition anyway. [Morgan's turn to check a tree, though the one he picks has a branch a bit higher than hers. He jumps up to grab it, then begins pulling himself up to look.] Hell, I'd say the more stupid risks you take, the more it'd impress the person.