isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

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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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I don't really get the feeling it's gonna be that easy... if the paintings are moving, they're probably ghosts or something, right? I don't think ghosts can be stopped by walls."

The ones she knows sure aren't! ...she doesn't say that aloud, though the thought does occur to her as soon as she says what she does. Technically speaking, any Servant could just walk right through her closed door back in Chaldea. That's only a little disconcerting to think about right now.

"But let's just keep moving, for now. If it doesn't stop them, at least we'll be further away."

Ritsuka's probably got a point but Lina still finishes turning the portrait around before she steps back. Can't hurt, at least. "Sure thing." Tucking her arms back behind her head again, she follows along with Ritsuka.

"So, you do this kind of stuff back home or not?" She asks as they walk, gesturing vaguely with one arm at the labyrinth around them (the apparent "stuff" to which Lina is referring to). "I've been trying to figure it out and I can't get a read on you."

"Yes...? And no."

That's a bit of a cop out answer, and she knows it. Ritsuka shrugs, though she's more focused on checking out the other paintings as they pass. Hopefully none of the others are going to get funny ideas of stepping out of their frames and into the hallway.

"I'm not really a mage or anything. I'm about as ordinary as you get, except I guess I'm also pretty lucky. I've survived a lot more than I should have, that's all."

A pause, and then, "Man, that sounds a lot grimmer than I feel. That's what I've got, though."

"Luck, huh?" Lina nods along, glancing at the paintings along the opposite wall, also looking for any signs of imminent attack. "Yeah, that kind of thing can be handy. Sure saved my butt a few times, let me tell you." Always seems to run out just when she could really use it, though. Usually it tends to fail right at the moment when it'd be the most dramatic. Weird, that. "So, real save-the-world type stuff, that kinda thing?" Seems to be the sort of person Avalon attracts, on the whole. Guess there's a reason for that.

She also quickly whirls around and walks backwards for a moment, just to make sure they're not being followed by the creatures from the first painting. "Good news, if we're being followed, they're really takin' their time." She says, spinning back around. Maybe her turn it to face the wall plan worked!

"Not on purpose or anything, though. It was all kind of an accident."

Kind of, she says, though sometimes she thinks about the tiny bombshell that Arthur dropped, the first time they met--the idea that Roman had somehow known she would be there, and had deliberately kept her there and talking to avoid the bomb that had been planted in the command room...

Well, never mind that. It's the sort of thing she thinks back on, then sets it aside for Future Ritsuka to think about.

"I mean, I'll take it if we can make it through with nothing chasing us. I've got good boots for running, but that's not what I was looking forward to today."

She also has to look back. Just in case. Which means she's not looking as a long, ghostly pale arm stretches out from a painting ahead of them, the fingers outstretched in a grabby motion.

"Hey, that's even better in a way." Lina laughs. "It tends to play a lot better when you do that kinda stuff, y'know." She rubs a finger under her nose. "Altruistically." Lina's all for saving the world when she has to; after all, it's where she both lives and keeps all her stuff. But people can be so judgey if you expect a reward for doing it! Sometimes faking (or, you know, not actually faking, even Lina's mercenary nature has limits, y'know) tends to be more profitable in the long run. People trip over themselves to reward you if you make like you're not asking for it.

"Not much for running myself." Lina replies, though she does glance down at Ritsuka's boots, as she turns to look behind them. Huh, yeah those are nice. "I've put down a lot worse in my time so just GET DOWN!"

She dives forward, crashing into Ritsuka and knocking her down, the ghostly arm having not escaped her notice, just as it makes a grab for where Ritsuka had been moments before Lina tackled her.

The noise that Ritsuka makes in response to being tackled is perhaps best transcribed as sjkldfaj;lkdf?!

But she's a skinny noodle of a girl; it doesn't take much to knock her down. At least she (mostly) knows how to fall, so she doesn't do anything like try to catch her weight on her hands. The impact still knocks the breath out of her, but she's already pushing herself up, wheezing, a second later. It's fast enough that she can see the hand still making grabs at the air a couple of times before it retreats again.

"Cool, I see this place really is haunted..." she manages, looking around. All the other painting subjects are now looking straight at them, unblinking, which is pretty damn unnerving, if you ask her.

"I don't know about you, but I think this mmmmight be a good time to run. Just saying."

Lina is quick to scramble up as well. "Sorry. You okay there?" She can see Ritsuka wheezing and regrets jumping on her like that the way she did, but...the hand was going for her and Lina didn't have a lot of time for much else.

She surveys the rest of the paintings, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. "Yeah, running sounds like a good idea. Let's beat it. And try to stay away from the paintings!" Easier said than done, but who knows how many more of them are gonna get grabby.

But before they go, Lina offers Ritsuka her hand. "I've got an idea. Hold on tight though, all right?"

"It's fine, I'm fine. I bounce."

That's not really what happened here, but it's true: Ritsuka's at least used to worse than being knocked to the ground. Impact is easier than when something comes at you with fangs and claws.

She takes Lina's hand without hesitation. Someday, probably, her tendency to immediately trust will get her in trouble... but she's pretty sure it won't be today. (She's always sure it won't be today.)

"Okay? Whatever it is, I'm game to go along."

EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

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