TDM #4

[apocalypsehowmods]

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➥ Arrival

(cw: potential for severe disorientation/vertigo, claustrophobia, arachnophobia, body horror)

It happens in the blink of an eye. You may have been asleep. You may not have. You may have stepped through a door or turned a corner. You may have seen a flicker of something at the corner of your vision and turned to look. Or maybe you didn't.

It doesn't matter. What matters is that you find yourself somewhere entirely new and entirely unfamiliar. The arrival point is not always the same. (If you're lucky, it might be a canteen or an open office. If you're not, well... you aren't claustrophobic, are you? Or arachnophobic. These ducts do seem to be a bit cobwebby.) There is no one waiting for you but you don’t seem to be alone, either. Even in a janitor’s closet or the bathroom, you’ll find at least one person who seems to be just as out of place as you are.

If characters have arrived in a location devoid of NPCs, they may want to work together to figure out what is going on... or to avoid their 'kidnappers.' If you’ve arrived in the middle of the entry foyer or the gym, there may well be a few people who startle a bit at your arrival and try to approach (or discreetly leave the room... where are they going?). Will you cooperate or fight? Do you even understand what they're saying? You might need to find a translator, if you’re not immediately willing to follow a stranger.

After characters follow their new hosts (or are forcibly taken in) there will be a limited tour and the chance to settle in at the ADI-provided housing. (Do you enjoy living with strangers? Well. It's a new situation to navigate, anyway.)

➥ Toying With You

(cw: creepy toys, possible violence, supernaturally induced emotions)

Weird things happen in Dogtown, everyone knows it. The Apocalypse Disruption Initiative (ADI) is not above taking advantage of that to test out the waters for its newest arrivals. They're not looking to send anyone to their death, though. That's far too much paperwork, you'd been assured with a wink from the employee who'd directed you to the park trailhead. You've been left with another person. Maybe they're a new arrival, as well, or a more seasoned 'veteran.' Either way, you're together for the next while and you've been asked to find and record any paranormal activity in the park. You have your phones and any other equipment you might have brought with you. Those who succeed in documenting anything peculiar will receive a $100 reward to be used as they see fit.

This month...characters who enter the area will eventually stumble upon...a very interesting sight. Take enough confusing, branching paths, and they’ll find a variety of toys abandoned in...a variety of ways.

Some, reminiscent of the happenings of the past month, can be found dangling from branches, or from contraptions of sticks and string staked into the ground. Others might be found arranged in patterns...or simply discarded. Some appear to be tied up. Perhaps surprisingly, there is no evidence of the destruction of these toys. Some may appear to be disintegrating but that’s age, not malice. There are old toys and new toys to be found. Maybe it’s just a prank, or an art installation?

Nothing seems to happen to anyone who ventures to touch the toys. At least...not right away. However, any character who does decide to touch a toy will start to feel like they just don’t have...enough. It might manifest as being particularly possessive over things or people they feel are theirs...or in coveting what they don’t already have (be it material or immaterial). These urges will fade away on their own in time, but who knows what might happen before they do?

➥ Pick a Pocket

(cw: mention of vehicular collisions, supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue)

There is an ethereal music spreading throughout town. It started in the graveyards last month, but now it's spreading, even as collisions and other accidents continue to pile up. Tourists and locals, alike, will find keeping awake incredibly difficult as October rolls in with a rumble of thunder and a splash of rain. Even caffeine doesn't seem to help much with the problem. The music is only just there, just at the edge of awareness, and it's a song that you know. You can't entirely place it, but it's maddeningly familiar.

The local gangs seem to have taken note of the situation, and have taken to sending out their seemingly more resilient members for some mischief. Specifically, pickpocketing those they might find sleeping or less alert than usual. You might be half-falling asleep on a bus when a hand reaches into your pocket or your bag. You might witness the thief in action, stealing from someone else. Or maybe you're someone keen to take advantage of the situation, yourself. There's money to be made for someone with even moderately light fingers when the target is snoring on a park bench or zoning out while sitting at a cafe.

There doesn't seem to be an even effect to the music. It impacts some people in the same vicinity more than others with seemingly no rhyme or reason. The one constant that does appear for those digging deeply, is that ADI HQ and the ADI housing complex seem to be less affected by the music. It can still sometimes be heard, but it's not nearly as prominent as it is throughout the rest of the city.

➥ Sleeper's Paradox

(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, mild memory loss)

For as much as everyone seems to be sleeping lately, it does not seem to be restful sleep. In fact, people dozing off regularly will find themselves even more exhausted and irritable than usual. Again, this seems to be far more pronounced for anyone straying too far from ADI's properties for extended periods.

Another feature of this latest round of supernatural irritation is that even those who tend to remember their dreams may have trouble with that. You might remember that the dreams weren't pleasant, but that's about it. The specifics are as elusive as the source of the singing.

Festive planning for the end-of-the-month Halloween Party is in full swing at ADI, and characters may find themselves strong-armed by Pam and other HR personnel, in spite of any grumpiness and exhaustion, into helping with some part of it. Will you be assisting with making decorations? Buying supplies for the kitchens? Helping those who might not understand Halloween to find the perfect costume? Everyone is feeling a little out of sorts, and having trouble focusing, so there's some particular pushing to spread tasks out to everyone possible so it doesn't fall on a single individual. Anyone who helps will be compensated for their time, and they might even get some extra cash to buy their own fancy costume or preferred food for the party.

➥ Mod Notes

• ARRIVAL (Oct 1 - 31): Two people will always arrive in the same general location together. Arrivals occur throughout the early month, not all on the same day or in the same place. Arrivals are not naturally fluent in English/other languages immediately upon arrival. Characters may attempt to evade capture, but they will eventually be snagged before they can leave the building. PC's already in-game are more than welcome to interact with and try to guide new PC's to get them oriented. Please refer to the Arrival page for details regarding the arrival and onboarding process.
  
  
• Toying With You (Oct 1 - 31): Characters who physically interact with abandoned toys will find themselves overwhelmed by feelings of jealousy and/or possessiveness. Depending on how much interaction they have with the toys, these feelings might be stronger or last longer. (Anyone who, for example, removes a toy from Dogtown will probably find themselves helpless NOT to act on the feelings.) Strength of feeling and duration of time is up to player discretion. The source of these feelings could be anything, including the toys themselves. The toys can be destroyed but are not clumped all in one spot. It may take some searching to find them all.
  
  
• Pick a Pocket (Oct 1- 25): Characters are welcome to experience, enact, or stop a crime. You may find yourself victim, hero, or perpetrator. The number of people asleep or having trouble staying awake will increase the closer you get to graveyards and seem to decrease the closer you get to ADI-owned buildings. The decrease in sleepiness around ADI buildings does not extend to anyone living at Bonnie's. Characters may find themselves falling asleep in the middle of trivial or important tasks, perhaps even in the middle of conversation. This is a supernatural sleep, but for the moment, it seems easy enough to wake someone up with a loud noise or a shake. Or, if you're feeling particularly vindictive, a splash of water to the face.
  
  
• Sleeper's Paradox (Oct 1-25): Characters are welcome to take part in whatever party planning they wish to for ADI's Halloween party. Everyone affected by the drowsiness that's taken over the city will find that they cannot remember the specific nature of their dreams; although, they will have the sense that they did have them, and they were unpleasant. The effects of the fatigue may affect other memories or result in increased irritability, and decreased focus and reaction times. Characters may find themselves more prone to error than usual, even those who are typically known for being on-point at all times.
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Chris Sonom | D&D OC

[chrisisofaith]

Arrival
Bhaal. A deal to let Bane back in. To offer him a place at their table, a devil's deal for lasting peace. It's a swirling moment of neasuea and certainty and 'gods, I'm really doing this. I suggested it, if it goes wrong, it's my-'

And then he's breathing in stale dust and there's metal all around him and a grate below him and the panic mixed with confusion mixed with a head already spinning with implications and complications and-

The vent grate holding the lanky blond can't hold him as Chris thrashes to see where he is and there's a graceless yelp as the ruling head of House Sonom is dumped into a pile of limbs to the ground below. It's the proverbial and almost literal knock to the head he needs to draw in a breath he didn't know he was missing as he stares up at where he'd fallen from. He likely looks a bit of a sight, dressed in traveling gear with a raven's skull necklace clearly visible on his chest. To top it all off, there's a moment of silence before a black stick seems to lose it's precarious balance in the vent and clatters to the ground beside him.

The cleric lays there a moment, breath evening out as he finally finds enough sense to ask: "Where the fuck am I?"

Toying With You
It was clearly a test. 'Go into Dogtown and see what's up' was irritatingly vague, but simple and perfect for someone whose skills you couldn't yet trust. It made sense, he just didn't like it.

Chris largely kept his peace on the way in, even with another assigned to go with him (that, at least, was smart if there was trouble to be found). Death's Door held tight in hand and appearing like a plain black walking stick instead of the scythe it could be. Again, a precaution.

One toy along the route was odd. A cluster was brow-raising, but the ones that were strung up between two trees like a banner of flags was what had the cleric coming to a stop.

"Alright, well...ominous. Possible ritual....possibly just a freak." His voice lighter, accent lilting, and tone about as bored as he felt, Chris lifted the staff up to poke at one of the dolls that swung above them.

"Think if we cut it down some spell'll fall on our heads?" That would be interesting.

Pick a Pocket
A(Being stolen from)- He didn't remember nodding off. He'd been leaning vaguely against the side of a building waiting for all the insanely fast traffic to pass when he sort of just...closed his eyes. Or must have. Because the next thing he was aware of was clumsy fingers attempting to slip into his cloak's pocket. Fingers Chris grabbed with lighting reflex and wrenched the would-be-thief's arm up and back behind them as he spun to press their face into the building's rough exterior. "My sister and boyfriend'd both have you robbed clean of all but what you were born with had you tried that on them. Try it a little harder next time and maybe you'll get somewhere ya dope." The last part he punctuates with an unkind twist of the person's wrist before letting them go.

B (Stopping the stealing)- It isn't more than a handful of days later that it's someone else asleep this time. A bench cradling them unwisely on the side of a street when Chris notices someone hovering far too closely to them. Not protectively, but shifty, eyes darting and form tense. In a quick second of decision, Chris' strides grow wider and the long black pole of he carries ends up jammed into the person's shoulder to push them back, though the other end clangs against the bench itself loudly. "Watch it." It's said coldly, but evenly, glare leveled at the person bold enough to reach for a person in broad daylight.

Sleeper's Paradox
Chris had no idea what Halloween was. Something about...scaring people? Using ghostly iconography and gourds to decorate a place and who knew what else. What he did know was that his penmanship and height had not gone unnoticed by someone at the ADI as was his general lack of anything else to do. So it was he ended up writing out some things in scrawling, curling, handwriting and now, up at the top of a ladder to hang some of these paper decorations they wanted. Which...would have been fine if he wasn't dead tired and half falling asleep here on top of said ladder.

He sways a bit, but catches himself as he jerks his head up again. His hand flails out in the process and some of the streamers of paper flutter down to the ground with a pathetic little 'thip' and Chris' own sigh as his fingers come up to dig against his eyes. "Ladyship preserve me...or dump me off this thing and be done with it, either way..." He blamed the new setting, the lack of his friends, his thoughts constantly swirling about what he'd left behind, all coming into his vague and unsettling dreams. What he wouldn't give for a few blissful hours of ignorant rest. b

Toying with You

[guildmastermind]

"I've heard of this place, actually. The toy cemetery--children in town dare one another to come out here as a sort of test of bravery."

Shiroe made some effort to appear more normal today--he's wearing a dark turtleneck and green pants, a boxy bag sitting at his hip. But he's also wearing a computer mouse around his neck, the cord knotted to keep it out of the way. He's nervy, not touching anything and occasionally checking a local area map on his ADI-issued phone.

"I'm not sure I recommend changing anything without knowing more about it. Even if it's not bespelled, it could have an ill effect."

Glancing around the area, a bit of a frown develops on his face. "Unrelated to the toys, do you have any liquor on you?"

[chrisisofaith]

Yeah, that sounded about like the morbid shit kids could come up with. Adults too, really, it reminded him of the lighthouse ghost once mumbled about in Melvaunt.

Chris stops poking the disturbing doll and glances over to his traveling companion. "Not a drop, friend. Wish I did, might make this little mess more palatable."

He moves over instead to one of the delicately dressed porcelain dolls along the side of the road and crouches down to look at her. "Used to have some like this. Not a cheap thing, wonder why they're dumped here. Other than to make for a rumor. Any word among these kids why it's here or just a local legend kind've thing?"

[guildmastermind]

Shiroe pulls out one of those tiny 50ml bottles of whiskey, and offers it to Chris. "Don't drink it. Don't come to Dogtown without some, especially if you're going to be around Fox Hill. Which we're not right now, but better safe than sorry. There's a witch in this area, who demands a toll--'liquor from those who have it, blood from those who don't.'"

That taken care of, Shiroe shakes his head at Chris's question. "I don't know how the cemetery got started. But it's been around long enough to be encased in local lore."

[chrisisofaith]

Chris stares at the bottle a moment, but takes it with a nod. "Thanks. Seems the kind of thing we should be dealing with, shouldn't we? Rather than a creepshow of discarded playthings." It's not wholly judgemental as much as it is observational. A witch actively being a threat seemed more pressing than dolls in a crossroad, but this wasn't exactly his circus. He'd just been pressed into being a performer.

He stands and pockets the vial of liquor. "Well, you seem to know more about the ways of this than me, what would you say ought be our next step in handling?"

[guildmastermind]

"They sent us out to get information. Take pictures using your phone, catalog any patterns you see. The more observations we bring back to them, the happier they'll be--they'll probably have a more proper field mission later in the month."

Because someone's gotten used to the ADI schedule.

"As for the witch, she's another piece of local lore. I don't doubt we'll someday need to seek her out, but in the meantime, I just want to make sure no one gets caught off-guard by her."

[chrisisofaith]

That made sense. What didn't make sense was the phrase 'take pictures with your phone' but he pulled out the strange little thing he'd been given. 'For communicating and a host of other useful things' they'd told him. He'd meant to sit down and look it over, really, there just seemed to be more pressing matters. He glances up from the phone, but then nods and re-pockets it. Patterns and observation he could do.

"Right, sure. Remind me to pick up a notebook or something next time, yeah?" Chris throws out as though only half serious, his attention back to the hanging toys and trying to find some rhyme or reason to them. Nothing stood out to him for type or number in a cluster or if the clusters held specific color or style similarities, but he dutifully went through, only nudging some of them aside with end of Death's Door when he needed to.

"So, they send us out to have a spin with real threats pretty regularly, or is it more legend and hearsay?"

cw: injury mention, not too explicit

[guildmastermind]

"No, they definitely send us out to deal with real problems. Last month, it was a circus where we saw...powers involving fire, primarily, but not exclusively. We were only there to gather information, though. We weren't tasked with getting rid of the circus or anyone who worked there."

Of course, Shiroe had gotten more hands-on than might have been intended. He gestures lightly to a few small circular burn scars on his cheek. "Their powers were very real. The man who slapped me did so with a hand made of hot wax."

[chrisisofaith]

Chris winces in sympathy, eyes tracing over the scars briefly. "My condolences. Got overwhelmed by a creature made of fire once, it's not a thing to wish on another and I imagine wax lingers."

There wouldn't have been much he could have done for it normally as it was, but if he'd had his magic available to him and been there at the time, he might've been able to heal it. What happened the next time there was an injury? What if someone teetered on the edge of death and his was the only hand with the talent to prevent it but then couldn't? A ponderance for later.

"If you weren't to be interfering with them, how'd you make a wax man so mad at you?"

Sleeper's Paradox

[twistedbones]

"Whuzzat?!" comes an incoherent objection from underneath a nearby folding table laden with supplies, under which some of the dropped paper just scattered. Thackery lashes out when something hits him, waking him from a stolen nap; there's the sound of crumpling and tearing as he tries to fight off--

--What is this, even?

[chrisisofaith]

Halfway in a turn to head down the ladder, there's a voice from under a nearby table and the sound of a paper's demise that has Chris pausing, a crease of confusion in his brow. There hadn't been anyone in here with him, had there? Under the table?

As soon as boots touch the ground, Chris strides to the scene of paper massacre and kneels to look at the perpetrator.

A cat.

But there was a voice?

But this was a seemingly normal cat.

He reaches out to try and free the remains of the streamer from the poor thing, his voice softening despite his confusion. "Alright there, sorry 'bout that. Promise it wasn't trying to pick a fight with you."

[twistedbones]

By the time Chris gets down the ladder and over to the table, Thackery has more or less woken up, though it's with the same general bleariness he usually finds after fitful sleep these days. He twitches a paw, trying to dislodge the half-shredded paper stuck to it, and if he could frown at the colorful print he would.

"...Sorry about that," he says. "Bad dream."

[chrisisofaith]

There's only a moment where he pauses in his detangling the remains of the streamer before gently extracting it off the cat's claw. He had questions about...this but he had enough manners to wait a moment.

"Seems to be a fun little rash of those running through here. Lot's'f people yawning from what I've seen." The gentleness of his tone moves to his smile. "Myself included. Must be something in the water." Or evil gods. That was usually what haunted his sleep, but in a new plane, it was likely new evil gods. Plus, he could usually at least remember Bane's machinations.

"Mind if I ask a question? Kinda personal, won't lie."

[twistedbones]

At the mere mention of yawning, Thackery lets out a yawn of his own. With the stranger clearing the paper off of his claws he doesn't bother to get up, instead laying his head back down and stretching lazily on his side.

"I think I can guess what you're going to ask."

[chrisisofaith]

It's cute. He's not, of course, going to say that; luckily he has plenty of practice not telling sentient cats that their perfectly normal habits are adorable.

"Well..." He huffs a small laugh. "Yeah, probably question two, sure you get it a bit more than liked. Question one was simply whether your nightmares were the kind you remembered or if they're left vague and vaporous like a bad feeling you remember but can't place."

He nods as he settles down to sit on the floor. "Question two's more along the lines of 'are you a sentient cat or a person's polymorphed into one who's got some knack for talking despite it' but I thought it might be unkind to start that personal."

[twistedbones]

"Oh."

He finishes his stretch and just gazes up at Chris. "Most people start with question two. I don't...no, now that you mention it, I don't remember what the dream was about...."

He trails off thoughtfully. "Polymorphed. That's...transformation?"

Pick a Pocket - B

[mistersquirrels]

Eric startles awake when something loud clangs against the bench.

"Wha--"

He nearly falls off the bench, only just barely catching sight of the commotion in front of him, not even realizing that someone was just about to rob him. Despite the rather abrupt wake-up, the exhaustion still grabs at him and he yawns a second later, collapsing back down against the bench to watch the drama.

"What's going on?"

Sorry this took so long!

[chrisisofaith]

Chris spares only a moment to glance at the man on the bench before returning his attention to the would-be thief. "Oh, nothing, just a set of sticky fingers sticking their way towards your pockets. Mightn't want to be taking naps on public benches, friend."

He jabs the end of the pole he wields into the thief's shoulder. "Get lost before I crack you." The guy scurries off and Chris' attention is back to the drowsy man. You got all your things on you still?"

Not that it would matter much now with the sneak running off like he is, but what's done is done.

Pick a Pocket - A

[graveyounglady]

Mercy's half-asleep, even as she's walking, when sudden movement and a pained grunt from nearby startle her out of her haze. She gasps, head turning sharply toward a man who's thrown another person up against the side of the building. She hadn't actually seen what happened, nor caught off of the muttered words, so she's currently very much on the injured party's side.

"Hey!" She balls up her fists and frowns mightily. "You can't go shoving people around, sir. That ain't right. You apologize right now." She's dressed in what looks to be an archaic dress by modern standards with a white cloth tied over her hair.

[chrisisofaith]

The shout’s enough to catch him by surprise and he turns to look at the girl berating him as he lets the vagrant go.

“Sorry, miss, I shan’t be, not when I caught him fingers half in my pocket. No harm done to him, though, promise. Hate to put a man so out of business as to break his wrist.”

Chris shrugs, a hand propped on his hip as he considers her and pays no mind to the would-be-thief skulking away behind him.

“Ought I’ve to let him to his dirty work without firm reminding that stealing’s also not right?”

[graveyounglady]

"He- O-oh..." She chances a glance at the thief, feeling a blush touch her cheeks. "I didn't- Sorry, sir. I thought, w-well, I was just walking by and when you see a body throwing another body around, you got to wonder why that's happening.

"He didn't get nothing from you?"

[chrisisofaith]

'Don't be so mean' runs through his head in a voice distinctly like his sister and Chris' smile settles into something softer to try and match his tone.

"No harm done nor apologies needed, your heart was in the right place and it's a notable-bold thing to speak out at a stranger getting rough with another, that's a rare quality." He pats his pockets a bit, but there's nothing in them and he stoops to his boot and a small side-pocket just against the cuff. From it, he pulls out a small brooch of a trinket just to show before tucking it away again. "As to my things, I'm reasonably certain they're safely away either elsewhere or in my room, as needed. Got a fair too many professional thieves in my life to not know how to be creative in keeping my things safe."

He stands again and offers a hand to her. "Hope it's not rude to ask a lady her name around here, but I'll offer mine first just in case: Chris Sonom, sorry to have upset you."

[graveyounglady]

That's an awfully nice thing to say, isn't it? The blush turns more pleased, and a tiny smile touches her lips as she takes his hand. Her grip is firm and confident. "Sister Mercy of the Spring Tide, Mr. Chris. Ain't right just standing aside, but I reckon a body ought to be paying more attention afore jumping into the middle of something. I was just..." She can't help a yawn. "Sleeping's been hard... or too much lately. Can't say which it is.

"Don't suppose you're hearing that-that peculiar music? Think someone must be playing nearby."

[chrisisofaith]

Her grip's pleasantly if surprisingly strong and it just puts another little tick in her favor, though the 'Sister' catches his attention and the subject of the music even more. It's a moment of moving his priorities around hidden in a moment of seeming to consider the question as he motioned for them to continue walking in the direction she'd been headed.

"Honestly, thought it was in my head alone. It's an odd thing, like some tune I've forgot but whoever's playing's got the ear for it whole. Guess that's part of why I started my little walkabout, I'd hoped to find the source or chase it away if it were all in my head." That and keeping still felt stifling right now in general.

"Was that your aim as well? I don't mean to be taking you from your aim of the day."

[graveyounglady]

"Aye. Something like that." She sets herself to walking with him. "I was looking into one of the graveyards, just up past that second corner there." Mercy points ahead. "It seemed like... It gets stronger near them. Makes it harder to go investigating, but I know my graves, sir. If there's something wrong in that yard, I'd be able to spot it."

Maybe? It's not her graveyard, per se, but she feels a connection all the same... even if she's left Brother Earth's full embrace. The earth itself never does let a body go easily.