new zealand ♔ when lies turn into truth i sacrificed for you | you say that i'm frozen

[lissatrinall]

♬ where i can never be - gary numan

WHO || Lis'sa, Kenzi, Bo, Klaus, Rebekah, Mars[Closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a mysterious carnival that may be linked to some magical winter weather
WHERE || New Zealand
WHEN || August 11th [forwarddated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

Strange winds have blown in, bringing on an unusually chill winter in New Zealand. The ground crunches underfoot with snow, the days growing shoter and stars holding court in the darkness reigning above. An unnatural cold permeates the town, and the river's jubilant voice is frozen under the ice. Birds abandon their nests for warmer climes, their songs silenced by winter's grim embrace. But the frozen riverbank now hosts a shimmering respite from the gloomy cold in the form of garish tents, joyful shouts, and sumptuous smells. Vaale's Carnival has come to town.

Gaiety and laughter cut through the cold wind, and even the sky-shy sun peeks its face from around the gathering winter clouds. Children squeal with delight and gasp in awe at the sights, sounds, and smells of Vaale's Carnival. The Titan's Wheel creaks and groans as a burly lumberjack tests his might wit a hefty spin, a family rushes giggling into the sprawling ice maze to the north, and dozens of happy skaters flit about the rinks atop the frozen river. Carnival dolls are handed to wide-eyed townspeople as prizes and a menagerie of freakish creatures and glowing lights beckons the curious. Garish skirts and scanty veils call others to a different breed of voyeurism altogether. Treats and wonders abound for young and old to enjoy, and for a time, the harsh winter is forgotten in joyful revelry. There's nothing to indicate any sinister going on whatsoever, as the group surveys the happy smiles of the crowd.

* Please make a list of all items your character is carrying in an entry in their journal before tagging into this post! They are free to have requisitioned any equipment or weapons they desire beforehand.

Comments

[lissatrinall]

They look like creatures of ice, so I would hope so. [ they can be penetrated! ... phrasing. kenzi hits the bug eyed one right in the chest. mars can take his held action if he wants to? otherwise i'll edit this, just let me know in de plurk.

the chiseler that kenzi struck turns and mutters "Skin like ice, bones like glass, crack and snap and fractious smash!" kenzi has to make a will save...

the yellow toothed chiseler hurls an icicle shard at lis'sa (atk 12), which whizzes past her. ]

[succubestie]

[Oh hell no, no one tries to cast magic on Kenzi fuck you.

So she'll shoot at the bug-eyed one (atk 18, dmg 8 if that hits).]

[asuma]

[I guess Klaus just likes to watch the carnage and destruction like a voyeur because he sho is just standing there again.

But after Bo starts unloading on bug-eyed frosty, he zooms toward yellow tooth. No way in hell Klaus is biting that tho (he has standards ok), so he will settle for falcon punch (attack 22, damage 17+2 piercing=19). You know, assuming he gets close enough in one turn.]

[lissatrinall]

[ bo's shot whizzes by it, but klaus lands a brutal blow on the other one, which recoils in pain. lis'sa also shoots at the one attacking kenzi (atk 25 & 8; dmg 7), striking it once. ]

[morethanasidekick]

I gave up the Carnie life for a reason you know! [As she fires off another shot at the one attacking her but in her state of mild panic, yeah it probably misses; (Atk 17/Dmg 9).]

[charismapotion]

[ Took Mars awhile to get his attack ready, but finally he casts Scorching Ray, but just one ray to test and see if it works. (Attack 20, Damage 17) ]

[lissatrinall]

[ the ray strikes the little chiseler and melts him within seconds, which is just a little bit scarring i guess. his bug eyed friend sees this, lets out a terrified yelp, and turns to do a full retreat, booking it in the opposite direction ]

[succubestie]

[Bo attempts to shoot the thing in the back because um you were chiseling people to death you don't get a pass because you're scared (action points that crit fail into a nat 20 nbd, dmg 34 w/ penetration damage aw yus).]

[lissatrinall]

[ and that's sufficient to shoot him right in the back and take him down.

/init ] Nice shooting.

[succubestie]

Thanks.

[Her expression is all grim and serious, though.]

We need to put a stop to this as soon as possible. For good.

[lissatrinall]

It looks like they're turning all the events into excuses for further carnage. [ she looks around, lips pursed ] When you were exploring, what did you see that they might have overrun now?

[succubestie]

[She tries to think back.]

Um, there was a pie contest? And an ice maze?

[asuma]

[Klaus has been keeping an eye on Mars, since Kenzi straight up shot him and he expects the mage to keel over any second, but when Lis'sa asks Bo to recount her team's carnival tales he gets distracted by feelings of superiority imagining the ways any of the attractions they saw might be twisted for more gruesome purposes.]

I'd hate to imagine what our new friends back at the beer tent have found themselves drinking in light of the carnival's darker purpose, wouldn't you?

[Smirkin' over at Lis'sa like he's amused by as much because ... well truth be told he kind of is lbr.]

Or perhaps the exotic dancers we crossed paths with earlier have decided to enact their well-deserved retribution against the overeager patrons who filled their tents.

[It seemed more threatening than a strong man competition or the "terrifying human fish" or whatever they had called it.]

[lissatrinall]

[ lis'sa considers all these, before coming to a decision abruptly ] It's too dangerous to split up. We'll check the beer tent first.

[ without waiting for agreement, she nods to klaus to lead the way. ]

[asuma]

[He likes to think of himself as the alpha male, so he has no problem taking point and leading the group back to where they handed some drunken racists their asses. :') These guys probably deserve whatever horrible fate awaits them tbh.]

[morethanasidekick]

Dude. You got a beer tent and strippers and all we got was a stinking Carnie Psychic?! [Kenzi with her pouty two cents as she falls into step behind the others.

Yeah that's the tag. Kenzi; Always on hand with the running commentary.]

[charismapotion]

[ Mars looks a little concerned as he follows them.]

Speaking of her, with all of this happening do you think she is actually trustworthy?

[lissatrinall]

What did she say to you?

[succubestie]

She gave us each a tarot card reading, which seemed harmless at the time, though accurate. I asked for her to give me a reading on how to stop the cold weather, and she mentioned someone in a position of authority wanting something they couldn't have.

Then the minotaur got out and we tried to leave. She stopped me, gave me this wand of shatter, and told me to use it well when the time came.

[charismapotion]

That is my point, everything was too close, and if everyone working here is messed up can we really trust that?

[lissatrinall]

Unless she was trying to warn us for some reason. [ either way, they reach the strong ale tent then. beneath the tent, reveling lumberjacks stand contorted in various stages of rigor as they slowly transform into gnarled trees, while their comrades stumble about in a alcohol-fueled haze engaging in one sided conversations with oak skinned friends. one scrawny jack drunkenly boasts about his axe work and obliviously displays his prowess by whacking over one of the tree-men and deftly splitting him into a small pile of logs.

more men are sprouting branches as they look around, while a wicked-tree-like pixie on the far side of the tent serves up more brew gleefully ]

[asuma]

It appears we're too late. [Klaus doesn't seem all that concerned about it.

Watching idiots get their well-deserved come-uppance was actually amusing to him.]

[morethanasidekick]

[Kenzi's horrified stare may have more to do with the betrayal of the booze than the fact that she's seeing men sprout branches and getting chopped up by drunken lumberjacks.]

Anyone else imagining Zombie Strippers right now? [No Kenzi that's probably just you.]

[lissatrinall]

There. [ lis'sa nods across the way, to the pixie, reaching for her gun, as she moves to the edge of the tent, ready to try to bypass the jacks and get closer. ]

[succubestie]

[Bo narrows her eyes at Klaus, speaking at a low whisper.]

As long as any of these people are still alive, we are not too late.

[She nods back at Lis'sa, following her lead, gun at the ready.]