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”DARKNESS AND FROST: OOC PLOTTING POST
As described on the quest board, the woods around the Wildes have been recently haunted by a terrifying presence. Creatures never seen before around here, creatures incredibly volatile and hostile, have been spotted. While they are aggressive towards anyone who approaches them they will be far more aggressive and stalkery towards the Mirrorbounds , as their grudge carried them far…
TL;dr A half year ago Iskandar and Cu fought a bunch of them around Dorchacht, saved several Wilders and helped them retreat, leaving few of the creatures wounded, angry and very, very thirsty for revenge. Several Mirrorbounds had come into contact with them in Dorchacht on the Ieuril, and some of them definitely caused these beasts to hold a grudge. The creatures target people who had recent contact with the Mirrorbounds, maybe were healed by them or own items (or tattoos) crafted or enchanted by them. Even if it was a grudge towards few named individuals that led them here, they now hate all of the Mirrorbounds equally. And are attracted to places where they have been active recently.
Now they stalk the woods around Aefenglom, attack the Wilders and as of end of the month are coming as close as to terrorize and wound few people living in the slums. They are getting bolder, and the danger isn’t just a far one.
So what exactly a Nuckelavee is…?
Nuckelavee is terrifying. Nuff said.
What almost everyone can describe is its shriek that can make even most hardened Wilders tremble in fear. Not many have seen the creature itself up close, but the whispers of its appearance have spread like wildfire - it resembles a horse, they say, its skin gone and body raw. It has only one eye that burns like fire in the darkness. Sometimes the horse has a rider, or rather a likeness of one growing out of its flesh. His long hands can reach the ground and grab its victim with terrifying strength. It’s only weakness is the inability to cross the running water.
Summing all the known facts: it’s hungry for human flesh, angry, and vicious. It can’t cross the fresh running water. The only way to kill it is by beheading either the horse or the rider. One of them is plenty dangerous, and it is unknown just how many of them are out there in the woods.
They were native to Dorchacht Wildes, but now they’re here to terrorize Aefenglom area as well.
Who you gonna call? Mirrorbounds!
As the connection between the creature’s appearance and the Mirrorbounds is uncovered there will be a call to arms regarding organized action, to take care of this threat. Since Mirrorbounds seem to be already involved, and might act as a good bait to lure the creatures into one place…. yeah, you can imagine who are they going to ask for help. All of you dear Aefenglomites from Another Worlds. (And there will be a network post about it soon.)
So what can my character do to help?
The plan is to deal with the creatures once and for all, and the battlefield chosen is Northern Outpost. Witches and Monsters that can help fortify the area, set up traps or alerts, supply points, escort Wilders looking for alchemical ingredients: really, go wild (and definitely tell us about it). Anything that can give the hunters an advantage is welcome. The preparations are going to last for around four days and all Mirrorbounds are required to return to Aefenglom for the night. At least until the night of the hunt starts.
On the night of the hunt as many fighters, as many healers, everyone willing to join in the fray, are requested to show up. For the Nuckelavee are the most active at night, and that is when the final trap is meant to spring.
Just dress up warmly, it seems the blizzard is imminent. The weather in the Wildes continues being in stark opposition to the one in the city. The strategic advance created earlier might make or break this fight… Stay safe.
However, the Northern Outpost isn’t the only location requiring help. As the creatures have been spotted outside Aefenglom walls, people in the Slums could use help. Setting up wards, a wall maybe? Offering support and protection, seeing to the rumors of lost children (maybe they’re just hiding somewhere, maybe not). Arguing with a local raging madman that their sudden appearance is actually not a divine punishment for accepting the foreign devils aka the Mirrorbounds into the city.
To summarize, Northern Outpost and especially on the night of the hunt is the high-risk part of the quest, Slums around Aefenglom are the safer place to cover for. Safer doesn’t mean entirely safe, though.
But wait, there is more— there is always science
During the preparations someone whispers, someone wonders. These creatures sensed magic of people they hate so passionately that they found them on the other side of the continent. They crossed the land, through darkest Wildes and yet they appear entirely uninfected. No reports or sightings tell about them being affected by Cwyld. How could that be…?
Is wiping all of them truly a smart move? Maybe something could be learned from, well, a live specimen. They’re tough to kill and probably even tougher to keep in captivity, but what could it do to further the knowledge of the Cwyld? Or is the danger too high?
Here is your chance to cast your votes Mirrorbounds and decide the course of action. Please refer to this comment, to cast IC votes of your characters. The YES and NO should go into the subject header. Reasoning why your character chooses the option they do is welcome, players are obviously free to discuss the decisions between themselves.
Important if your character is voting for the capture, while it’s not strictly required, it’s highly encouraged to present a suggestion/plan how would such a task be approached, or how the creature is to be held afterward. For the attempt to work at least one plan of action should be presented (and the YES option to win the vote).
Please note that this is not a Coven sanctioned operation. Should a Nuckelavee capture attempt happen, the research team will consist of Mirrorbounds and Wilders.
The voting closes on 20th 23:59 EST
Now onto the Plotting!
That’s right, it’s another tracker type of thing/slash plotting post. Obviously the plotting does not have a closing date, however, if you want your character plan affect the final log (for example, building a moat around the slums), it has to be posted here before 20th August 24:00 EST. The log is scheduled to go on the 21st of August and will ICly cover four-five following days.
Player Name:
Character Name:
Location: Is your character going to help within the Slums? Northern Outpost? Are they staying for the Night of the Hunt?
Role/Plans: Tell us what your character is good at? What is their idea on how to handle the situation? Are they going to create wards? Dig a moat around the area? Offer emotional support or healing? Or take the fight back to the creatures.
Here's the form for convience
For any questions and/or feedback, you might have, please direct them here. Big thanks to Ran for massive work and contribution into the event post, to mchan for contribution in the OOC write-up, and blessed be Lena for the editor's help on the event post and for making the network post.
The network post regarding the event can be found here
THE EVENT LOG CAN BE FOUND HERE
QUESTIONS
no subject
anything important i should know about eating nuckelavee or is it a free buffet
no subject
So, the creatures ar...e... technically edible? They taste a bit like a gamey, stringy cross between horse and pork when cooked.
no subject
RESEARCH TEAM
Full results will be posted on the early September.
no subject
-Basic question to cover all bases. Cwyld feeds on magic. Does the Nuckelavee contain magic/is it a magical being?
-If a piece of the Nuckelavee is sliced off (pity the poor soul that collects it) and exposed to Cwyld, what happens?
-How difficult would it be (and/or how stupid of an idea is it) to convince the Wilders to release the Nuckelavee for observation after the last day?
For example: fashion some remote way of killing it (like some kind of guillotine collar that can be triggered remotely, we have magic and we have magitech, someone should be able to do it), slap every divination spell on it known to Witchkind, and chuck it back into the Wilde. If the enchantments seem to be wearing off? Kill it. If it happens upon anyone and attacks them? Kill it. Not providing useful information? Kill it. Etc.
The goal is to use the divination to spy on it as it goes about whatever business. How does it deal with the Cwyld? Are there more of them hiding somewhere? Is it related to the children's disappearance, and how? How do they track Mirrorbound magic?
Does it have a day job?How the hell are these things made? Or anything else that can be discerned by remotely observing it.-How useful are Nuckelavee parts in alchemy asking for a friend
no subject
1) Nuckelavee is no more/no less magical than most of the creatures living in the wild. While their looks are terrifying, they are living breathing organisms and possess no particular aptitude or resistance towards magic.
2) Pity that soul indeed. Given that no Cwyld samples are readily available near the Camp, one would need to make quite a trip to make that experiment. However for the brave soul (and focus of immense Nuckelavee hate) that would conduct it, they will find that Cwyld needs a living host to take a root. It will glom through the tissue, but as it rots away, nothing much happens. (Watch out, for an infected piece of meat is still dangerous to handle)
3) The official reply is: Wilders will have none of it. They want it dead and it's constant shrieks are driving them mad already. But that doesn't mean going against their wishes and letting the creature go is impossible (it just means tanking reputation with them for the individual doing that). Nuckelavee nurses a major grudge (especially if slicing off happened). Once it out into the woods, its first instinct seems to be locating other of its brethren, after few hours of not finding any it's attention turns towards the Mirrorbound and Wilders, and will almost manically stalk and attack them until it's put down.
Should it be infected with Cwyld, prior to that, it will exhibit early stages of infection — it seems it posses no immunity people ascribed to it.
4) For alchemist friend: Nuckelavee's brain makes for incredibly potent, if unheard of alchemical ingredient! It can be used to create a potion of unheard of before effect:
- it allows its user to sense, (see, smell) magical energy in the world - in the air, ground, and living beings. It's not immediately obvious but each Witch leaves a different and distinct magical footprint, especially strong where their spells were weaved or enchantments were placed. Curiously enough, so does Cwyld. It's the dark oily mark of decay seen (sensed, smelled?) from afar. Even the earlier signs of the infection can be spotted in plants or creatures as spotted darkening.
However, for all it's worth, there's also a downside. The potion is toxic and will always give one of the following side effects
If used frequently, it could lead to addiction, more permanent negative personality change and/or brittle bones. So better to use with caution... but not like anyone can know that beforehand, right?
no subject
Point 4 is hella good. A very powerful potion at the cost of mentally becoming a Nuckelavee for [duration.] He'll definitely be torn about using that one, even if the situation desperately calls for it.
Thank you so much for the answer! Hubert will be so disappointed that they aren't actually immune.