these_balls: (I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST)
Route 29: mods ([personal profile] these_balls) wrote in [community profile] route_10652013-10-25 09:14 pm

NIGHTMARE PLOT: DAY ONE — NIGHT TIME

Who: Nightmare Plot participants!
Where: ???
When: Friday, October 25 — NIGHT TIME
Summary: Night falls, monsters attack, and Bad Boys 2 accurately sums it up.
Rating: PG in general; please mark threads that go higher accordingly!
Log:



STILL HERE. BUT THIS TIME IT'S OUT TO GET YOU.


KEY:
RED areas are inaccessible regions of the castle! How they're inaccessible will vary from place to place (and from person to person), so players are encouraged to be creative in making up reasons why their characters can't get in to those areas if they try. For example, they might find the door to be locked or jammed; they might find a section of wall has collapsed and blocked off the corridor; they might just run into an invisible wall or a lingering patch of obscuring fog that ultimately deters them. They might even discover a rather unpleasant-looking monster hanging around and decide they'd rather not take the chance; the sky's the limit here, but the reasons for the same door being blocked can vary from person to person, and we encourage you to use this to add to the IC confusion if you so desire!

BROWN areas are secret passages! It won't be immediately obvious that these areas exist (naturally, being secret), but with some diligence and careful inspection, characters can find the opening and get inside. Whether it's from lifting a secret latch or just figuring out the wall is hollow and bashing the thing down, of course, is up to player discretion!

AREA A — the Spooky Garden. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
The obvious object of note here is the pretty fountain bubbling merrily away in the center of this odd little patch of indoor flora; it's made of white marble and is your standard three-tier affair, surrounded by a modest "courtyard" of grass and wildflowers. The animal sculptures are probably Pokemon you recognize...though on second glance they look more like something you're pretty sure you saw back home...and come to think of it, on third glance they're starting to get a little unsettling somehow. Strange! However, if you can stand the spooky company, it's a fairly quiet place to sit and unwind. Maybe you'll be generous and throw P10 into the waters? Or maybe you'll dig in there and retrieve other people's contributions for your own benefit. Either way, be careful when you look into the water; who knows what faces you might see reflected!

AREA B — the Grand Hall. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
This is where you and your fellow inmates visitors have woken up; everyone will originate here upon the start of the plot, but there's absolutely no restriction on how long you have to stay there, so feel free to take off running as soon as you like. If you decide to stay, though, you'll notice it's a fairly big room, generally rectangular, with walls of gray stone and a healthy coating of dust and cobwebs over most every surface. All things considered, there's not a lot actually in here: some scattered rubble, scraps of wood, tattered cloth, empty sconces on the wall. Poke around a bit and you might find a candle or some other helpful odds and ends, but by and large this seems to be a token Big Empty Room — not particularly helpful for anything but holding people, all things considered.

AREA C — the Overgrown Tower.
Watch your head as you enter this room; contrary to what you might expect from a tower room, the ceiling is surprisingly low, and the dangling vines might give you a fright if you walk into one without paying attention! There isn't much of note in this room, outside of the plants seeping through the cracks in the cold gray stone and the delicate scent of flowers lingering in the air; not much, that is, save for the wooden rocking horse standing stationary in the center of the room — what could that be doing there?

AREA D — the Wine Cellar.
Pretty self-explanatory, this one; this room is stocked full of creaky old wine casks and dusty bottles of what is presumably ridiculously well-aged alcohol, along with assorted bottling tools and the other odds and ends you might find in an old-school winery. Alas, no free shot at hitting the bottle for you, minors; characters who would not ordinarily be eligible to drink in Route will find that even if they crack one of these bottles open, the liquid inside turns to old water — or refuses to come out at all.

AREA E — the Kitchen. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
Like the Wine Cellar, this is also pretty self-explanatory; search the cupboards and you might find food. Whether or not you're willing to try eating it is entirely up to you — who knows what might be in it, or how long it's been there, after all — but no one's likely to starve; when characters aren't in the Kitchen, they won't find themselves to be particularly hungry, regardless of how long it's been since they've last eaten. When they go inside, hunger will set in, but if they'd rather not eat to remedy the problem, then alleviating it is as simple as just leaving the room.

AREA F — the Hall of Tapestries. — ROOM CHANGES — 10/28/13
A nice, long, intimidating hallway with a high arched ceiling and faded tapestries lining the walls. Visitors with a healthy sense of paranoia might notice that this room is a classic example of a "kill box"; there's only one exit on either end and nowhere to hide in the middle. But certainly there's no reason to be frightened while walking alone down this long, empty, echoing corridor — though depending on your nerves, it might be a reason to pick up your pace.

AREA G — the Decaying Library.
Though it doesn't seem to have seen a caretaker in quite some time, the library comes fully stocked with enough books to keep the literary-inclined busy for a while. There's at least some valid information to be found, most of it detailing a region that doesn't seem to be Johto or Kanto. Descriptions of Mount Coronet and the ruins of Celestic Town, as well as details about what appear to be the creation of the world can be found here, among other things — including the demented ramblings of a man who seems determined to destroy the world and remake it in his image, and the surely coincidental story of a tragedy that occurred in a large manor not entirely unlike the one you've awakened in...

AREA H — the Hidden Dungeon.
Hopefully you'll never have reason to visit here, but if you've taken up residence in a set of our finest wall manacles, well...enjoy your stay, we suppose. This room is only accessible through the secret passage designated in brown; in the event that your character suffers a critical injury during the course of this plot, after whiting out they will end up in this room, presumably in chains. Hopefully they've got a friend who can pick locks, or who'll otherwise come to spring them from their confinement! If not, it might be a loooooong wait until someone happens by.

AREA I — the Haunted Terrace.
This area is also accessible by secret passage, and if you've had the misfortune of coming here at night, you'll find it's quite the unappealing place to be — some of the patches of fog lurking about are actually monsters that will attack anyone who gets too close! The good news is, they'll only follow player characters as far as the end of the secret passage before turning back, but anything on the terrace or in the passage is fair game for an attack if you're not careful!


~

☆ NOTES ☆


• Remember, your chances of having a random encounter with a malevolent entity somewhere in the castle during the nighttime hours are approximately 50/50, with two exceptions: the chances of encountering a monster in the Haunted Terrace are 100%; the chances of encountering one in the Overgrown Tower are 0%. Aside from those two stipulations, it's up to player discretion whether or not you run into one, and how the encounter goes if you do!

• The monsters will be influenced by but not identical to spooky things that your characters have seen in their own canons. For example, Luke Skywalker may see hooded figures in black cloaks with glowing eyes; he may not see Emperor Palpatine. Leon Kennedy may see a shambling monster with protruding spikes; he may not see an Iron Maiden. TL;DR: your character may see a generic monster with similar attributes to things they've seen in canon; they may not see specific monsters, people, and etc. from their canons.

• Characters are allowed to fight the monsters! You can flee from them, fight them, attempt to talk to them (but why would you), whatever! If they attack you, it will hurt but leave no apparent physical damage; characters will just find themselves exhausted and in pain. If a character is subject to too many attacks, they will white out and appear in shackles in Area H, the Hidden Dungeon, and they will either have to break out or someone will have to come rescue them.

• This log is for NIGHTTIME INTERACTIONS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 only! The log for Day One interactions is here, and other interactions throughout the course of the plot should be made in characters' own journals.

• If you have any questions, you can always ask us here at the INQUIRIES HOTLINE!

~

☆ QUICK LINKS ☆


AREA A — the Spooky Garden | AREA B — the Grand Hall | AREA C — the Overgrown Tower | AREA D — the Wine Cellar | AREA E — the Kitchen

AREA F — the Hall of Tapestries | AREA G — the Decaying Library | AREA H — the Hidden Dungeon | AREA I — the Haunted Terrace

GENERAL — Other Castle Locations
captainash: (worried)

[personal profile] captainash 2013-10-26 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
[Now now, Ash's presence here is very productive, as far as he's concerned.

See, he's trying to find a nice safe spot to spend the night. Problem: there are monsters in the way; they're very strong; he has no gun to shoot them; he has no Gundam to step on them; his skills in hand-to-hand are not enough to get past them. Solution: grab bottle of wine; break bottle of wine; aim sharp end of the bottle at monsters' eyes; run like hell while they're distracted by the pain.

Sorry about that wasted wine, by the way. And those glass shards on the ground. And those angry monsters he's leaving behind.]
francia: (Having Fun)

Re: ☆ AREA D — THE WINE CELLAR ☆

[personal profile] francia 2013-10-26 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[France has been drinking since arriving in this place, and he hasn't yet been bothered to move out of the wine cellar. Why would he? He doesn't really believe that there's anything else out here, if what little he remembers of that shedinja incident around Halloween and how the world fragmented a few years ago is anything to go by. No, France is going to stay here for now until either he drinks enough to stop caring or to pass out. It's a toss up between one or the other.]

[He's at that point of drunkenness where he's surprisingly cheerful, although there's a clearness to his eye that belies his muted terror. Care to have a chat with him? Or tell him that he's just been drinking water?]
Edited 2013-10-26 19:41 (UTC)
exeggutorhead: (surprise)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2013-10-26 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[The wine cellar is actually one of the few places Envy hasn't been yet.]

[He actually doesn't mind the sudden appearance of monsters that much; they're something to fight, to take out his anger on, and after wandering around in the tension of the day that's almost a relief. But he was getting ganged up on out in the Grand Hall, and the wine cellar is where he's finding himself stumbling into to get away. He's gripping a paring knife in one hand, and a fireplace poker in the other. Before he notices France, he has to turn around and take care of the one monster that follows him in, something that to him looks like a shadowy child with huge, glowing eyes. He bashes it over the head with the fireplace poker until it vanishes into oily smoke, then turns around to warily scan the room for anything else he might have to fight. His eyes widen when he does see the other occupant.]


...France?
francia: (Happy Happy)

[personal profile] francia 2013-10-26 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[France had decided, perhaps in the last twenty minutes, to take some time to contemplate the architecture of the wine cellar. It is, like most things in this world he's come to suspect he's meant to call his own, lacking, but it's certainly different from the pseudo-metropolitan areas. The stonework is quite nice.]

[The brief commotion created from Envy and the shadow child does work to draw him out of his reverie, and he turns, slowly because he hasn't lost enough of his senses to abandon caution, the mostly drunken bottle in hand cocked slightly as a weapon. But once he realizes who it is, he immediately drops the defensive stance, his entire face lighting up in clear relief.]


Envy!

[He moves with quickness that, if he thought about it, would be not possible if he was really drunk to envelop Envy in a bone-crushing hug.]
exeggutorhead: (happy grin)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2013-10-27 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Envy winces a little at the hug; those monsters did get a few hits in on him, even if there's miraculously no evidence of injury beyond the pain. But he sure doesn't stop him, because France is one sight for sore eyes. He even hugs back a little, careful not to poke France in the back with the knife or the poker.]

I didn't kow you'd gotten dragged here too. Have you been in here this whole time?
francia: (Careful Consideration)

[personal profile] francia 2013-10-27 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[France relaxes his hold on Envy at the wince but doesn't let go. He kisses Envy on both his cheeks and then gently on the mouth, choosing to rest his forehead against Envy's and breathing out a long sigh.]

I haven't yet attempted to venture forward. I've run into a couple of people, but I doubted it would be much better outside. I wish I had now, knowing you were out there.
exeggutorhead: (mildly frustrated)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2013-10-28 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Envy responds to the kiss and makes no move to break the hug. It's a huge relief to see France, even if it's not a good thing that France is also trapped here. It's good to see him, and Envy hasn't ever been a selfless person.]

There wasn't much during the day, just a creepy castle with no way out. And now there are monsters running around and still no way out.

[A pause as he realizes something.]

Do you have anything to use as a weapon?
francia: (I Spy)

[personal profile] francia 2013-10-31 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[France grimaces, a sound of vague displeasure escaping him.]

I stopped building castles for a reason...

[He sighs, rubbing his thumb against Envy's side.]

Well, there are quite a few empty bottles that could be used as projectile weapons here.
exeggutorhead: (defensive)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2013-11-01 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I hope that reason isn't because they're all overrun by nightmarish monsters.

[Even in a situation like this, Envy finds humor a good fallback.]

Yeah, they could. We should still find you something better.

[A low, rattling growl comes from behind a stack of old wine casks. Envy tenses, stepping back from the embrace so that if they get attacked he'll be able to fight, but staying close. He also holds the poker out for France to take if he wants it.]
francia: (o shi--)

[personal profile] francia 2013-11-01 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[France opens his mouth to respond that he certainly hopes his castles haven't been overrun by ungodly monsters, but the rattling growl steels that particular exposition from him. He accepts the poker readily, grip white-knuckled for a moment before he deliberately relaxes his hold. No faster way to break one's hand than to engage in swordplay with everything tensed.]

[His voice comes low, almost business-like if it wasn't for the clear note of strain behind the forced calm.]


Can you see it?
exeggutorhead: (wary)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2013-11-01 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[Envy shifts into a better stance for knife-fighting; the paring knife may be small, but he sharpened it well, and he's confident in using it. He leans forward slightly, trying to look into the shadows that seem to twist and cloak whatever monster is hiding in them, far beyond what any real shadow could do.]

Not yet, I--

[He doesn't get to finish before the thing steps forward. What Envy sees is a large beast, a twisted mash-up of reptile and something like a hyena. It's not a chimera he's ever seen personally in Amestris, but it's very like one. He sees it throw back it's head, howling, before it lunges at them.]
francia: (Kill You)

[personal profile] francia 2013-11-01 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[The sight of the creature makes France's logical mind sputter for a moment, his memory coughing up images of things the sermons in his youth used to put into his head. He turns a milky colour, but, before he can acknowledge his faintness, the thing moves.]

[Instinct kicks in and France drops his upright stance to dodge out of the way, the fire poker levelled in front of his body to hopefully parry any sudden move the creature might make. His free hand scrambles over the shelf behind him for a bottle to throw.]
exeggutorhead: (defensive)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2013-11-01 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Envy dodges the other way, and the beast winds up between them, a snarling mass of stinking fur and scales. It whirls on France, trying to bite him, but there's a good chance the poker will keep it at bay for a short while.]

[Envy darts in with the knife, stabbing it into one of the creature's hind legs. It howls again, this time in pain, leaving an opening for France to potentially do some damage with the poker or a bottle.]


Edited 2013-11-02 01:02 (UTC)