faewildmods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
faewildmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fae_wildest2023-11-29 09:07 am
faewildmods) wrote in fae_wildest2023-11-29 09:07 am
TDM #1 - Welcome to the Fae Wild, Winter Edition
'You find yourself wandering through a forest of strange colors. The last thing you remember is a strange ring of mushrooms in a riot of shades, singing to you in ethereal tones, tempting you and telling you to step in the midst them to discover riches beyond measure. As you do, a bright white light flashes before your eyes. When your sight returns, the forest of bizarre trees and plants looms before and around you.
As you step forward, laughter—deep and menacing and also light and tinkling—follows your footsteps. Yelling, questioning, gets you nowhere. Only a narrow path of stones allows you to avoid the foliage that seems to want to eat you alive. If you step off of the path, you find vines wrap around your legs, dragging you into the dark interior of the forest, until you wake up later, your body covered in strange symbols that will disappear after a few days. For those wise enough to not tempt fate and stay on the path, soft blue lights—fairies of indeterminate sex—appear, and beckon you to follow them down the path through the trees. A few hours of walking brings you to a village of stone and wooden thatched houses that appear as if they're both brand new and ancient at the same time.
A creature that at once appears to be monstrously beautiful and hideously decrepit steps forward to greet you, holding out a small silver hand mirror with a smile that makes your blood run cold (if you have any sense). "Welcome to the Fae Wild, child. This is the domain of the Handmaiden of the Sidhe Queens. Come with me. The others are waiting. All will be explained once we are gathered." It is then that you see the others spoken of, people that look almost.... normal and just as confused and angry as you are.
Dare you step forward to learn your fate?'
☙ Arrival ☙
So, you’ve survived the trip down the path and made it to the village that is the heart of the Fae Wild. The Handmaiden and her helpers, mostly pixies, brownies and some sylph and dryads, are handing out silver hand mirrors to all of the newcomers. Once you’re all gathered, the Handmaiden will explain that you’ve been brought here with the promise of riches and treasure through the magical fairy rings. While you’re here, you will be expected to assist the fae creatures in the activities the Handmaiden has picked for you to do.
If you agree to it, you will be richly rewarded. If you refuse? Well, how much do you enjoy the thought of being put under a cloche jar for a while? Don’t worry. You’ll be able to breathe in there. It wouldn’t be good to have someone die on their first day after all. After securing your agreement, your mirror will flash five times, and tapping the surface shows a letter-type of message in flowing script, telling you how to reach your new cottage during your stay.
Questions to the fae may or may not be answered, but never fear. They want you alive. For now.
☙ Winter Proofing The Realm ☙
As the first frost strikes the land of the Fae Wild, all the pixies and brownies are running around to make sure that the cottages, huts and communal buildings are ready for the blast of the Winter Queen’s Full Power. The sylphs and dryads are plucking flowers and bringing in as many fruit trees and bushes inside so that they can continue to provide food for the upcoming season.
Hunting parties are being arranged to stock up on meat. Other groups are being formed to fish in the lakes. (Beware of the kelpie. They bite.) You can also offer to chop wood, check all of the buildings for any repairs that need to be done, and preserve some of the more delicate foods. Just because this is a land of magic doesn’t mean that they’re immune to the change in the seasons.
Player characters are highly encouraged by all of the faeries to join in during this time. Anyone who does will find themselves given three times the berries during this particular activity.
☙ Glimpses of the Winter Court ☙
As the Winter Solstice approaches, glimpses of the Winter Sidhe (faeries of the highest order) can be caught as they travel around the whole of the Fae Realm. Frost Trolls that look like walking chunks of ice that only a mother (and maybe the Winter Queen) could love are currently pushing out the remnants of the dryads and sylphs to make room for themselves and their kind. If you look carefully, a tall horned man leading a pack of dogs and being followed by a lot of vicious looking creatures has begun to prowl and the nights are filled with the braying of His Hunting Party as they look for prey.
Asking the normal denizens of the Fae Wild will win you the name of Der Erlking and his Grand Hunting Party. Anyone caught out after dark alone will find themselves picked for the “special honor” of being prey or asked to spend the night as one of His hounds.
Occasionally, a beautiful, pale woman strolls around. She is never alone, as her entourage of grimalkin (large, black cat-like beasts) are always in attendance. Sometimes, she appears melancholic and at others, she is regal, cool and distant. Anyone foolish to try to approach her will find themselves face to face with the largest of the grimalkin who calls himself Cait Sith. And he suffers fools never.
☙ Here Comes Santa Claus ☙
Winter has definitely arrived with the first snow. Plenty of elves in striped stockings and funny shoes with bells on their toes are running around the village, demanding that all the buildings be covered in holly and evergreens. Others are hastily baking as many biscuits and cakes as they can. Player characters are not immune to the assumption of assistance. Anyone caught resisting them will find themselves suddenly about the size of a five year old, wearing the very familiar garb of ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ and being pushed by one of the elves that calls themself The Taskmaster.
If one asks why the elves are doing this, they will find out that they’re making preparations to keep Santa Claus out of the Handmaiden’s domain. These particular elves are escapees from Santa’s sweatshop in the Winter Court, where he forces them to slave away making toys for human children with no pay, no insurance, and with only gruel to eat for every meal year round. The only way to keep him away from this area—since he’s such an important member of the Winter Queen’s Court—is to decorate it with plants of the season and to leave a gift outside the houses. It can be food, berries or shiny objects, but the Big Man must be appeased.
Of course, should you choose to not help, come the time of the 25th of December, Santa might just come and visit your house.
Welcome to our first Test Drive Meme! We encourage you to please play around and have fun. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask here. (Or elsewhere!)
Full Navigation | FAQ | NPCs | Locations
II
But, he did not like to see people suffering through tasks if they did not like them and so he pushes himself up and shakes out his trenchcoat a bit. ]
Do you need help with it? I don't mind a go here and there if your arms are getting tired. [ He may not be strong but he did have a high constitution so his stamina was very good for an Artificer. ]
no subject
Ah...Well, I was thinking of taking a small break. I'm really fine, though.
[ Mostly, he just didn't want to seem like he couldn't do it. ]
no subject
[ He tilts his head to the side as he proceeds to walk over and then takes the axe away. He is a tallish guy, around six foot two inches; he picks up the axe and then gives a bit of test swing with it ]
Might want to stand aside though, for practicalities sake.
no subject
Thank you.
[ Even if he was sure he could handle this himself, he still appreciates the assistance. ]
no subject
You are most welcome; this was often time my childhood chore so I am used to chopping wood. My father would buy logs from the dock but they were never at a size that could easily be fit into our fireplace. [ So out back, Rainier went to chop wood. ]
Name's Rainier Lutz.
[ To a perceptive person, it was absolutely clear that this guy was pretty direct, but also that he did not mind doing dirty work that no one else particularly liked, and that was the core of it-- he recognized that Dorian had not particularly 'liked' it. ]
no subject
I see. I'll admit, this isn't really something that I'd done growing up myself. But I've gotten more used to it over the recent years, and I don't mind a bit of hard work.
[ Even if he wasn't particularly fond of it. ]
Dorian Storm. A pleasure to meet you.
no subject
Once he was done, he buried the axe edge into the ground and then he went to retrieve all of the logs that he'd pushed to the side; there was a certain about of diligence to it, as if he was wholly focused on it. Then once Dorian started to speak to him, he smiled because that was what people did to friendly faces, and he was not a psychopath (he did not think he was, at least). ] Rainier Lutz, at your service.
[ And then a brief shake of his hair, red curls going everywhere ] I actually forgot how it makes your arms ache a bit, though thankfully nowhere near as much as it did when I was younger.
[ It felt weird not to introduce Ludwig as well, he was so used to doing so. ] So I take it you followed the frog croaking too?
no subject
[ Dorian can't help a puzzled look as he glances at the other man. ] Frog? No...I'd actually been scouting for some shelter for my companions and myself when I came across a ring of mushrooms.
no subject
Rainier started to pick up the rest of the wood, he would carry them wherever it was that the woodpile was located. ]
I suppose now it's just a matter of biding our time to figure out what else the feywild has in store for us.
no subject
Not much else we can do, I suppose. They don't seem to be keen on taking criticisms at this time.
[ Because he definitely still has words about his weapons and the rest of his instruments, thank you. ]
Though I'm still worried about the rest of my group. I hope they aren't too concerned about me.
no subject
[ That was interesting, and now he wanted to hear more. he'd arrived with Trystan, and then there was now Ellia (thank goodness she was here to save her fire boys from what could only be construed as certain destruction. He paused once he had placed the chopped wood in the little bin set out for it, and then he kicked it closed with his booted feet, and they were nice boots with final fantasy buckles going all up the side. ]
I am a bit concerned but not worried, our Crazy Wine Aunt is not here.. at least I do not think so--
[ I.E Tiamat, but that was so far out of context. ]
no subject
[ He can't help feeling concerned. He was sure that Fy'ra would look after the others, but he didn't want them to risk looking for him and getting into trouble themselves. Plus there was his brother, and while Morrighan had been quite a help he didn't know what would happen with her now.
There was a lot to think about, but he tries to push them all aside for the moment. ]
But there's nothing to be done about it right now. It won't help to worry too much, I suppose.
[ He'll just worry about it later when he's by himself. ]
no subject
[ And if the others showed up? They showed. ]
no subject
However and whenever they might get home. ]
Right.
[ Eventually they arrive where others are placing the ready chopped logs, and he sets down his pile. ] In any case, I do appreciate your assistance with this.
no subject
[ That was the truth, and Rainier came from enough of a communal family where that was prioritized, and mainly? Family. Right now, as he saw it they were all family in this topsy turvy upside down world and well, he could be relied on for odd-jobs here and there, such as chopping wood. There was very little in this world that he found annoying other than perhaps people making subpar toys. ]
no subject
[ Since they were all in the same boat, it made sense to work together while they were stuck in this place. Especially with a place as unpredictable as this. ]