epidemiology | EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND

HOLIDAY PREPWORK

The sun might still be AWOL, but that doesn't mean it's time for a vacation! The goblin community seems even more motivated to get their holiday preparations together, working tirelessly to brighten up the grim atmosphere.

To that end, they've enlisted the help of the ALASTAIR recruits that've been bumming around. Characters that signed up will be invited or roped into the goblins' various holiday traditions and events. Though they may refuse or fail these tasks, for every one that isn't accomplished, characters will suffer one effect from the curses list for upsetting the holiday balance.

Note that those that didn't sign up can still help with tasks out of the goodness of their hearts, they just won't be assigned anything themselves or suffer any curses. Additionally, though PCs are magically bound to work with some partners, they may team up with others as well.

GREETINGS FROM LLOYD

ALASTAIR sends their holiday tidings! Some characters will find special deliveries addressed to them by name from the mysterious Lloyd of HR. The packaging might be messy and overtaped, and some of the gifts are less nice than others, but it's the thought that counts.

MISTLESNOW

The first snowfall of the year arrives, and though this may not bode well when there's no sun to melt it away, for now it's pristine and beautiful. Flurries and gentle snowstorms continue for days, blanketing all of Chantes and the outskirts.

With it comes a uniquely magical weed epidemic. Mistletoe grows off every surface it can, stems and shrubs of it creeping off of anything it can cling to, including trees, archways, lanterns and buildings. This parasitic plant is a notorious holiday tradition, but in Chantes it packs an extra punch: when two characters step under it together, they'll find themselves magically rooted in place. Mistletoe's spell can only be broken by a kiss, and while chaste exchanges usually work (kisses to the hand, butterfly or eskimo kisses, etc.), more stubborn weeds do exist.

This effect lasts until characters smooch or the weed dies from lack of sustenance, which could be anywhere between several hours to a full day. Mistletoe can be destroyed by a third party in a pinch, but be careful not to get stuck under the plant as well!

As an OOC note, feel free to be creative on the range and strength of the mistletoe, but please respect other players' boundaries! If you would like to break the mistletoe with a hearty handshake or have your character be immune, be our guest.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

All the hustle and bustle aside, the festivities themselves are peaceful and joyous -- and thanks to the ALASTAIR recruits, not punctuated with death or ominous Chimera motifs this time. A large bonfire continues all night with food and mulled wine aplenty. It's time to kick back, make some snow angels, and relax.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He'll stand back and survey the snow sculpture for a few moments, before approaching. It's clearly intended to be Loki, and creating a mock snow form of the trickster god is something Ahad would not mind aiding at all. ]

The materials make anything that comes to a point difficult.

[ But first he's going to be critical, because that's just how Ahad is. At least he sounds fairly neutral, if not very helpful. ]

[She snorts a bit and glances at him as she pats at her creation.]

If by materials you mean the soft, fluffy snow...yeah I'd noticed.

[Using a word like "materials" makes this whole endeavor sound a lot more professional than it actually is, but she doesn't seem particularly offended by his observation.]

What about ice?

[ Freezing the tip of the head piece might work, if you ignore the laws of nature and go with magic. If you're going to make a snow Loki, modeling it as closely as possible does make the whole thing more amusing. ]

Ice...I hadn't tried that yet.

[It was probably a good idea, she just wasn't sure how to utilize it properly. She was pretty new to this.]

If I may?

[ He'll reach up and touch one of the horns, but wait for permission before doing anything. ]

Oh. Yeah, sure, go ahead.

[She'll step back to give him work to do whatever he's going to try.]

[ He's going to try to freeze just headpiece. The ice should be easier to work with than the snow, when it comes to holding a shape. Well, as long as it's not too heavy. ]

Try it now. You should be able to chip away anything that isn't necessary.

[Well, okay but she wasn't expecting something like that. Maybe she should have been, but she wasn't.]

Oh. Wow. Okay. That was...magic? [She's not sure if it was really magic or some other kind of ability. She knows having magic isn't always the same as having special powers or abilities.]

There were no spells involved, but you could call it magic.

[ In his experience, humans tended to assume there must be words or writing involved. To Ahad, it was simply requesting that the universe change for him. ]

Okay, but what would you call it?

[She seems honestly curious as she pokes at the ice he just created.]

I mean...power isn't always magic.

I don't call it anything. I want something to happen, and the universe often obliges me.

[ He'll shrug. ] It's more complicated than that, but difficult to describe.

EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND

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