HE IS HERE

[peckishmods]

the vines have run wild

it's over

Everything is in shambles. Walls and floors torn and broken from roots and branches sprouting through. They block doors and crowd passages and pulse with sick life. The Thing sits in the center of it all, angry and starving, its trunk both still and moving in ways you catch only when it is in the corner of your vision. Branches that look less like bark and more like skin stretch in every direction, lush with shadowy leaves and dotted with bits of glowing blue. The ruined floor is littered with those little twinkling dots. Seeds. Everywhere, seeds. They hang on boughs, and rest on banisters in the upper levels. The one thing in this nightmare that doesn't radiate that awful, pervasive hunger.

The roof is gone, replaced with a writhing canopy of shadow and muck. Some parts of it are complex spiderwebs of tendrilly shapes, others solid formless movement. The only consistent thing about it is that it is terrible to behold, faintly nauseating to look at for too long. Ash rains down between gaps in its branches, and what glimpses of sky are visible are nothing but swirling gray clouds. What stars still shine are magic, man-made, floated between balconies by prom committee before the dance.

Those remaining begin to stir. Each one of you has heard Pocket's words, "Find the roots." And if you want to save your friends, your family, the holler — hell, maybe even the world — that's exactly what you're going to do.

You climb from protective cocoons of dying moss, push your way past walls of solid ice, emerging into utter destruction. Things move and make noise at the edge of your vision, but for now, at least, all is calm. What to do? Where to start?

it's ruined

Among the twinkling maple seeds are the dropped possessions of students and staff, lost when they were pulled away. A compact mirror, a cell phone, a pair of glasses, cups of punch spilling across the floor. A single red heel sits at the edge of the jagged pit that peers down into the Sorting Path. The air here is hot. Too hot. If you jump, you'll surely be boiled alive.

Though locked when everyone tried to flee, vines and roots have torn the doors to the auditorium off their hinges. The splintered remains of heavy oak doors litter the entrance halls and stairwell alcoves, leaving an open path outside. Not that you'd want to flee, by the looks of it.

A cool night breeze is the only relief from the growing heat of the auditorium, yes, but even that is tainted by the heavy scent of flowers. Outside, vines and purple flowers have exploded over every surface. They climb up lamp posts, engulf buildings whole, hang from trees. It would be beautiful if it weren't horrifying. Campus is unrecognizable.

there is no hope

Roots and vines clog the way to the Sorting Path, and most stairwells are completely obstructed by the growths of that horrible tree. Up above, something buzzes and wails, a mockery of a cicada's cry, and beyond that the twittering of birds nesting in the tree's highest branches.

Pouch coalesces in the middle of it all, a one-winged magimagicicada, weak and weary but undaunted. Resolute, if not reinvigorated. He bends down to touch a seed, and the moment his obsidian fingers light on it, a blue-white portal to somewhere else rips right through reality. A memory begins to play. Somehow, the bug seems to know what he's seeing.

She gave us what we need, the one who ran says to the gathered students, his voice in their heads as much as the air. Let's all not let her down, huh?

Find your friends. Find my siblings. It's time to fight.

but you'll keep going, won't you?

TO ELSEWHERE
| TO OUTSIDE | TO THE UPPER LEVELS | TO THE SORTING PATH |

IN THIS HUB
| ARE YOU THERE? |
| AT THE BASE OF THE TREE | A POCKET OF SAFETY |
| BACKSTAGE | THE DANCE STUDIO |

OOC POSTS
| OOC ACTION HUB | OOC CHATTER - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS |

Comments

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Each step Pouch takes leaves frost in his wake as he moves past the angry nightmare tree toward the blocked Sorting Path door. All around, students and staff and others gather, fighting vines that descend and bugs that swarm, battling crawling things that look like spiders and churn your stomach to see.

The creatures climbing from the malignant maple seem endless, but for each new monstrosity born, another body joins the fight: Freshmen and muscheron, Rex and Beefy, those girls named Paige and Monica, the Young Specialist Aurors, Hobgood and Stirling and Lunch Lady Big Foot, together they form a wall to keep the onslaught at bay while Pouch burns right through layers and layers of vines with blasts of frost.

More beings with starlight skin and red carnelian eyes buzz in from all directions. Magimagicicada, freed and ready to fight.

"Keep finding your friends!" one shouts. "We need as much help as we can!"

You stand at the base of the nightmare tree, preparing for the final assault. Amidst a swarm of bugs, a CULTIST floats overhead, and between thrashing vines a HORROR approaches.

The Cultist and the Horror are aggressive. Defend yourself!
<b>NAME:</b> <B>TARGET?:</b> This battle features one HORROR and one CULTIST. Please indicate your target here. <b>WHAT DO YOU DO?:</b> Describe what you're trying here.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[nublada]

NAME: Claudia
TARGET?: HORROR
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Took off her shoe and she's just trying to beat the shit out of it with her heels.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Claudia's heels aren't to be trifled with (ROLLED 8)! She smashes several squirming worm-like appendages, splattering planty-buggy guts everywhere. The Horror (reacting in horror), roars and scoops her right up off the ground by the ankle (ROLLED 1). She's caught! Someone help!

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[nublada]

Well at least she wore cute underwear for prom.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[necrodanseuse]

NAME: Chanel Addams
TARGET?: Cultist
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Ok so perhaps last time this went really poorly and her shoe went flying. But!! But this time!!! She has a hockey stick! She slashes at the cultist with the hockey end, trying to knock it out of the sky

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Chanel slices the business hockey end of her stick at the cultist (ROLLED 7) cutting straight through it, though it quickly reforms. The Cultist descends, claws out, and attacks her (ROLLED 5) but thankfully all it manages to grasp and tear away is some hair — still, that hurts!

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[necrodanseuse]

Oh big scream like it’s killed her, blind rage. You don’t mess with someone’s prom hair

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[arisahn]

NAME: Aristotle Ahn
TARGET?: Horror
WHAT DO YOU DO?: With his burner wand presumably running low on spells, Aris takes a big swing at the Horror with the metal crutch he's been carting around instead. If he can, he'll try to free Claudia.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Aristotle goes to town on the horror (ROLLED 10) beating it with his crutch until it drops Claudia to the ground. It swings its tentacles his way, but manages to only snap him across the cheek, leaving a thin cut (ROLLED 5). And even despite his relentless attack, the horrible thing is still roiling strong.

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[quidditched]

NAME: Eddy Waxweiler
TARGET?: Cultist
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Gonna take a big swing at that face mask with his fist when it gets close to Chanel. It has been like 5 minutes since he was last burning, so.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Eddy swings (ROLLED 4), but the Cultist is too fast, its fluid form bending away from his fist. It swipes at him (ROLLED 5) but can only rake its claws over his arm. The scrapes it leaves burn, but it's not going to keep him down.

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[quidditched]

Fuck yeah it won't.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[damnnearkilledem]

NAME: Winter
TARGET?: Cultist
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Gonna try and rope that guy down with her war trophy/boa vine

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Winter manages to loop one end of her vine around the cultist and yank it down (ROLLED 7), making the thing vulnerable to swipes from others, but leaves herself open to attack in the process (ROLLED 4). She's squirrelly enough to dodge a solid hit, but her dress is torn and the scrapes beneath on her torso are an unfriendly red.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch! - A Round of Attacks!

[peckishbeings]

With the Cultist indisposed at the moment, only the Horror can get good attacks on everyone. That's fine, though, it's got plenty of arms to spare!

Claudia (ROLLED 10) isn't about to get swept up again. It's such a good dodge that she manages to get a few more good hits on the thing with her shoe (ROLLED 7).
Chanel (ROLLED 6) ducks out of the way of a whippy vine-like limb, gets smacked in the shoulder, but it just stings a little.
Aristotle (ROLLED 5) takes a hit to the shoulder that sends him reeling back, but he keeps his footing.
Eddy (ROLLED 5) gets his foot momentarily caught. The pressure of the vine squeezing his still somewhat aching legs hurts, but he's able to pull himself free.
Winter (ROLLED 2) is raked with smoky claws from the Cultist, still trying to free itself. It leaves cuts on her shoulders and arms. She's holding on to that vine, still, but barely.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[infamously]

NAME: Presley Mondragon
TARGET?: CULTIST
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Presley sees Chanel, Eddy and Winter getting scratched up by the Cultist, and runs to help. With both hands grasping his antique bonesaw for maximum impact, Presley tries going for an amputation.

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Surgical precision from Presley Mondragon (ROLLED 9) who slices one of those claws clean off the monstrous Cultist. The jagged arm disappears as smoke, and the Cultist is looking like it's in pretty bad shape. It swipes at Presley (ROLLED 5) but barely scrapes him.

Looks like it's time to aim for that mask!

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[gasgiant]

NAME: Joop
TARGET?: HORROR
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Look she's beat to hell (let's do a -1 on her roll) but she's still got plenty of ax puns to spare. "Cleave this to me!" she shouts, for instance, as she swings.

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Jupiter (ROLLED 10 - 1) makes coleslaw of the Horror. Its grimy, slimy core begins to bubble, and it can only slap her (ROLLED 6 - 5) for the trouble before she's tottering out of the way. The thing isn't looking good.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[teratophilia]

NAME: Armani
TARGET?:The Horror. Don't you dare touch his baby sister. 🙂
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Severing charm on as many arms as he can manage. Fashion IS danger!!!

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

Armani's Diffindo does what it needs to do (ROLLED 9) cutting bits and pieces off the Horror until it's a disgusting heap on the ground.

You have defeated the Horror! The Cultist still stands!

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[crowhop]

NAME: Mary Grace
TARGET?: CULTIST
WHAT DO YOU DO?: Tries to pin his arms with her lasso so she can punch him in that dumb face with her History of Magic book.

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[peckishbeings]

The Cultist swipes with its one good arm as Mary Grace comes close (ROLLED 4) and gets her pretty good across the arm. Bleeding is cool, though, and Mary Grace can't be stopped (ROLLED 8) one good crack with that thick, dry tome shatters the grotesque mask.

Clusters of flowers wilt away, revealing a human face that takes a deep gulp of air before sunlight burns its whole form apart.

You have defeated the Cultist! Stay tuned for Tokens!

Re: ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch!

[crowhop]

Mary Grace hits her vape.

ENCOUNTER: Protect Pouch! - TOKENS & A NEW PATH OPEN!

[peckishmods]

While the assembled army of students, staff and others fights off an incessant barrage of vines and horrors, Pouch pushes through layers of vine and roots, until a burst of steam sends him reeling back. The way to the Sorting Path is open.

Those you've helped to save can fight off the onslaught and keep the way open. Free more of your friends and descend!

• Claudia, Chanel, Aristotle, Eddy, Winter, Presley, Jupiter, Armani and Mary Grace each receive 10 Tokens for participating in a difficult battle!

You can check your token totals in Pouch's shop here, and maybe see if there's anything worth grabbing while you're there!