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Post by ProfHemlock on Mar 5, 2016 23:21:14 GMT
If you weren't paying attention closely, you might never notice something was wrong. The transition from the ordinary world to something new was an amazingly subtle thing. The most notable changes were those anyone might expect when wandering off the lone, rarely used path of the woods on the outskirts of Adamsgrove. Everything seems to have become denser: the trees grow closer together, creating a veritable maze that seems to twist and morph into something unfamiliar in mere moments; less and less bare ground can be seen underfoot, covered by fallen debris from the trees or crawling plants desperately searching for nutrition hoarded by their larger competitors; even the air itself feels thick and damp. These gradual changes might only have been noticed by someone with experience with these woods, but there were certain things that hinted more clearly towards the otherworldly nature of this place. Most obvious was the light, or rather the lack thereof. The sun had been low in the sky, and the foliage above was dense and blocked out most of the sky from sight, but what was visible should have been painted with the red hues of the setting sun still. Instead, whenever any small patch of sky could be seen, there was only blackness broken up by small twinkling lights in patterns that would be unrecognisable to any seasoned stargazer. But even more noticeable than the unnatural darkness was the unmistakable sensation that regardless of where you go, you are being watched. Not merely observed by passing animals, you feel as though unseen eyes are fixed on you, following you as you travel through this new, unfamiliar terrain. Alright everyone, feel free to narrate your entry into this new world however you wish. Flarinth, if you wish its reasonable to assume you've entered the Otherworld Forest with Professor Hemlock.
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Post by flarnith on Mar 5, 2016 23:37:34 GMT
It was like a rubber band being bent then snapping back in place.
At least that is that Sienna would tell the professor later. But in that moment the sheer wrongness of what happened at the site caused her to feel.. off. Like she wasn't wearing her own skin for some reason. She drew in the microphone stand that Eliza gave her in an effort to comfort herself for the effect of the professor's ritual.
"I Don't think we're in Adamsgrove any longer Professor." She would say as she helped the good professor hemlock up onto his feet
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Sept 23, 2023 4:13:40 GMT
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Post by Moriya on Mar 7, 2016 4:26:53 GMT
Jackson set out on a familiar path, as it had been a few months since he had returned to forest. As he walked, he observed the usual seasonal changes and let the stresses of life in Adamsgrove vanish into contemplation of natural cycles. This was his home, in all but the most literal senses of the word. After a few miles, Jack branched off of the official path and made his way toward a place he had found several trips ago. It wasn't quite a clearing, just a place where the trees thinned around a half-buried boulder. It would be a comfortable place to relax and just watch the forest for a while.
After a short distance, Jackson noticed that something wasn't right. The changes to the forest didn't quite match his memory, filling him with a sense of unease. After he had walked a little farther, it became apparent that this did not match the place from his memory. Still, there was no need for serious worry. It was far from the first time that Jackson had gotten lost, and he was no more than half of a mile off of the trail. With a small sigh and a little self-chastisement, Jack turned around and made his way back toward the trail.
Almost immediately, he realized the magnitude of his error. The forest ahead of him was thicker, darker, and more foreboding than what Jack knew to be in the area. A few of his grandfather's old tales came to mind. He had never really believed them before, but now they seemed to have more weight.
Still, he's in a forest, and one that feels completely new. That seems worthy of a bit more investigation. Jack continues walking 'back to the trail', learning as much as he can about this new environment as he goes.
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Jan 15, 2022 13:49:57 GMT
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Post by Nether on Mar 7, 2016 18:06:50 GMT
"Where the hell I am?" That was the only thing on Ethan's mind as he explored the unfamiliar woods. He was certainly not an expert on on the forest around Adamsgrove by any stretch of the imagination, but he grew in the small city. He played in these same woods when he was younger. Why did they just suddenly stopped making sense? And since when were they so.. unnerving?
It had started, like most of his "Where I am" moments, with an evening walk. Except that unlike the last few times (which resulted in him finding a tiny coffee shop apparently forgotten by everyone, and the most amusing used books store in the city) he had decided to head for the woods for a change of scenery.
It had not been, in hindsight, a smart move: attempting to lead back home brought him back into even denser woods, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was currently hopelessly lost and seeking anything vaguely hinting at civilization.
He'd settle for trash littered on the ground, really.
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Post by Oranchello on Mar 8, 2016 19:56:24 GMT
Dowsing Roll: 3 dice from Occult Edu + 3 dice from Crystal Resonance + 1 die from Skill Stunt + 1 die from Dowsing For Dummies
4M_P5CZF1-6 1-6 1-6 1-6 1-6 1-6 1-6 1-6
"There's another one!" The forest's "new" noises are drowned out a good bit by Cosette's elated shouts. She's been finding these strange, colored shards all over the place. It's a little off-putting; this wasn't here yesterday, after all, but Cosette is not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, as long as her family stays uninvolved. She humms as she collects the bits and pieces of elementally charged rock, and tries to fit a few together for the sake of it. She quickly gives up, pledging to continues once she's got a table to work on. She continues her search instead, unheeding the danger. 1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6
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Post by Oranchello on Mar 8, 2016 20:04:20 GMT
6 shards get! Rerolling two 6s
R6vAejKr1-6 1-6
She laughs heartily, as she comes across some better-looking shards. She's on a roll! Are these precious stones? 1-6·1-6
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Post by Oranchello on Mar 8, 2016 20:06:15 GMT
8 shards get! Rerolling one 6
R6vAejKr1-6
Finally she stops, panting a bit. She'd be hopelessly lost at this point, even if she weren't in a whole 'nother dimension. She starts trying to find her way back, picking her way through the foliage. It's going to take a while to get home.
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Post by Oranchello on Mar 8, 2016 20:07:02 GMT
9 shards get... Rerolling one 6...
6g1qOamw1-6
1-6
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Post by ProfHemlock on Mar 12, 2016 3:37:38 GMT
The Glade of False WelcomeProfessor Hemlock accepted Sienna's offered hand with only the slightest of hesitation. Most of the discomfort he'd previously had around the girl and her unique circumstances had dissipated by this point, and what remained could easily be attributed to simply poor social skills or a general lack of fondness for children. "While I imagined it would be more apparent," the professor said once he was up, looking around and dusting himself off, "it appears you are correct. Sienna, I want you to stay close to me at all times. Until we have had an opportunity to collect information, we have no idea what could be waiting for us." His words were cautious, but already his eyes were alight with passion, darting about and ready to explore. For the moment at least, his immediate thoughts seemed not to be on their own personal safety, nor even saving the missing peoples which had been the nominal reason for this venture; no, right now Professor Hemlock was driven by pure intellectual curiosity about this brand new place in which he found himself. ------ The Dark TangleAs Jackson began walking back the way he thought he'd come from, more and more became apparent to him because of his already established understanding of nature in general and these woods in particular. The trees seemed entirely wrong, not any of the species he was used to seeing in this area, or one which he was familiar with at all for that matter. Based on his understanding however he could tell they were too close; trees of this size would need far more space than these ones left between themselves. They also lacked the visible roots that he would have expected. The only reason this was not the major clue to the fact something unusual was going on was that, having retraced his steps as best as he could for the last few minutes, there was still no sign of the path from which he'd come. ------ The Forsaken GroveAs Ethan continues to attempt to find his way back, the trees seem to become less dense around him, and the undergrowth thins out significantly, though the leaves, branches, and other such debris still cover the ground completely like a blanket. Then, almost as if in response to the unvoiced request in his mind, his foot came into contact with something that made a metallic sounds as it was kicked away. If he'd cared to look around, he would find that he'd kicked an empty beer can, and that several others littered the area. Not only that, but empty plastic bags and even a few small piles of (presumably) used needles could be found. As his attention wandered, he heard the metallic sound again and found the can he had kicked tumbling back towards him. A handful of the debris in that direction seemed to shake around, as though something hiding underneath was shuffling. ------ The Reflecting PoolCosette's highly successful search and subsequent attempt to find her way back home led her, eventually, to the edge of a small clearing with a pool at its center, one which seemed to have no streams or rivers either feeding into or flowing out of it. Against all odds, the pool seemed almost perfectly clean, with not so much as a leaf floating upon its surface. By rights this should have meant that the water should be clear, but instead it was perfectly reflective, as though someone had left a large mirror on the forest floor. Only the occasional disturbance of water droplets falling from the branches above the pool indicated its true nature as liquid. Suddenly, from somewhere in the forest came a scream which seemed to rattle the heavens- literally. The stars in the sky seemed to shake and shudder at the brief but noticeable disturbance. It was audible to everyone in the forest, closest to Jackson but the direction was discernable to everyone. From Professor Hemlock and Sienna's position it seemed to come from the southwest; from Ethan's, due west; and from Cosette's, north, across from the pool. Oranchello, your dowsing has brought you: 1 Green Shard, 1 Violet Shard, 2 Blue Shards, 2 Yellow Shards, and 3 Red Shards
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Post by flarnith on Mar 12, 2016 7:11:50 GMT
the sudden scream worried Sienna as she looked to see the professor start to head in it's direction. She sighs and follows a half step behind hoping this wouldn't end up like the Zoo incident.
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Jan 15, 2022 13:49:57 GMT
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Post by Nether on Mar 13, 2016 17:46:36 GMT
Well, this was.. sort of.. what he was hoping to find. Except it was looking more "illegal dumpster" than "littered picnic spot". Still, with this much garbage around, there -had- to be tracks he could follow back to the city, right? He had just started looking for those when the rustling caught his attention. "Raccoons?" he thought to himself as he took a step back to 'arm' himself with a stick before moving closer, circling at a decent distance around the spot he saw moving in hopes to spot something. Of course they had to be raccoons. What else could they be? And really: since when did this place get so goddamn unnerving?
"Hey! Anybody there?" His voice sounded much less convinced than he hoped it would: he wasn't even sure if he wanted somebody to answer him or not.
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Sept 23, 2023 4:13:40 GMT
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Post by Moriya on Mar 13, 2016 21:44:44 GMT
No wonder this area had felt wrong, the trees were completely different from usual. Jackson approached one and reached out to touch it, attempting to investigate further. At that moment, the scream echoed across the forest. Any associated celestial tremors went unnoticed, as he instinctively looked down and covered his ears at the noise. After a moment, Jackson recovered and checked the general direction of the scream. While he didn't see anything immediately obvious, he weighed his options. On one hand, approaching something capable of producing such a noise would certainly be dangerous. On the other hand, it was also his best bet at learning something about this place and it's ecosystem. Also, he would be able to relax and enjoy the area properly with that noise lingering in his mind.
With a small sigh and a shake of his head, Jackson started walking in the direction of the scream's origin.
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Post by Oranchello on Mar 17, 2016 17:01:37 GMT
Cosette takes a moment to look at herself in the natural (or is it?) mirror. She's a bit nervous over being lost, but not too much, as she hasn't seen anything all that scary yet, not even a gross bug.
The distant scream brings her out of her posing, and after a few seconds of paralysis, she judges the pool to be shallow and runs towards the source of the noise, running across it. If someone's in danger, getting her clothes dirty is the least of her worries (and she's wearing appropriate clothing! She *was* planning on digging around in the woods).
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Post by ProfHemlock on Mar 18, 2016 4:17:57 GMT
The Forsaken Grove
At first there is no response to Ethan's challenge. The forest remains still, as though considering the (somewhat pathetic) display. Then the forest makes its response: all around him, certain pieces of debris begin shaking. Whatever was causing it was also making sound, each piece seemingly letting out a series of high pitched whistles that grew louder as each piece shuffles closer and closer to him, slowly closing in a ring around him if unhindered.
The Dark Tangle
Jackson progresses through the underbrush in the direction he is all but certain the sound originated from. Any potential worry of moving past this location without realizing was unfounded. Maneuvering around a tree, Jackson found an area where much of the undergrowth had been trampled, a hiking boot and the tattered remains of a backpack cast down on the ground with its contents strewn about, and most alarmingly, a wet, sizeable patch of blood.
Within moments of Jackson's discovery, Professor Hemlock stumbled out of the brush, followed closely by Sienna. The Professor quickly scanned the area, only focussing on Jackson once they had taken in everything else about the scene.
"How- what are you doing here?" he asked, more confused than concerned.
The Reflecting Pool
As she wades through her first few steps, Cosette finds that her assessment appears to have been correct. The pool appears to be shallow enough to walk through.
Until suddenly it wasn't.
Taking another step she suddenly found herself sinking beneath the surface. Though opaque and reflective on the surface, the water was clear enough to see through underneath, though further down light seems to fade, swallowed up by darkness. Cosette felt a current pulling her down, as though the darkness wished to swallow her as well.
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Post by Moriya on Mar 18, 2016 22:29:42 GMT
When Jackson sees the scattered items and blood, his feeling of tension increases. Something here is dangerous and, judging by the lack of a body, hungry.
Before he has a chance to examine the scene any further, however, two other people arrive at the scene. Jackson notices the professor first, due to the man's stumbling and question. He gives the professor a flat look and a raised eyebrow. "I could ask you the same question." He looks down at the boot, backpack, and pool of blood meaningfully. "Probably the same reason as you though."
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Post by Oranchello on Mar 22, 2016 5:24:10 GMT
Cosette struggles against the current, trying to pull herself up, but while she's wearing boots that justify wading through a shallow pool, the rest of her clothes are nowhere near as water tight. She tries to scream herself, hoping to alert somebody like her, but at this point it might be more of a quiet gurgle. Still, she tries to swim. Athletics Check (Just in case)
1N||hl1G1-6 1-6
1-6·1-6
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Post by flarnith on Mar 24, 2016 1:26:19 GMT
Sienna manages to catch up with the professor and sees the grisly scene, visibly disturbed she turns to the Professor "I know your excited Professor but should we really be headed to an unknown location." she tries to plead with him. "Especially with an unknown man killer on the loose." she states with a wave of her hands to the gore scene. she then looks at the 'new' arrival and smiles though her stitching. "Oh hello, I'm Sienna Contiello. It's nice to meet you. She tells him as she gives a slight curtsy.
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Post by Nether on Mar 26, 2016 4:06:08 GMT
Yeah. Sure. A raccoon. Ethan flicked away a few of the pieces of garbage that were closing in on him with the stick, but it was a losing proposition: with each tin can that he tossed flying into the night, two more took its place.. when it wasn't the same one bouncing right back in place. "What the.." He wanted to run, but he was frozen like a deer on an highway: part of him wanted to just sit down and take notes - it would have been a most interesting situation had he not been the one in the middle of it. Plus, running away would get him even more lost in the forest and he wasn't sure he was ready to try that yet. So he continued to defend himself with the branch, tossing away the garbage that got too close and moving to try and keep it from enclosing him. That sounded like it could be bad news.
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Post by ProfHemlock on Mar 27, 2016 4:40:50 GMT
The Reflecting PoolThe current is not so strong that it would have been impossible for Cosette to have swum out of it... in ideal circumstances. Her sudden plunge however is far from ideal... Penalty die QwBzko8O1-6 1-6
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Post by ProfHemlock on Mar 27, 2016 5:16:33 GMT
The Reflecting PoolTry as she might, Cosette cannot pull herself out of the current. She finds herself being pulled down and the already faint light from above slowly disappears... Before disappearing completely however, the light allows her to see something move in the water nearby. She cannot get a good look at it before it is suddenly behind her, and she feels it grab onto her clothes and pull her. Whatever it is, it is a much stronger swimmer than her, as it easily resists the current and swims, though it does not seem to be intent on bringing her to the surface but rather pulling her along sideways. The Dark TangleThe Professor seems surprised at first at Jackson's response. "You certainly don't seem the academic type, so I-" he then noticed that Jack had motioned towards the scene around them and quickly corrected himself. "Oh, I see, you meant this particular area. I should have realized, you probably don't know where we are..." The professor trailed off and began muttering to himself, apparently becoming lost in whatever train of thought he'd caught a ride on and forgetting anything about the world outside his own head. "Unsurprising really... continued instability... truly fascinating... could this mean...?" It would be some time before he would return to paying attention to anything, and what would break him out of his contemplation would not be anything the other two in the immediate area did, but rather an ominous snap of a branch not far away. "Perhaps now is not the time to consider these things. Eyes open Sienna, I would like to learn a bit more about this place before we are forced to depart. As for you," he pointed at Jackson, "I would suggest you follow us for the time being." Without even waiting to confirm that either would follow his directions or apparent interest in the grisly scene he'd just stumbled upon, the Professor turned and began to wander in an entirely different direction, though his wandering gaze was now noticeably more wary than before. Professor's Perception (3d6) DXiaWjJT1-61-61-6 (4d6+1) 1-61-61-61-6 The Forsaken GroveBeyond the fact that it's moving, Ethan can tell that what it attempting to surround him is not ordinary trash from the first swing. Unlike the can he had kicked, there was no metallic sound or feeling. Rather, everything he flicked away swished in a horribly organic way, apparently imitating the outward appearance but being something very different underneath. All of Ethan's efforts are for naught it would seem. Flicking the "trash" away did not seem to be deterring or harming them in any way, they simply kept marching toward him. When they came close enough, apparently the need for disguise was deemed unnecessary. One by one, each can rose up, a small white stalk only a few inches high, making each seem like some sort of strangely camouflaged mushroom. Except mushrooms neither moved, nor did they have dark, beady eyes that were fixed intently on the now nearly surrounded Ethan. In unison, the mushroom-like creatures let out an ear piercing whistle, and moments later it became apparent what this was: a signal to attack. 1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6·1-6
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