EVENT LOG: LOSE YOUR SOUL

[inthenightmods]

EVENT LOG:
LOSE YOUR SOUL

characters: everyone.
location: bonfire square, around town.
date/time: october 30-31.
content: the spirits stage a play! and then the thefts begin...
warnings: none. just mischief.

you're gonna lose your soul tonight, tonight

It's probably something you're used to by now: waking up to some new, strange thing suddenly appearing somewhere around town. This time it's a ramshackle stage sitting prominently in the center of the square. It's complete with benches and a haggard-looking red curtain, and it's clear by the amount of forest spirits milling and fussing around it that they're the ones responsible. For most of the day, the spirits seem concerned only with attracting as many people as possible, trying to herd them into the seats. But as the moon rises, the performance finally begins.

There's an awkward shuffling behind the curtain before it lifts, revealing a very crude set made of actual branches used as trees. Various pieces of junk have been shined up and stuck to the back wall to serve as the night sky. In the midst of it all stand several spirits holding very small torches taken from the Bonfire. Sticks, really, placed inside empty cans with holes punched in them and rusted wires for handles. These spirits wave their "lanterns" about for the benefit of the audience before miming the act of walking across the stage without actually going anywhere. From somewhere above them, a pair of long arms descends to shake the "trees" on either side; seems the Postmaster General wanted to lend their talents to the cause.

The protagonists of this pantomime talk amongst themselves, in the chirps, hoots, and whistles that make up their language. They motion to one another, pointing at things and conferring before finally nodding and, apparently, continuing on whatever "journey" they're supposed to be on. This goes on for a few minutes before another set of players enter the stage— or at least reveal themselves.

Perhaps a few eagle-eyed viewers have spotted them already, but the second group of spirits pops out of the set itself. One detaches itself from a "tree", one drops from the poorly-painted sky, and two more emerge from where they've been hiding behind the foliage. These spirits are holding prop lanterns, too, though theirs are shielded, giving off very little light. But their most notable feature is that they're wearing animal masks; a deer, a fox, a raccoon, and a rabbit for the tallest one. These aren't the masks that make up their faces, they're extras, seemingly tied on over their own.

As the second group jumps up, the first reacts with emphatic shock, and then a brief scuffle ensues. In the chaos, the animal-masked spirits make off with the others' lanterns, dashing away and off the stage. The original few begin to wail, to writhe, to clutch at their throats, and then, ultimately, to fall very over-dramatically to the floor. Other spirits sneak out to drag them out of view, but that isn't quite the end of the performance.

A spirit dressed in a cloak and garish feathers stomps onto the stage with a wooden beak affixed to its face. In one hand it holds a full-sized torch as it waves its fake wing-arms around and tries to squawk. Suddenly, the masked— double masked? spirits arrive again, grabbing the feathered creature, snatching the torch, and tossing the poor feathered spirit to the ground. Victorious, they hoot loudly, and then rush offstage once more. (Probably to return those torches before Rastus has a fit.)

Finally, the Postmaster General, done with their role as the entire set, unfurls a banner from the eaves. Clearly courtesy of the Librarian, it reads, in smeared black paint: BWAR FIRE SNACTHERS!!! with two X-ed out bonfires on either side.

And... that's it, apparently. The forest spirits all gather back on stage to bow before starting to dismantle the set. But their strange cautionary tale isn't over, oh no. It's time for a more personal demonstration. They've got to send home the message. Literally.

Throughout the night and the following day, things start to go missing. Perhaps even out of their owner's hands. Chase the spirits down for your stuff, hold someone else's things for ransom, or just break down and cry in your room because life is unfair— the choice is yours! Just let this be a reminder to heed what the spirits said: beware the Fire Snatchers.

Whatever those are.

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Comments

Stone | OTA

[scarsolderthanyou]

I. Play Time

Stone has seen many plays done by groundlings, and heard many stories told and half acted-out by his own people, and he very much enjoys both. This is like... a play with very few words, acted out by babies. It's adorable.

He watches with an amused expression, not really taking much in the way of a warning from it. Maybe he'll remember the "beware", maybe he won't, but it was entertaining to watch with his fellow Beacon residents. "Do they do this kind of thing often?" he asks whoever found themselves sitting next to him. "Try to communicate in funny little ways like this?"


II. Foiling the Thieves

The only thing Stone has to steal besides his lantern (and the spirits aren't actuallt taking those) is his tablet, and honestly, that's not a big loss. He shakes his fist at the spirit that runs off with it, shouting curses that don't sound remotely serious. When another one runs off with his sandwich, the curses are slightly more serious, but only slightly. He can always make another sandwich. (Sandwiches are handy inventions that he's happily learned about since his arrival in Beacon. The other Raksura really need to learn what sandwiches are.)

Eventually, Stone decides to foil the spirits' attempts at stealing the few things he has left, such as his clothes, by changing his shape and lounging around Beacon as a big, ghostly, half-blind dragon with the purple glass flower-lantern hanging from a loop in his tail. Every time a spirit tries to sneak up on him, it winds up making a disappointed noise when it finds he has literally nothing to steal.

Stone does a lot of toothy grinning.

On the whole, really, this doesn't disrupt his regular activities much, aside from spending more time in his winged form. Anyone who wants to chat can get him to change back easily enough.