outofsticks | January Plotting: Bitter Winds Howling

OOC UPDATES

Regular AC will be resuming in January!
January is also a TDM month, so it’s the best time to think about who you may want to bring in or to enable the people you love who aren’t us.
New characters of preexisting players are welcome on this post, for the record!
A new past life plotting meme will be going up January 1st to ring in the new year as well, and hopefully the new format will make it more engaging.
We are going to set 2024 on fire and I am personally holding 2025 at gunpoint on all our behalf. Otherwise, we have a lot of really fun things planned for the year and we are greatly looking forward to playing things out with everyone together this year!
Also there is an end of year love meme for the game. This winter’s been hard. This year’s been hard. Let’s end it with a bit of love and joy.

SETTING UPDATES

Mayoi has built a shrine to Ourania, which doubles as a new home. It is placed in the formerly burnt town!
The weather is going to reach sub-zero temperatures, with raging snowstorms threatening one’s health if they stray too far from the indoors… though with how bitter cold it is, that may not help as much as you might want it to.
The river and lake are both completely frozen over, and not even Terho’s cabin has any light or presence to it. State of the seaborne and fish and Sinann? Frozen.
By nature of their magic, the fruit trees and blackberry bushes are still perfectly fine. It’s just a matter of getting to them at this point.
As the winter progresses, the cold encroaches further and further into where it should not be. Cups from the cabinets are frigid as ice, and any fires you try to keep burning flicker even as you stoke them and feel as if they could go out at any moment- Irene’s fireplace in the inn seems to be the only one that isn’t affected.

PLOT UPDATES

Characters will experience strange dreams of water and something trying to reach out. What could it mean? Great question!
New arrivals will find themselves struggling to get through the storm to safety, and will find themselves drawn to various buildings within the settlement. Hanging from their necks will be a pendant with a heavy snowflake amulet. While they wear these, the wraiths may use their voice to call for their sacrifice, and the new characters will feel incredibly cold even within the hottest places in town until they melt the amulet in a fire.
On top of the awful cold, the Grove and surrounding forest are once again under siege- though this time it doesn’t actually seem to be the Fallen Sun’s fault. The winter comes beckoned by the call of wraiths of frost and ice, and their presence only makes things worse.
They can be fought off with a partner or more- they’re much too strong to face alone- and for a time their defeat will abate the winds, but the howling blizzards return not long after. Working alone may cause a curse similar to last January to befall characters as well, where they slowly turn to ice unless saved by an act of true love (platonic or otherwise). The buddy system is the way to go!
(Mods will not be handling these fights, NPC the wraiths in battle as desired.)
All the while the wraiths call for a sacrifice. They do not elaborate on what they could possibly want, but “to stop this awful winter, sacrifices must be made”. Player characters must decide on their sacrifices and how they make them. The results will impact the end of the month with a small mini-event.

Please use the following form for plotting.

Character:
Canon:
CR:
Plans:
Not Seeking:
Anything Else:
Recent Posts or Toplevels:
Past Life Plotting Toplevel:
Meme:

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Character: Affogato Cookie
Canon: Cookie Run: Kingdom

CR: Affogato is a former Cookie who was once upon a time Dark Cacao Cookie's Royal Advisor. He clawed, scraped, and ~~poisoned~~ potioned his way to get to that position. And though he was very willing to feed into Cacao's paranoia and control via puppeting him, as well as let outer tribes starve (fuck you Coffee Village), he was actually really decent at his job. His job was to run the day to day of the Citadel and given what he had to work with, he did well enough! Plus he showed actual care for a) his disciples and b) the workers, asking Cacao to be easier on them.

However, when offered More Power he gladly took it and betrayed Cacao for the Crown, then was forced to flee.

Here in Stix: He's made up with Cacao and has re-pledged his loyalty via friendship instead. Which they're working on. He's taken over as Mizuki's Commander but uhm, has also grown feelings for the jellyfish which is very annoying cause he becomes very possessive and he does not like sharing. So you can imagine. With Fel gone he's taken over the Bath House as well, and is working to turn it into more of a parlor for relaxation. Massage, acupuncture, soaking. Whatever your needs. Plus he will do your makeup and hair for you, geezus please let him.

He's TRYING to be on his best behavior but it's so hard to be good when you still want Power and the Thing In The Forest Offers It. He's somewhat mollified by joining Cacao's Dragon Egg Helper Party and, in return, being given a boon. He now has better vision and better balance, which he will be using to his advantage for things. It came with a tail so. Watch Out He Will Flirt With It.

Plans: He's been experimenting with the flora and fauna of this world in making incense and tinctures. He would rather like to start trying them on people, but it's really hard to get someone to just down a random ass concoction without questions. That isn't Beat. There's not much he can do with Winter and this Bullshit happening, but hey. Maybe he can make more warming draughts like he did with the Eggs. They're gonna need them.

Though he spent the first of Callan's Blessings on a small hoard of exquisite jewelry and trinkets, he has 3 other wishes to use, which he might use one on helping give the Wraiths their sacrifice. Listen, he's a Witch. Sacrificing to Nature and the Things That Rule It is something he's been doing for most of his life. It matters not, you give thanks and offer life to those that give you life in return. And it doesn't matter what that sacrifice may be.

Not Seeking: Incorrect, I seek everything. Holds out my hands.

Past Life Plotting Toplevel: I'm not gonna link this since a new one is coming out shortly.

Edited 2024-12-27 16:27 (UTC)

>gives the girl underwater breathing abilities
>"Now you may explore your stupid ocean for an hour as you see fit."
>all the water is frozen over

Are you SURE he doesn't hate her-