THE SQUAD'S SPA RETREAT ON WEATHERTOP [log post] [free-for-all] [modplot]

[wildermods]

THE SQUAD'S SPA RETREAT ON WEATHERTOP
OOC POST
The hills the squad travel through make an undulating ridge, often rising almost to a thousand feet, and here and there there are low clefts or passes leading into the land beyond. In the low-lying areas there are the ruins of walls and other buildings, and on some of the hills lie the ruins of different forts and watchtowers.

The highest hill in the area is Weathertop and this is where the squad will make camp on the fifth night of travel. This hill will provide them refuge but no refuge can truly keep them safe. As the crows said, they are the ones that were Chosen by the Green and the darker forces of this world have already found out about their existence.

However, the night starts normally. They make camp and set up watch and the hours pass without much reason for worry. A waxing moon rises into the sky, casting a gentle glow on the world. There is a light chill but nothing insurmountable due to their campfires. All is calm and peaceful.

That's why what happens next probably seems strange at first. Even those who aren't on watch may find themselves suddenly jerking out of sleep due to strange feelings of dread seemingly coming from nowhere. Those with holy magics, blessed weapons, or banked holy spells will find themselves feeling some kind of evil approaching. Those with cursed weapons or unholy powers will feel a sick sort of welcoming feeling, like something dark is approaching, yes - but that they should be glad.

Then the feeling of dread reaches them all, regardless of powers or weapons, clutching at every heart. Even those normally immune to fear may find themselves feeling the cold reaching its way inside them with prying fingers.

That's when the calm, misty night is shredded by the first screech, something inhuman, half-animalistic, half metal scraping over concrete. Another screech answers it from a different side of the hill, like the sources of the screeches are pack hunting and slowly closing in. More cold rolls in and the feeling of despair deepens as the sky starts to blot out with floating shadow shapes. The dementors aren't the source of the screeches but they're being spurred on by them, as if the unearthly shrills are calling out orders of some kind. The cold that sets in makes those that can feel cold feel as if they'll never be warm again.

But that isn't the worst of it. There are loud pops as living human figures pop in around the hilltop and its various trails downward. The ceramic and metal masks of dark wizards glint in the moonlight and spells start sparking from their wands as they start firing at the group - and at the dementors and approaching Nazgul. Cackles and sadistic laughter fill the air. Their leader is a woman with a cackle that sounds more mad and more sadistic than the others.

As the first of the cloaked Nazgul approaches from beyond the ring of stones, practically exuding darkness, one of the Death Eaters steps forward. She is shaking and though she pretends it's all rage and the thrill of potentially killing, at least some of it is fear. Even the Death Eaters can feel the chill from the Nazgul and dementors. Lestrange tries to cover that up with her usual sadistic glee.

"Naughty naughty, trying to steal my mistress' prisoners out from under her nose," she crows, flinging curses. "They're not your toys to play with and we'll send you back to your pathetic formless master with your tails between your legs. You may not be able to die for good but we'll make you wish you have!"

She cackles with shrill laughter and the fight begins in earnest. The Nazgul and dementors descend on the group and the Death Eaters do as well - and both sides attack each other, too, not caring who's in the middle. In the space of minutes, the Squad is in the middle of a deadly battleground.

Fortunately, the hill isn't the worst place to make a stand with its ruins providing cover and good vantage points and there are woods to escape to in the lands below if they make a run for it. Maybe, if they're very, very lucky, they might survive the night.

But their odds aren't great. The Death Eaters are a sadistic force to be reckoned with, and the dementors are no less horrifying for having changed sides to work with Sauron. If anything, they're even worse now, and their orders are that only a few need to be captured for Sauron and the Nazgul - the rest can be killed or have their souls sucked.

And many have fallen at the hands of the Nazgul and all flee before their faces - save the one who desires to have the Nine deliver the Squad into his hands, where they can be broken in the deep dungeons of Barad-dûr, where no light has ever touched.

---

NOTES
✦ Post in actionspam format. Plots and mod-run events in the game are meant to be in actionspam format to keep a brisk pace.

✦ Free-for-all Post. This event will be in "free-for-all" format, meaning that threadhopping is encouraged and that threading should be treated in the same conversational way as network posts.

✦ NPCing. Players can feel free to godmode the Nazgul and dementors in their own threads, as these npcs don't talk, and have very little personality beyond being pure evil. Please just make them realistically difficult to drive back as they're very powerful, unkillable enemies. However, the mods will npc the Death Eaters since they're intelligent speaking people. A thread will be available in the OOC post where players can link to their threads to request a Death Eater npc to participate.

✦ Fairy Swaps. Now that the fairy swap mechanism will be in place, players can make their quest characters and Brugh characters magically swap places whenever they want, including during the event itself.

✦ When it Takes Place: ICly this is 5 days into the Squad's journey through the hills.

Comments

[awfulcer]

I think so. I was asleep. [He takes the hint and uses her help to get back up, walking his hand along the piece of wall to stay steady. He feels woozy - could be the magic, could be the blood loss, could be fatigue, who even knows. She's not looking all that peppy either. He tries to take his weight off her so she doesn't have to struggle for the two of them.] It wasn't the fault of anyone on guard, though, these jackasses announced themselves pretty loud.

[Which is what the group of Death Eaters roaming nearby do as well. They've dispersed the Dementors and are now combing the edges of the forest for straggling squad members, hooting and laughing the whole way.]

Son of a bitch. [Dixon lifts his shield, then gives it a puzzled glance. The hum of magic it's had is gone. It's just a heavy metal weapon right now, devoid of any of the sorcery that provided protection.

Great timing to find out that invulnerability is finite.]

[fiteclub]

[Anita misses a step, almost stumbling, a rarity on her part not helped any by the oh-so-slowly fading dizziness and weakness.

She freezes at the sound of Death Eaters nearby.]

What's wrong?

[Now isn't the time for any bad news, it really isn't. While she might not feeling that great from piggybacking Dixon on that teleport, she's still in far better shape than he is. She can still fight.]

Let me see your shield.

[wildernpcs]

[The jinx is an acid orange color and seemingly comes from nowhere and hits Anita from behind. It was cast wordlessly by the Death Eater responsible to catch her by surprise.]

[The spell causes someone's fingers to suddenly wither and shrink and and fall off.]

[The female Death Eater responsible sounds smug.]

I know we're supposed to bring you in to our mistress, but she never said we needed all of you. Or that it had to be every bit of each of you. Just a few bits is all.

[awfulcer]

[He shakes his head, then regrets it, feeling vertigo tugging at every corner of his eyes.]

It won't work for you any- [He twists in surprise so quickly he nearly loses his balance again, not at the jinx but at the woman's boast. He didn't even see the jinx. Definitely hasn't seen what happened from it. Doesn't even stop to see if Anita's alright before shoving himself between her and the gloating Death Eater, shield held to cover them both. For a moment he thinks she's just threatening them, that nothing's happened yet but a jump-scare.]

Oh, get fucked, bitch. Your mistress can kiss my ass. I'm so sick and tired of hearing about your- [Several seconds in, he gets the crashing realization that an attack already happened.] Anita, are you-?

cw: body horror?

[fiteclub]

[It may have been a bit of a delayed reaction, but now, from either pain or shock, Anita is screaming.

It doesn't take long at all for it to turn into one of anger, rage, and general indignation though.

She can reevaluate and change her style up without her baton, without swords in her hands. It doesn't make her useless.

The loss of her fingers though, leaving those portions of her gloves, flopping pointlessly against the backs and palms of her hands, that is a different story, and one that scares her as much as it she is angered by it, by how much of a handicap that is with where they are, what they have to do.

She launches herself at the Death Eater, past Dixon's provided cover, with all the speed and grace she has, aiming a foot at the Death Eater's torso.

She still has knees, her feet, and if it comes down to it, elbows.]

And I don't need my fingers to hurt you!

Re: cw: body horror?

[awfulcer]

[When Anita yells something about her fingers, he's mostly just really goddamn confused. It's not like having no idea what the hell is happening is new to Dixon, but it certainly doesn't help the situation. He watches the Death Eater go down, doubled over like it just got hit in the chest with a battering ram, Anita going full berserker on it--

--and sees that there are other Death Eaters around the corner, the gaggle of them that were coming from them earlier, rounding the corner. And Anita occupied with the one that hexed her.

For a moment, Dixon feels panic, and then he feels stupid, and then he feels a sort of brilliant idea emerging from a lifetime of doing stupid, impulsive things. His incredibly drunk brain latches on to a completely idiotic party trick he learned as a teenager.

Three Death Eaters. Dry grass. Fucking sissy-ass black robes.

Dixon reaches into his pocket and gets his lighter, sticks the bottom half in his mouth in his mouth and rips it open with his teeth, grabs the butane in his cheek. He closes his hand around the head to keep the last bit of fuel in and flicks the fire on.

What the first Death Eater to turn the corner gets is a spit of butane to the face, even more butane on a hand mashed against their mouth, and a flame shoved up against it. And then they get wrestled into the one coming up right behind.

It isn't the saving grace Dixon had planned. It doesn't set the other two on fire, but it does give the first one a nasty hot burn ripping up their face and hair, and that's enough of a distraction that the scene breaks enough that he and Anita could stumble into the woods if they move fast enough.

Through the haze and the desire to just pass out right here, Dixon gives the burned Death Eater a smug look. He's had his face burned worse than what this guy is going through, and it sucks. He feels high on inflicting that on some other fucker. He feels even better than when his shield's magic kicks in.

For just a second, before the other Death Eaters launch their attack, shoving past their howling comrade.]