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

[andaway]

Indeed.

[Kal says, sounding pretty amused. He'd been on his way there as soon as he'd seen a kid was in danger. To do what, exactly? Well. Look, he's already feeling pretty useless as it is, but he can still punch these... things if needed and he won't hesitate to do that if needed.

But it was, apparently, not needed at all. The Nazgul is now far away enough that Kal has time to run to the kid and crouch in front of him.]

Are you alright? [He asks, but that's before he notices the... uniform?]

Huh.

[shieldedson]

[The familiar voice initial sets Jon at ease, before his brain catches up with him.

His dad's here. However horror-filled some of the last day's worth of events have been, his dad's here, which means things are going to be alright. He always knows what to do. Especially with something like this. (Even if his mom would get to the bottom of things faster. She's scarier, after all.) While some other dads might as well be Superman to their kids, his actually is.]

Dad!

[And then he realizes that... isn't quite the reaction he was expecting. The somewhat confused seeming 'huh'. No surprise at seeing him here, too, or asking if his mom ended up along for this adventure. It's more like what he sees when his dad is checking on normal kids to make sure they're okay, after either winding up in the middle of things or being too close for comfort. And his suit is somewhat different from what Jon's been used to.

They aren't adding up to an idea Jon really likes.]

Dad?

You know who I am, right? Right?

[andaway]

[Dad, the kid says. No hesitation, no doubt, just that word that echoes in Kal’s mind over and over as he swallows. And then the kid makes it somehow worse.

You know who I am, right?.

Those words… make Kal feel like he’s standing in front of a cliff, about to fall. Because he’s been in the wrong side of the multiverse enough time to know that no matter how he words it, no matter how careful he’ll try to be the truth is going to hurt.

But a lie would hurt him even more. He does wish they had met in literally any other situation, rather than surrounded by creatures that seem to make everybody afraid and on edge and people who will hex them without hesitation but beggars can’t be choosers and it looks like they have a few moments before another of those creatures notices them again. He gets on one knee in front of the kid, trying to get at his eye level.]

I’m… I’m sorry, kid. I’m afraid I don’t. I don’t-

[‘I don’t have any kids’, he wants to say. He stops himself in time.]

Does your father look like… me?

[shieldedson]

[Jon swallows, trying to ignore the tightening feeling in his throat, and nods. He was told about this stuff. His dad told him. About alternate dimensions. He'd seen for himself that they can have different versions of people in them.

This is just the same sort of situation.

He takes a big breath, before huffing it out.]

Yeah.

[He takes a better look at the uniform of- the Superman in front of him.]

His doesn't have, uh, trunks on the outside, though.

[andaway]

I don't wear-

[Okay, probably not the point he should be focusing on right now. But it does tell him that the kid seems to have Lois's sense of humor- which is fun, for a second, until he processes the implications and he can feel a weight in his chest. Is he really the kid's father? In this other universe where he has a kid, who is the mother? Does the kid even have a mother? How does he even begin to ask all these questions when he knows it'll probably just overwhelm the kid.]

That's- well, if you're old enough to be wearing this... [He points at Jon's S-shield.] you're probably old enough to know about multiverse, aren't you?

But- [A quick, nervous glance around.] We should probably find someplace safer to talk.

[shieldedson]

[Jon nods at the question.] Yessir. Well, kinda. My dad sort of explained it but...

[He drifts off. Well, it wasn't gone more into than the basics. After all, considering all of his adventures so far have been either with his dad or Damian, he really didn't need more than that. And he doesn't know if this sort of thing applies the same way?

Either way, he gets it enough.]

Um, yeah.

[Because having a conversation in the middle of a fight like this isn't safe, and he knows it.]

[andaway]

[Kal offers him a gentle smile, trying to forget the fact that this is his son and focus on the fact that this is a kid in the middle of what’s basically a battlefield. No matter what he’s feeling, no matter the awkward mix of happiness, hope and fear all curling up together in his chest he needs to get this kid to safety.]

I found a relatively hidden spot in a clearing, if we manage to [punch] make our way there we should have a few moments of respite.