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The Midnight Harvest (message to join)

Started by Whim, October 27, 2017, 11:52:15 PM

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Whim

"Ya know there's a wizard family out west! Lives in a big tower-castle-thing on a hill and stuff. Its near um, that place. Alta Verda? Something like that! But they've got all kinds of walking mushrooms and bee people and man-eating plants! I bet you could zap your way past and we'd get cool stuff and the Duke would be real proud!!" he bounced on his heels with excitement. A real adventure! The goblin-boy was just about to skip after the fox when he noticed Beryl standing there all surly. Girls.

"Better come with us. Or you're gonna be stuck. And Blackthorn is a god you know. Ain't like you can tattle." She wasn't budging. Colby forced a crooked-tooth smile and stuck out a grubby hand. "I'm Colby by the way... my ma and da got a farm here. And he's Michelo."
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic


Eckhart_Von_Musel

Beryl glowered at the boy standing in front of her. She clenched her fists tightly. "Altas! Altas Verde! Say it right!" Breathing sharply, she readjusted her crown slightly. However, there were no untruths in what Colby had said.

"That means need to play his stupid game, or I'll be stuck like this forever!" she thought with a grimace. "Gah, I hate this!"

She stared at the boy's hand before gingerly shaking it. "It's Ber-" The girl paused. "Berry. My name is Berry." She looked towards where the fox had run off to, sighing. "Let's get this over with."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiet.

Amitai Feigenbaum sat in his room at the inn, a glass of cheap wine in his hand. He swirled it in his hand, deep in thought. The upcoming meeting with Serendipity's queen was possibly the most important moment in the young Beryl's life, but he wasn't sure if she herself realized this. It was quite concerning, knowing that years of planning could be dashed against the rocks if a child spoke out of line.

The man's pondering was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking outside his window. Morbidly curious as to what kind of slum he had unwittingly holed himself up in, Fiegenbaum peered outside...

And saw a small figure running off with their carriage's expensive silver hubcaps. "Not on my watch." he thought calmly as he ran outside, hoping to cut the figure off...

Wrathwyrm

Oh, Duke Blackthorn may as well be a god.  He was an age-old fae of considerable power, and fae have very few weaknesses.  Iron was one of them, of course, but even if you threatened him with all the iron in town, he probably had some sort of spell that could blow it all away in the wind.  It didn't matter, though, because nobody in town was going to raise a finger against him.  The Midnight Harvest may have been a strange ritual, but the blessings upon Hylop were great a'plenty.  Good, sturdy bumper crops every year...  No blight or diseased livestock...  Even the weather was amicable.  Who would complain more than a token grumble around here?  Nobody.

So now, Colby had an interesting idea on where to get some great things for the Duke.  It was a little out of there way, but they had the time...  Michelo nodded that he liked the idea, that his newfound foxy self could manage along with the other boy's goblin trickery.  Hell, the girl - Berry, she said her name was? - could probably help.  She seemed very upset about things, but since following was largely her only option - other than stealing on her own or remaining a demon - she would just have to deal with it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It looked as though the figure that Feigenbaum had seen was getting away with alot more than that.  It had appeared to be a goblin.  Other children were apparently running around as gobins, and with bags over their back.  This one had a gunny sack that wasn't filled with stink bombs, but pilfered valuables, the silver hubcaps included.  Now, Feigenbaum was moving to cut him off around the corner of the building, but a skilled rogue of Gary Blight's caliber - not to mention a guy gifted with him decent hearing, smelling, and sight - rolled aside as soon as he heard footsteps, saw a shadow, and...okay, he didn't really smell anything special, but he got out of the way of the guy and kept on running!

"All is fair for the Midnight Harvest!"

Whim

"So um, is it Berry like the fruit or Beary like you're like a bear?" The goblin-boy extended a hand. His grip was slimy. Or maybe just sweaty. "Nice to meet ya."

"Anyway the place is called Rhyswood Tower. I went with my da to bring them vegetables once. Its like a mile... that way!" the road zig-zapped upward into the hills, its destination obscured by a wall of bushy firs. Unlike the rest of Hylop, strung with lights and filled with giggling monsters, the road was pitch black and silent. Not even the moon could pierce its canopy. And while the Harvest had no official boundaries it did not seem part of the regular festivities.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Beryl looked at the goblin-boy's hand, grimacing. "I'm not touching that." she thought, feeling her stomach being to churn. "Why, I bet he doesn't even bathe!" Still, the girl relented, and shook Colby's hand quickly. "Ew! This is so gross!"

She wiped her hand on her dress, frowning. "Fine." she said bitterly. "It it will get me out of this awful form, I suppose I'll go with you." Her eyes twitched, and the tips if her horns seemed to spark. "We better not break any laws, though. I'll- somebody could get you in trouble."

Wrathwyrm

Well, it isn't like Colby was unclean by nature.  It was just because he was goblin-formed.  By comparison, Michelo had been looking pretty damn sharp.  It's not often that the Midnnight Harvest actually gives you a facelift, but kitsune tended to have striking looks, when it came to human forms.  Hell, some or all of them could probably manage a glint of the teeth every time they grinned, be it by catching the light a certain way or providing their own.

Jury's still out on whether Michelo could do that or not.

Nevermind, though.  There's more important things to be done!  They were off to Rhyswood Tower to go sneak off with some 'special' treasure.  Just about everything cool they could lay their hands on, but within reason.  They were all still young, and wizards were nnever to be trifled with at the best of times.  Right now, they were on the quiet approach, the dirt road with the trees on either side, leading to the tower.  Michelo and Colby knew it, of course.  The thunder fox had - on occasion - delivered something here from the forge.  They probably wouldn't recognize him now, especially since he was currently a little white fox for stealth reasons.

"Okay, now we don't exactly have a plan, and I really don't know how to plan for this, but they know what night this is, and the worst they can really do is stop us if they catch us.  However, if we are caught, you stink 'em, Colby, and we get out of there.  I'm not gonna hurt them, if that's even possible.  This is just...sneaky-sneaky, grabby-grabby.  So, are we set?"

Uhh, maybe.  It wasn't far to the place now, was it?

Whim

(I apologize for the late reply. Life got busy. I'm going to be more disciplined about responding in the future.)

Beryl's revulsion at the hand-shake made the goblin-boy's ears droop with dejection. Well, the magic did make him ugly didn't it? At least Michello seemed excited! Of course, at the mention of an actual plan Colby's face went blank. "I mean I don't know exactly what's there. But when my da left the carrots there was a talking statue in the front garden. It was just like Owain's Otherworld Odyssy! Well, except it told me where to get the pay, instead of granting wishes. And it was a bunny and not a dragon."

With all in agreement they trotted down the road and into the forests of Ravensway. The road was narrow and winding, fraught with prickers and undergrowth. Such things would be of little concern to a small animal, or hooved girl, but Colby kept catching his foot. Every now and again they came upon a stone marker, usually carved to look like some small animal, etched with the distance to Rhyswood Tower and the few other nearby landmarks. It was difficult to see through the gloom. On the very edge of his perception Colby thought he'd heard footfalls and hushed whispers. Were they being followed? By who? OR WHAT? Or maybe it was just dead leaves rattling in the wind?

The boy kep his orbit close to Michelo. The blacksmith's apprentice was the closest thing to a grown-up they had anyway. "Um, do you think you could turn back? I mean just so, you know, you have hands to grab stuff? But I guess you can zap things anyway right? I mean if we see something bad..."
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Beryl sulked as she walked, staring at her feet. Her cloven hooves sunk into the ground with each step, leaving a clear set of tracks. "Stupid backwards town with it's stupid backwards traditions!" she thought angrily. "If we were in my province, I'd outlaw this!"

She looked at the stone markers as they passed- a clear sign if how unkempt this province was. Altas Verde's markers were magical and sparkly and... Not ugly like this. Looking at the two boys ahead of her, Beryl sneered. "Are we almost there? I hate this new body, it's too..." The girl paused, racking her brain for the perfect word. "Repugnant."

Wrathwyrm

The white fox had been listening as he'd been moving along, testing out the strength of his newfound senses.  He always had some new extension to his natural ones whenever he was a new being.  It was always fun to see just how far they went when he had changed.  Still, you don't exercise that without discovering a few things you hadn't expected.  For one, there were definitely other presences around, other sources of movement.  He didn't show that he knew, but he knew from Cobly's nervousness that he knew.  It was why he wanted him to change back, to be honest, to give whoever was out there something to think about.  The fox smiled.

"One face-lift, coming up."

There was just a little bit of sparking as he changed back into that light-haired, fox-eared, and fox-tailed version of himself, which resembled his old body, but had some charismatic upgrade that you see in kitsune about it.  Something to think about, right?  Still, he now crouched and looked at the place, as Berry was complaining about her form.

"We're here.  I can see the tower.  Don't knock your form until you've tried some of its powers.  And in any case, we'll help you get back to normal, if you want to be."

And she did.  Michelo could understand, really.  I mean, look at Colby.  As much as he enjoyed his Midnight Harvests, he didn't wanna be a goblin for the rest of his life.

"Anyway, I had a thought on this.  Tell me what you think.  I could run in and have a quick look for something valuable.  If I see something special, I whistle a tune and you come right to me so you can help.  Might be quicker for us that way.  If it's daft, though, we can just stick together and head on over now."

Whim

Colby bristled at Beryl's remarks, knowing better than to say anything. Gets to be a magic daemon and doesn't even like it or want to do anything!

"And that sounds good!" the goblin-boy heaving his pack into the ground. There were grappling hooks, more those sludge bombs, and an assortment of strange hooks. Somehow he knew them to be lockpocks. And that you had to line the right ones up with little pins inside and it would open! "Bet I can get right through the front door! If there's anything good that is." In actually the shapeshifting fox could likely slip through a window and retrieve anything good. He was still eager to contribute.

Rhyswood Tower sat atop a rocky hill encircled by a low wall. Not a single candle burned in the windows (thin slats with paned shutters; big enough for a fox but little else). Scrubby vegetation had begun to grow around it. Were it not for the full moon they might have missed it entirely. A wrought-iron gate, opened just a crack, barred their path. And just as Colby mentioned the statue of a rabbit sat beside it. Its stony little eyes watching intently as the three monster-children stared at the old tower...

"Lady B B-B-eryl Feyal of Altas Verde! How good and grand and fine and stupendous and wonderful it is for you to visit. Welcome to Rhyswood Tower!" a reedy voice chirped. It was the statue.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Beryl followed the two boys sulkily, her left eye twitching. "Stupid, no good god and his stupid, no good ritual!" she thought angrily as the three approached the gate. "What if Mr. Fiegenbaum sees me like-"

"Lady B B-B-eryl Feyal of Altas Verde!"

The young noble froze. "Oh no!" she squeaked, staring at the statue in utter shock. Regaining her composure, Beryl jabbed her finger at the rabbit. "Look at this! It's clearly broken. "High Lady", as if..."

"Oh Kia, please tell me they believe me!"

Wrathwyrm

Okay, it looked as though they had a plan.  Even though 'Berry' didn't like any of it, the idea was workable.  He could just about see his entrypoint, even.  This was great.  All he had to do was change into a fox again and-

A nearby statue spoke up, causing all three of them to stare at it.

Wait, what did it say?

His ears did not deceive him.  At this point, nothing could deceive those things.  Well...he didn't hear the 'Oh no!' over the declaration.  Not when his focus had been diverted.  The rabbit statue had spoken up, surprised to see what sounded like a name of nobility.  Michelo did not make the connection until Berry interjected, stating that the thing had to be broken.  And that was when the fox began to smile.

"No, no.  He is not mistaken.  He sees through your disguise most eloquently."

He'd turned to face the girl with a wink, indicating that he was up to mischief.  Yes, that's right.  He was about to bluff the statue - which he DID think was broken - into believing that Beryl was here...and she actually was.  It played out thusly, as he turned back to the statue.

"Her ladyship wishes to visit good fortune upon your master's tower, but family tradition demands that it be done in secret.  Please, do not rouse anyone this night, or she will be embarrassed."

Whim

"It is a p-pleasure to have you, Lady Beryl!" The bunny replied a cheerfully, and the wrought iron gate inched it's way open with a sickening squeal. It needed oil.

"Wait how-" Colby looked from Michelo to Berry in disbelief as they climbed the hill. How could she be a High Lady and how could Michelo know? "Oh, you lied. The spell ain't working right because it's old?

"Golly! I thought you really were like a secret princess." Colby errupted into a cackle of laughter, as if there was no way the hooven girl could possibly be highborn. Royalty was supposed to be all heroic and regal and stuff. Berry was just a stick in the mud.

The tower was an old crude thing. It's stones were blocky and slick with moss. It's great brass door, emblazoned eithba relief of a serpent entwined about a skull, peeled open at their approach. Beyond lay what used to be a parlor. A wooden bunny, of similar design, stood guard. "Her Ladyship may wait in the drawing r-r-room. For her safety the Master does not p-permit guests beyond."

The drawing room consisted of a fireplace, some old furniture with ragged appulstory. Most noticeable was the fact a spider plant, potted on the windowsil, appeared to have grown wildly out of control. An assortment of roots and vines crept down the wall its pot and into the floorboards. It looked more like some sprawling sea beast than a house plant. The room was otherwise a disappointment. There were some candle holders and a tea set. "Aw man! Nothing we couldn't have gotten from Hylop." the goblin stamped a clawed foot. It only then occurred to Colby there were no actual lights in the tower. His lips curled into a crooked grin. "Cool! Nightvision! Can you guys see at all? I can show you around..."
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Beryl sulkily followed the the two boys into the tower, arms folded. "Yeah... the spell doesn't work anymore." she lied. She heard the sound of windchimes in the back of her head- she'd set off her own magic.

It was far too dark inside the tower for Beryl too see anything. The girl stumbled over her hooves trying to find her way, falling into what felt like a potted plant. "Gah! Light some candles, will you? I can't see anything!"

Wrathwyrm

Why yes, of course she was lying!  Could you really imagine a princess appearing at the Midnight Harvest?  How strange would that be?  Michelo flinched at the loud screech of the gate opening for them, his fox ears flattening down to his head for a moment.

"Oww...  Must get dad to sell these people some oil or something..."

They were allowed to proceed into the courtyard, and then a snake statue apparently allowed them into the wizard's tower...in sort of a forward guest room.  It was...sadly lacking in anything special to nip off with.  Colby was right.  They could've gotten this stuff from other homes, easy.  There had to be something...  Michelo was about to see what other ways they could go when their resident goblin asked if they could see.

"I'm not having too much trouble, being a fox and all.  I-"

Berry fell into the plant for a moment and asked - nay, demanded a light.  Considering what she ran into, it might look rather freaky to her, and they were suppose to be stealing stuff.  Michelo wisely decided NOT to make a light with his lightning or anything.

"Sorry, can't.  Besides, we're trying to sneak around, and it looks like we can help you without making any light at all.  Colby, why don't you start the sneaky stuff?  I'll watch your back and guide Berry."

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