pedalbike | Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

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As a quick note: This will be the last TDM and Application Round of the year! Have fun everyone!

Arrival

Not all characters (known as Wickie, singular or Wickies, plural) arrive at the same time, surprisingly enough! That’s life for you. Some Wickies find their way to the island at a pivotal (or very mundane) point in their life, or even after or during their death.

Wickies who were standing or walking often find themselves entering the town South Sister, located on Lighthouse Isle, through an open doorway. Those that were laying down, or sleeping, tend to be found lying prone in beds, bathtubs, showers, couches, and similar places within the cottages on Cottage Row. There’s no rhyme or reason to it all! To Wickies familiar with the era, they will realize that everything looks as if it’s come from the ‘90s.

The house which a Wickie finds themselves within could already be occupied. This includes walking into a fellow Wicke, waking up in the same location, or accidentally scaring a room full of people with their sudden appearance.

Oops.

Start of Winter

Thankfully things have more or less dried out, for the seasons are already changing. Or at least, the weather is, and with it...comes snow.

The grass on the island is covered, various trees lose the last of their leaves, the sand becomes crunchy, and even a portion of the ocean water becomes frozen solid. (Take THAT, water!). And with it, Wickies wake up at their feet (or suddenly in their hands if they don’t sleep) warm clothing and various ways to keep warm- or at least keep the cold from messing with their joints!

And with it, there are snow shovels and boots that are set out neatly by the door. It seems more snowk is expected, and foot protection is more important than ever. While it is possible for some (those who are not infected by the Silence at least) to use the teleporter to get from town to their homes, there are pathways that need to be cleared for everyone.

It might be a good time to offer a helping hand! Especially with some Wickies who are snowed into their homes.

Or it could be a good time to use the shovels to gather snow for snow ball fights, snow forts, and similar winter activities. The nice thing about the winter shovels is that they’ll have them for a few months.

Too bad the ground is nearly frozen solid, and these particular shovels are not good for digging into the ground.

Frosty Protections

While there may be the snow and the quiet that’s coming in, there are other things that are coming into the island too. There are tables that linger day or night, which have tangyuan. Some in the shape of various animals, and some of them that are simply balls of colored dough. They are edible, and thankfully they don’t have a negative consequence to eating them (unlike the mooncakes from before) but there are written instructions, which also proclaim outloud to a Wickie if they linger for awhile:

“For the use of protective talismans! Stick it on your chair, your door, your window!”

Interestingly enough, they do seem to work. Wickies who are Silence infected are repelled by them, feeling uneasy and nauseous around them and touching the tangyuan even with covered hands will cause a burning sensation.

Infected Wickies who eat the treats...they’re in for a rough time. Really rough.

There are also little tables with various drinks, some being fruit juice, sparkling fruit juice, champagne and of similar ilk- but not ever with water. That’s just bad luck after everything.

The inscription for this table, which is again read out loud, “Toast to others health”

Picking up the cups, they will be unable to drop it, and the fluid will refill in the Wickie’s cup until they find someone to toast to- whether it’s in humor or in earnestness.

For the next twelve hours after the toast is made, even if the drink is not drunk after, the Wickie toasted will find they will have better luck in that subject, whether it is in health, love, or friendship, or just in general.

The same applies if Wickies toast together to a group of people as well.

Of hooves and horns

The strangest thing of all isn't the sweet rice balls, nor is it the smell of evergreens heavy in the air. Instead, it's the masks set to everyone, and the ruckus music that thrums through the air, deep into the night.

The masks are of a haggard old woman, well worn and aged, and that of a man with horns and facial hair similar to a goat.

There are different effects when it comes to the masks, both happening at night with the music starts.

Wickies wearing the devilish mask find themselves wearing a ragged fur suit, prancing in the streets, ready to whip other Wickies whose behavior has been suspect or bad as of late. Finding the wicked and punishing them is an impulse, neigh impossible to ignore. And, too, there is a sense of wicked glee when they do punish someone with their reeds and whips. Krampus masked Wickies thankfully can be pacified with rum or brandy. They'll need the help of another to pull of the mask. But once it's off, the costume vanishes, and the chagrin of what happened ( or the satisfaction) follows.

Wickies wearing the woman’s mask will find that they’re not trying to scare people, but instead, they find themselves loping in and out of the crowds, searching, scanning, for certain people, all the while wearing ragged clothing, and often a scarf on their now ratty, graying hair.

It’s with a sickening horror that Wickies will realize there is something in the mask that is watching through the mask itself, and is nodding to itself far away and writing their names on a list.

And it’s not Santa Claus.

The Wickie’s wearing the old woman’s mask can be distracted by scattering seeds or threads in front of them- one inducing a true distraction to count and pick up the seeds, and a rage that comes over that of wasted thread.

Seeds make it easier to pull off the mask, and thankfully popcorn counts as a seed! But thread...well, it is a distraction too, but one that can lead to violent consequences. It might mean some rounds of bait and switching until the mask is taken off.

And that’s when the Wickie who had been wearing the mask realizing the list is of ‘bad’ Wickies, But…

how bad could they be?

Confession network

Yet again, the phone goes off. Doesn’t look like it’s anybody in town, but it’s that weird, cheesy app called The Heart Game. And it’s persistent, too: it doesn’t want to be ignored, making a series of beeps and chirps, much like a pet that wants attention.

The message that pops up is as follows:

We’re back! It’s the time for everyone's favorite game- Confession! So beloved users, our question is:

What do you love about winter? Is it the nip on your nose? The hot drinks? Playing in the snow? Tell us!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Prior to that, yes. [There's a sudden tension in Sabriel's voice.]

All of them died at once, and so suddenly they didn't realize that they'd passed. [And what did it is still loose and Sabriel can't talk about it without drawing its attention.]

[All at once? Xie Lian can't help feeling a chill at that. There's been so many hauntings and destructive spirits of late, he can't help wondering if this is related to the building tensions back home. People vanishing or dying suddenly was reason to send out officials to investigate, but if everyone had died at once, there was no one to pray to the heavens for intervention.]

Were there any clues as to what might have caused such a calamity?

I know what did it. People have heard enough to peice things together, but-

[Sabriel's shaking a little herself, but she forces herself to be still.]

It's still on the island, and I can't say its name without getting its attention, so I'll just say this- watch out for purple markings on people, or purple where it doesn't belong in general. That's its sign.

People are trying to find a solution, but the problem is we don't know where it is. Or what its true nature is.

[Xie Lian is rarely so lucky as to find someone with the answers he's looking for, so he blinks back at Sabriel, a bit surprised. He feels for her, the trauma she obviously experienced in finding out what she knows, so he gives her the quiet attention she's due, his face showing telltale signs of worry.

Whatever killed the previous inhabitants is still here, one can't speak its name without calling its attention, and purple is a signal of its presence.]

Are the marked ones its allies? Or intended victims?

[He wants to reach out, give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but they've only just met and she seems rattled as it is. Instead, he inclines his head slightly in gratitude.]

I appreciate your help, Lady Sabriel. I'm sorry you have been through such an ordeal. Is there anything I can do to assist?

Victims that it can act through if the marks aren't sealed. Luckily, there are many with such skills.

[At the offer of help, Sabriel smiles, although it's a little sad.]

Be on guard for the presence of the threat, and do not hesitate to speak with others. There are many mages here who practice different types of magic, and most of us are trying to investigate this place, and the nature of the threat so we might destroy it or bind it and return home.

[Xie Lian takes the warning seriously; the fact that something has pulled him here is proof enough that things are out of hand, and it would be remiss of him not to accept her advice for the valuable information that it is. He's already trying to recall if he's run across anything like that in the past, and not for the first time he wishes he could use the communication array to ask Ling Wen for help.]

I can certainly do that much. I hope you will keep me in mind, should you find it. I know I don't seem like much, but I would be happy to help.

I thank you, and I will keep your offer in mind. [Sabriel notds in gratitude.]

Should you be troubled by Dead creatures, please let me know. A great deal of my magic is focused on binding and controlling such entities, so I might be able to help.

Oh.

[Ah. How did one explain this? First, to be the close companion of not just a ghost, but a calamity-level ghost king? Second, and perhaps the one that eluded him most, was exactly how to define this friendship of theirs.]

I... No, I wouldn't say they trouble me. Some can be a great help, much more than you might think.

Well, the Dead around here don't seem to prey on the living, unlike the ones I'm familiar with. I suppose if the Dead where you're from were like that, it's possible they could help people?

[Maybe they try to keep people safe from whatever killed them? The idea of the Dead lingering among the living without trying to hurt them struck Sabriel as strange on an almost instinctual level though.]

Mm, he's a bit mischievous at times, but I would be quite lost without him.

[Prey on the living, though? That's usually when Xie Lian got called upon to help. To investigate and find a way to suppress the wayward spirit or stop it from hurting others, at the very least. Hua Cheng seemed perfectly content to sustain himself on the offerings at his temple and Xie Lian's occasional attempts at cooking.]

Though, I suppose since he's not here, I still am, a bit. Has Lady Sabriel perchance met a man named San Lang? I was hoping I might find him, but this place has me feeling a little out of my depth.

[Some sort of servant or guide then? Or perhaps, something like the messenger summoned with the paper boat, but able to linger?]

No, I have not. If I do, I'll make sure to tell him that Xie Lan is looking for him.

[Wait a minute.]

He wouldn't happen to be Dead, would he?

My thanks, Lady Sabriel.

[The short answer is yes, but Xie Lian can't help feeling the details aren't his place to share. Besides that, Hua Cheng's skill was far from any ordinary ghost. He'd been able to fool several Heavenly Officials, and was strong enough to side-step any tests.]

He's... difficult to classify.

Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

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