The Witches Huts

[travelagency]

Who: Various
What: Swamp Hunting
When: M11 D27 - M11 D29 (Feb 17 - Feb 25) IMPORTANT NOTE days have been changed to make the plot more accommodating.
Where: Three different swamps far from the Village
Notes & Warnings: See the plot post for further details. You are allowed to go to more than one swamp. There's plenty of time, to. Plotting Links: The Marsh of Sorrow | The Offending Swamp | The Witch's Den. Participation is encouraged so that we can make later plots around expanded world access, or so that characters can use potions or cauldrons they didn't turn in themselves. The Slip 'n' Slide log is still open for tagging.

The Marsh of Sorrow

Foggy and murkey, sparse trees jut out of the bog like gnarled fingers reaching to an unseen sky. There's a light mist in the air- raining again in some form or fashion as every explorer who has returned has reported. Not all have returned, though, and caution is very much encouraged. There are more wild hounds than one would expect for somewhere that apparently doesn't have free grazing livestock. They seem to be waiting around for something.

It becomes obvious when a sheep becomes mired in the mud near the border. Easy prey. Luckily the hounds have never shown any interest in people.

The good sign is that that there are few skeletons and creepers. While one might assume that they're hidden by the fog, they're generally extremely sparse. Off in the distant fog there are lit spots, areas where old huts are, glowing mysteriously. Those are the places that the museum wants to be investigated. It just requires wading through the muck to reach them.

What the museum doesn't know is when the marsh is active, emotions play a role in whether someone can make it across. Unfortunately it's the only time that the huts can be located through the fog. People that are entering the swamp with grim feelings in mind will find themselves sinking. Perseverence, ambition, joy, curiosity? Those will help people strive through, and hopefully pull others to the surface.

The Offending Swamp

The museum doesn't tell people why it provides them with face masks, but oh, they will know when they hit the border of the swamp. It's a terrible smell, not quite like being near a sewer but not far off. That unfortunate paper-mill smell. The mask given to them will allow people to speak freely and unmuffled, but it only blocks out about 90% of the stench. This is one of the situations where someone might hope that the rewards are worth it.

The ground is far more solid than in the Marsh of Sorrow, with plenty of firm areas to roam. It makes the stench more irritatingly mysterious. There are few animals, too. But the answer to that becomes obvious when bursts of flame pop out of small holes in the ground. Apparently getting through will require great care.

The museum did not provide fireproofed clothes. But when the hut is found, luckily alongside its cauldron will be an abundence of fireproofing potions. Their purpose isn't obvious so it would depend on the curious or the adventurous to figure it out. That will at least make getting back out easier.

The Witch's Den

When entered, this swamp seems the more relaxing one. The temperature is moderate, the air isn't deplorably foul, the boggy areas are not as difficult to navigate. Once someone is within its limits, making their way to the hut, the more unsettling aspects of the swamp make themselves known.

Voices of people lost or left behind speak to people over their shoulders, soft and sometimes pleading, or accusing. They mutter secrets, things about their past, fears that people don't say aloud. Sometimes they're just whispers, and sometimes they're loud enough for the next person over to hear. Often they will tell people to go a certain way, toward another object or in another direction.

If they follow, it will put them back at the edge of the swamp.

There is a single hut in this one, far towards the center. As with the ones in the Marsh of Sorrow, it will glow as the swamp's abilities are active. It lies past the remnants of dilapidated houses and landmarks, a village likely abandoned long before any of the other ruins were formed. It is best found as the sky grows dark. Unlike the Marsh of Sorrow, though, enemies will crawl out of the dark.

Comments

The Marsh of Sorrow

[travelagency]

[domesheriff]

[as Linda and Boone come out of the teleporter, she looks around the area curiously] Okay, if they sent us to the right place, this should be turning to swamp land just over that way. [she gestures] Not sure what the hell we're going to be able to find in an area as big as a swamp, but I guess we'll find out...

[she starts forward--though this causes her to catch sight of their camera drone flying nearby. she wrinkles her nose, not sure what she thinks about this place having camera footage of the full expedition to cut up and share as they like. she remembers what the last "interviews" they shared sounded like, after all]

[but she knows they're going to have far more things to worry about out in the wilderness, so she tries to keep her focus on that instead of their annoying companion]

[thumbsdown]

[Boone isn't particularly happy about the drone either, but he's doing his best to ignore it. He squints out into the mist, looking for creepers or skeletons, but he can't see too far ahead.]

Better be careful. Fog might make it harder for us to get spotted, but it works both ways.

[He starts off in the direction Linda pointed out, going slowly for now.]

[domesheriff]

[she nods her agreement] I'll be careful. [she has a ready hand at the gun at her waist. after all, she's not about to forget all the hostile wildlife they encountered on their last excursion together]

[they barely begin to advance before the ground under her feet starts to make a squealching sound. it seems the marsh has begun. Linda's glad she's wearing boots] Ugh... [she picks up her pace a bit, not wanting to get stuck in the murky mud] I guess if the ground is like this the whole time, at least we might hear things coming.

[thumbsdown]

[He grunts when his feet are suddenly harder to lift. He keeps on plodding ahead, though.]

Hope we don't run into skeletons.

[Creepers and spiders would need to get through the mud to reach them, but a skeleton might have an easy time firing at them if they're slowed down by the swamp.]

[domesheriff]

At least they should have a hard time seeing us from too far off. [not that she doesn't share his concerns, but she's comforting herself with the fact that their aim isn't very good even when they have a clear line of sight] But you're right, we could be out here for a while...

[folkscallmewander]

It's been far too long since Wander had a good trip somewhere outside the resort. The town itself was nice and all, but there was wilderness outside! How could he pass up an opportunity to explore the planet?

He runs into the teleporter and impatiently bounces on his toes while waiting to leave, and the moment he arrives at the swamp, he eagerly jumps onto the nearest log and raises a hand to his forehead to shade his eyes as if he could actually see through the fog and dark.

"This is gonna be so fun! Where should we go first? Oh! Maybe that place over there? I heard some animals, maybe we'll get to see one of 'em! Let's go!" He hops down and heads straight towards the swamp without waiting for the others.

[athousandcurses]

[Perhaps, with a name like that and who knows what else waiting in store, Grainne probably should have taken the Witch's Den first or the other place. As it is, within the first hour of trudging into the muck, Grainne finds it incredibly difficult to go on.

Her feet first start sticking into the much, and a few steps later she's in up to her knees. Soon, her thighs...

She's sinking!]

Ah, a little help, if you would...

[She calls out to anyone else in the expedition that would hear her. The feeling of this marsh tells her going into spirit form probably wouldn't make much difference.]

[folkscallmewander]

[Wow, meeting a real-life witch would have been really fun, but then he found that a lot of people were heading to this swamp, and what was the point of exploring if you didn't share the experience with lots of friends?]

[Ever since he arrived, Wander has been running to the front of the group, only stopping when someone pulled him backed and told him to be careful, or when they called from behind and asked him to wait. His light weight made it easier to run across the muddy ground, which was probably why everyone else was taking their time. Definitely.]

[At one point, Grainne's voice breaks him out of his daydreaming. He turns to her, and his smile is replaced with slight alarm.]

Oh gosh, are you okay?! [He runs to her, jumping from foot to foot.] Hold my hand!

[athousandcurses]

I am just... [She holds out her hand for Wander, though she wasn't sure how well it would work with Wander being smaller.]

A little stuck... My feet are being sucked down.

[folkscallmewander]

[He grabs onto her wrists and tugs a few times.] I can do it! It'll jus' be a while! [He flashes her a quick smile.]

Can you kick whatever's pullin' you down? Or I think there was a trick to this. [The tugging stops while he thinks it through.] I heard that when you're sinkin' in somethin' you need to stay calm? There was more, but I forgot.

[athousandcurses]

There is?

[That may be why she's affected, if it wasn't something magical.

She tries pulling a little bit, being careful not to pull him in too.]

I don't feel anything pulling me... Wander, what was this marsh called?

The Offending Swamp

[travelagency]

[timesbureaucrat]

[When the teleporter releases him, an overpowering stench knocks Narvin back a few staggering steps. He crouches and buried his face--mask and all--in his arms and swears in Gallifreyan. He can usually identify chemicals in the air by smell, but this is too much, like trying to pick out the sound of violins over an atomic explosion.

It takes a few nanospans to adjust. He thinks his nose is just giving up and shutting down.]

Rassilon's ghost, they could have warned us.

[una_persson]

Once Una stopped retching—and it took a lot to turn her stomach these days, so this was saying a lot—she stood there for a moment bent over at the waist, resting her hands on her knees and trying to get her breath back.

And that was when a little burst of flame popped up out of the ground right in front of her. If her reflexes had been any less good, it would have singed her eyebrows (or more) right off. Instead she fell backward onto the muddy ground, startled and with just a few frizzled strands of hair in her face.

"What the hell is this place?"

[most_feared]

"I think you might have properly identified it." Kay said, holding a handkerchief over his mouth until he finished fishing around in his duffel bag. He found what he was looking for and handed it over to Una: a mask issued by the resort.

It was obvious that, despite his original doubts, they were going to need it.

It was hard to tell where those holes were. It made the whole thing more perilous. One of his MiB suits was fireproof but his security uniform was not. That would mean he'd have to take some extra care here. He couldn't be as reckless as usual (which it was funny to think of Kay as reckless, but he really tended to be).

[una_persson]

She took the mask and slipped it into place as quickly as she could.

"They could have warned us. Or issued something fireproof." She got to her feet and wiped her hands off on her trousers. They were undoubtedly going to be considerably worse for wear once this was all over. "I wonder if something provokes those fireholes, or if they just ... go off."

[most_feared]

"They didn't know, other than the stink. Apparently this place only acts up when it has the same sort of energy patterns as the village did when everything turned black ice."

It was a little boggy in spots, but he suspected as far as footing went, they were doing better than most. He wore boots because he thought ahead, and wasn't too worried about that part, and now that he didn't have to shield his nose from the horror of the smell he could actually hold his gun.

"I guess we gotta figure out what's causing it." But he wasn't sure how. Maybe following the stink?

[una_persson]

Una had kitted herself out in proper army boots, so at least that was all right. She paused to pick up a fallen branch from the ground; it was slightly bent, but it would make a serviceable walking stick that could also be used to poke at the ground ahead.

"If I'm not mistaken, that way is further in, isn't it?" She pointed. "If there's an answer, it's probably that way."

The Witch's Den

[travelagency]

The Witch's Den

[vengeance_driven]

[It's still daylight when Niko has set out, but the swamp is sort of aimlessly large. He's not the greatest guide right now, because there's no guideposts or markers. He is, however, making his way deeper in.]

[Occasionally he sees the remnants of a run down house, buildings that are falling apart. The dredges of an old village from a long time ago. But they're more somber than the ruins seem to him- just because the place makes them more mellow.]

[He hears the person behind him speak, or rather he just thinks he does, and he glances back to ask-] What was that?

[ratkicker]

[Jade jumps when Niko turns back. Was she really that loud?]

I said this whole place feels kind of familiar. Not that I came here before or anything, but back home I've run into creepier things.

[She continues onward, keeping an eye on the ruins of a passing village.]

What do you think happened here?

[vengeance_driven]

This sort of thing is still pretty new to me. [He glances around them. He's not sure that sounded like her, either. Maybe she can throw her voice. Who knows.]

[He keeps walking ahead, hoping that, in the event of an emergency, they brought enough torches.]

[ratkicker]

Didn't expect that, really. The closest thing I've seen to this was in an alien stronghold.

But that village just gives me the creeps. Feels like something went in there and killed everybody.

[vengeance_driven]

Shit. Alien strongholds are a new thing to me.

[He peers off into the trees, squinting some.] But destroyed villages I know something about. Yes, the people who lived her probably were gone before whatever else happened that ruined the planet.

Niko?

[Niko stalls and looks in the direction of a voice that he heard, not a whisper but a fully formed voice saying his name. There's no one there, and no one besides Jade. It's such a familiar voice, though, he's obviously torn between investigating and staying his course. What if it's Kate? It sounded like Kate...]