the_last_resort | The Witches Huts

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The Witches Huts

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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?

[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?

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.]

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.

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...]

Think it was the swamp that killed them, or did the swamp come here later?

[She takes out a camera to snap a photo of the village, then spots Niko suddenly stopping.]

What happened? Did you see something?

[She cautiously make her way towards him, thinking that he found the source of the low, gravelly voices she starts to hear in the distance.]

I'm not sure. [He says both of the swamp, and the voice. But his expression is definitely not settled.]

Sorry, I must be mistaken. I thought I heard someone I knew. But it can't be her.

[In this place it is more likely to be her than in others- that he doesn't know. But in this case it's not. Whatever makes this swamp what it is? Is messing with him.]

Who did you hear? Someone you met before?

[The distant voices grow louder, more rhythmic, and Jade's eyes grow wide once she recognizes them.]

They're here, too? [She gives Niko's shoulder a quick shove before running in another direction.] Niko, run! We need to get somewhere safe!

Someone I knew- hey! [She starts to run, and he chases after her.] Wait! Shit, I don't hear anything else, what are you going on about?

[He looks behind him and slows down, and hears nothing. Sees nothing. But now that he's run for a bit, even with his keen sense of direction he can't actually remember which way they came in.]

[He looks up, checking to make sure they have some daylight. So far, so good. But they're going to have to work out where they are and where to go soon enough.]

[It's no good, they're getting closer. The DomZ couldn't be this fast, could they?

Jade stops and takes out her staff and extends it, assuming a battle stance.]

You can't hear them? [She knew that only she could hear them talking at times, but she was sure that it was only when they were trying to communicate with her directly. Shit, did that mean they found her?] Just stay calm and get your weapons ready. They'll be coming from the front!

[He pulls out his gun, but doesn't really stand at attention or anything. Instead, he sort of just turns and stares into the trees from every angle.]

Oh, you have to be shitting me. Is there something in the pollen here making us crazy?

[Another voice, an older woman, beckoning from the distance. She's trying to get Niko to go in the same direction that Jade was wanting him to run- for whatever reason that whatever enemy she was talking whatever about was pushing her. He's a simple man, but he's capable of math.]

[Something is screwing with their heads and wants them to go that way. But he doesn't know if they should or not.]

I don't think anything is going to come after us except the usual. I am pretty sure anyway.

I don't know! But we can't let our guard down! [Strangely enough, though the voices are getting louder, she can't see anything coming.]

So what are you hearing?

I don't think it is the thing you're hearing that we have to watch out for. Now it is my mother is trying to tell me that I should go that way.

I don't know if it's good advice or not. [So he's not moving yet.]

[Jade is silent as she tries to hear the voice of a woman calling to them. Nope, only the deep, rhythmic voices of invisible DomZ monsters.]

So is she trying to help up get away or what? [Her attentions moves back to the swamp area they were running from, still not convinced that they are safe.]

My mother isn't dead. She's still alive and back home. [He says dubiously. Unlike Kate, who he heard before, so he knows it can't be his mother. But he doesn't move until the voice as stopped, and even though he can't hear Jade's, he stays his original course.]

[There is a small herd of the strange looking Quadratus oxen and they don't seem at all bothered. They just graze and give them vapid looks as they pass, a couple of calves rompling carelessly. They don't hear anything out of the ordinary.]

[It's not until they get close that the oxen back off and shamble along, which is odd because they're one of the animal types that don't mind being close to people normally.]

[She follows Niko, occasionally glancing over her shoulder, but her staff has returned to its place on her back.]

Hey! Think they saw something? [The staff is back in her hand.]

Yeah. Us. [And he sounds a little confused as he says it.]

[And then, bless this man... he smells his armpits as if something might have stunk them out. Nope, he's clean.]

[She won't blame him for checking his odor. With all the running around they do, there's a huge change Niko ran into something and forgot to wash really well.]

But I'm surprised they're so nervous. Think there's something dangerous here that they're afraid of?

I don't know. Maybe they hear us being something we're not, too. [But at this point all he can do is guess. He's not magical. He might as well manifest theories and pull them out of his butt.]

[With an exhausted look Niko just trudges forward, pretty aimless at this point.]

I just know I can't give up. I have nowhere else to go. Either they fix town or I lose another home.

That...would make sense. [She's never encountered anything like this before, but alien planets are full of surprises.]

Where do we head to? There might be something important this way. [She gestures in the direction they were running to earlier.] Dangerous, but important.

[Niko removes his duffle bag, opens it up, and pulls out his comm- not to try and communicate because they're a long way from the village, but rather to check where he'd stored the map under his applications. He brushes through options, swiping the screen, noting all the spaces where nothing is known.]

[He huffs a breath. Dangerous or not, they're basically going to have to roam.] There is no specific direction for us, I don't think. We just search. And hopefully, we will not require a tent for the night- we should not be walking after dark.

[But she knew that. He might as well say it out loud.]

[The first voice returns again and he closes his eyes hard. The words are soft, and were there a breeze he might have sworn it was Kate whispering gently in his ear. He shakes it off.] Alright. Let's go in this direction. [He agrees with her.]

[What he doesn't know is that those encouraging voices are all leading them away from where they need to go. Of course.]

[As he checks the map, Jade snaps several photos of the area for future reference, since her digital map doesn't seem to be updating either.]

Keep an eye out for anything unusual. We might be walking straight into a trap, but this time we know there'll be one. [She jogs to Niko's side and goes back to a waking pace.] Maybe that thing that's making those voices is there.

Hey ah... in case you forgot. This is kind of my job. [He gestures around.] To look out for jobs and traps. [Because, thus far, mostly Jane has tried to insist them be careful as if he hasn't been.]

So if I'm not noticing anything, maybe we are getting fucked with. [He taps his head, as if indicating that's where some of the stuff happening is. It is, admittedly, harder with Kate in his ear. He has to say its in his head. He doesn't want to deal with the alternative.]

Right, of course. [She gives him a joking smile.] We'll need to tell each other if we hear anything, in case the voices change. Got that?

[She looks back again. Sure, she doesn't need to, now that she's aware the DomZ aren't after them, but it's a habit carried over from years of attacks.]

Nothing looks too different here. [The scenery remains the same: same trees, similar paths, she could swear the it felt very familiar, though it could be the darkening skies hiding the details.]

The Witch's Den

The Witch's Den

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