travelagency: (Default)
Blackstaff Travel ([personal profile] travelagency) wrote in [community profile] the_last_resort2015-02-12 02:12 pm

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.
domesheriff: (Determined)

[personal profile] domesheriff 2015-02-15 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[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]
folkscallmewander: (squee)

[personal profile] folkscallmewander 2015-02-16 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
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.
vengeance_driven: pb (►►wilderness)

The Witch's Den

[personal profile] vengeance_driven 2015-02-16 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[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: (eh?)

[personal profile] ratkicker 2015-02-16 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[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?
thumbsdown: (it's not really my thing...)

[personal profile] thumbsdown 2015-02-16 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[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.]
vengeance_driven: made by Mari, pb (►►hardest glare)

[personal profile] vengeance_driven 2015-02-16 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
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: (serious talking)

[personal profile] ratkicker 2015-02-17 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
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: game (►►talking by docks)

[personal profile] vengeance_driven 2015-02-17 09:08 am (UTC)(link)
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...]
domesheriff: (Processing)

[personal profile] domesheriff 2015-02-17 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[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.
timesbureaucrat: (SNAFU)

[personal profile] timesbureaucrat 2015-02-18 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
[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.

ratkicker: (eh?)

[personal profile] ratkicker 2015-02-18 02:02 pm (UTC)(link)
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.]
vengeance_driven: game (►►tunnel of death6)

[personal profile] vengeance_driven 2015-02-18 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
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.]
una_persson: (:|)

[personal profile] una_persson 2015-02-19 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
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?"
thumbsdown: (for carla)

[personal profile] thumbsdown 2015-02-19 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[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.]
ratkicker: (fighting)

[personal profile] ratkicker 2015-02-19 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
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!
most_feared: Please don't use.    Screencaps @ http://screencap-me.livejournal.com/90245.html and http://screencap-me.livejournal.com (k - oh god wot?)

[personal profile] most_feared 2015-02-19 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"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).
vengeance_driven: (►►faustin6)

[personal profile] vengeance_driven 2015-02-19 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
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.]
una_persson: (facepalm)

[personal profile] una_persson 2015-02-19 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
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: Please don't use.    Screencaps @ http://screencap-me.livejournal.com/90245.html and http://screencap-me.livejournal.com (k - you have my full attention)

[personal profile] most_feared 2015-02-19 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"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: (dishevelled)

[personal profile] una_persson 2015-02-19 05:29 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
most_feared: Please don't use.    Screencaps @ http://screencap-me.livejournal.com/90245.html and http://screencap-me.livejournal.com (k - smooth operator)

[personal profile] most_feared 2015-02-20 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
As if the situation weren't ridiculous enough, the world's worst labrat showed up about then to help them. A snowman, like those that has puttered around the village for a while during market. Some had just merrily strolled off into the wilderness.

And here one was, that had made it all the way in that time to some distant bog.

With all the silence of a creeper (which, at the sight of it's silent movement, almost get it shot by Kay) it comes scooting through. And for the moment, just slides on without being melted away yet. It leaves a little snow trail behind it. The situation seems pretty ludicrous and Kay watches it with the bland expression of a Catholic school marm being entertained by a naughty circus clown, but finally his gaze drops to the snow.

There are a few spots where the snow is quickly melting. Probably holes. "Should give us pretty good ideas of where to check." At least until said little snow golem died or left course to go on more adventures. At least Una would have good ideas where to poke. Kay starts following the trail left behind loosely.
Edited 2015-02-21 04:31 (UTC)
ratkicker: (disgusted)

[personal profile] ratkicker 2015-02-20 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[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!

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