Cometh the Big Crying Wheel

[initiates]

Date & Time: Sept 15th
Location: A refurbished castle on the outskirts of Exsilium.
Characters: Anyone at the party!
Summary: Vanadi hosts a party that goes very poorly.
Warnings: Violence, probably! Let a mod know if we should update this.


It’s a lovely night for a party!

The venue at the outskirts of town is, unfortunately, a bit drafty — and actually rather sparsely furnished, as well. In fact, party goers are encouraged to mingle, drink, and enjoy themselves in the courtyard, as the castle itself wasn’t able to be renovated in time, and has proven to be a little bit architecturally unsound. Any explorative guests might find a small hail of dust and pebbles on their heads if they venture too far in — and who knows what else, if they continue on.

But the drinks and snacks both are plentiful and delicious, and the large canvas set up from castle wall to castle wall keeps off the sprinkling rain. The weather could even be described as warmish and pleasant, if one were feeling generous. A group of Exiles plays classic instruments in one corner of the courtyard, having been paid enough to even smile at any Transports that wander near.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a good night. Until about 10 PM, that is. Come 10 PM, the Misery rolls into town, tearing down the canvas, nullifying powers, and crying corrosive blood everywhere. That’s the cue for all hell to break loose, as the final wave of mind-controlled characters snag their victims and make for the hills — or at least for the UE. The mind-controlled characters will also have the backup of a squadron of 20 of the Masked, the UE's special ops force. The Masked's main goal is to grab those on their list and get away, but they're certainly not above shooting to kill at anyone that gets in their way. They're also highly trained in hand-to-hand combat and physically enhanced by their suits, so they're a good bunch to try to avoid.

But do have a wonderful time until then, won’t you?

Comments

[retraced]

[Gilbert is gone for longer than he plans on. He seems to be able to follow the footsteps above his head, but then, the way that they echo in the room he may only be chasing after a reverberation of something behind him after all. But it's after attempting to follow these footsteps that he does indeed find the creaking window, so he reaches out to close it and lock it, only to discover that the lock on the high window is broken. All of them are. The glass is broken in the corners of each frame, and cobwebs clutter the space all around him.

It isn't until the sound of a child's laughter comes from behind him that he realizes how long he's been gone. He turns on his toes and runs back out into the hallway, arms flailing about to knock the cobwebs out of his eyes.]

Collette?!

[Or at least, he thinks he's running out into the hallway. He's sure this is the door that he walked into, but the hallway that he ends up in is different than the one from before. This one is cleaner, quieter, but just as dark as the one he was just in. He can even hear the rain if he strains his ears. At first, he's not sure if his eyes are playing tricks on him or what, but wherever he's ended up, Collette definitely isn't here.

Whether this is an illusion or simply a wrong turn, Gilbert starts down the hall to investigate.]

Hello?!