[WaifuApple]

"Everything was fine, until that... thing showed up. It was the true essence of terror, those piercing red eyes in the darkness... and the sounds it made, too..

..and then everything went to hell. Whole place went dark, aside from the eerie glow of the trees, and those damn eyes!

We've lost so many people trying to rout whatever beast's in there... won't anyone hear our plea?"

 

---

 

Something is amiss in a forest in Kysei.

 

You've been tasked with hunting down an elusive creature in the darkness of this forest - under a spell the likes of which the requestor has never seen. The grass has gone black and it's nigh impossible to find your way along the atmosphere of a land almost out of a dream - or a nightmare... guided only by the purple lights of the flowers and trees around you. Many have gone missing since the creature you're hunting took control, and those who were heard from again were paralysed by fear, their memories clouded by the horrors they'd witnessed.

 

But you're not scared, right? After all... what could possibly be so horrifying? Well, you're about to find out...

 

---

 

Hello, Appo here!

 

I know there hasn't been anything public announced for a while, but I promise there's stuff on the horizon! I won't lie to any of you - a lot of the lack of events on my part, at least, has been because I've been enjoying playing the game again - as an RPer, not just an event provider. So I've been taking the time to focus on my characters, develop them out the best I can - and to just enjoy myself. To those of you I've seen around and RPed with - Thank you, it's been fun! But... for the spooky season, it's time to get back on track. So I present to you all an event! You don't have to be a part of any existing group or anything to take part - it's open participation! Now, of course... here's some information I should give you all to make sure anyone who signs up knows what they're getting into.

 

There WILL be PVE - This is not everyone's cup of tea, and I know not everyone will be interested in such. Please do not join if you're not okay with that - I will try to do my best to accomodate for anyone either underleveled, or who may have concerns about how well they'll get along with my mobs (they can be difficult, I will admit-) through any way I can with my tools. Bare with me on that, though.

 

With that in mind... I recommend potions / items for everyone. For those of you who have plenty, I would be very grateful if you're willing to - on the day - share with those who don't have any. But for those who have none, if you can manage to obtain your own - please do. If you can't... I'll personally see if any of my non-event key characters have any for you, or buy them out of pocket if need be. I trust the community will be accomodating - but if all else fails, please let me know. I'm not saying you'll NEED them - but I'm saying... well, they give you the best shot. It's nice to be prepared after all!

 

For the sake of IC, I will be trying to take a more serious stance in memeing in the event. Please don't try to ruin this for others by not taking it at all seriously - a little bit of joking around is fine, and in cases where something funny happens - yeah, feel free to chuckle and meme about it a bit - but don't spend the entire event trying to be a clown - keep that to costume only.

 

There is a limit on sign-ups... mainly just to keep quality up. The off chance that the entire community shows up is a disaster to accomodate for, so I can't just do things as "just show up on the day" because that will be horrible for everyone involved. The sign up limit will be 4 full parties - so 16 players at most. That's still a lot, since I want to make sure plenty of people get the opportunity to participate if they want to.

 

I will be keeping track of sign-ups with a counter in #event-announcements on the official discord, so it's advised to check there to see how many slots are left. It would be extremely awkward for both me and you if I have to turn someone down because the quest is full (if that somehow happens) so please try not to get yourself left in that situation. When the quest is full I will give everyone who signed up a discord link to co-ordinate things.

 

Encounters will be appropriately spooky and based on common fears (and other stuff if that's not enough) for the season, so look forward to stuff like that.

Thank you for joining me on this wild ride! I'll try not to let you all down!

 

[Date and Time Not Final]

I'm thinking of hosting this on either the 15th or 16th of this month, or failing that, the 22nd or 23rd. Time will be somewhere around 3-5PM EST, or 8-10PM GMT in terms of starting time. This is to attempt to accomodate both europeans and americans alike, because I know the poor people in my timezone have been feeling the neglect. Unfortunately it's still a very late time by their standards, I know... but this is the best I can do for now. Event duration... well, I can't give an accurate estimate but I'd liken it to probably around 3 hours at least.

 [appo out]

[WaifuApple]

Note:
The event will be taking place on the 22nd of October. The time will be 8PM BST. Thank you to all who are planning to attend.

[WaifuApple]

The Forest Of Fears

Summary

 

---

 

A group of 11 - (13 if you count the split personalities) joined one another in the purple forest of mystery, on the hunt for a creature of unimaginable illusory ability - though without any clear idea of what it was truly capable of. Going in blind, this group would find themselves at the location each getting a vision, though the three sharing one body got one each. At the start of the event, these visions were blurred - but cut the entire world around them out, leaving each person to feel like they were alone until the vision finished. Which is... where we begin the hunt proper.

 

The way seemed to close behind the group, a clear path out turning into a wall of trees as if by magic, obviously leaving people feeling as if they would have to resolve to defeat this creature now they were here - or be stuck wandering eternally, or least until their bodies withered away. So, the group would get a choice - to go north, or to go east. Choosing to go north, the group would find themselves cut off again - this time from going back, forward, or anything... as if the darkness was closing in like a solid wall. It would bring them all together into a small amount of space, much to the dismay of anyone claustrophobic, and make it hard to breathe. Though, after the walls closed in enough, everything would disappear - people would be alone again. The visions... returned.

 

People would now see friends, family, loved ones. Rivals, enemies - just whoever they were thinking about most in the moment. They could try to reach out to them all they wanted, try to catch up - but they would never reach the ones they cared about. The vision would fade away, and so too would the people they saw - into the darkness, as everyone returned to one another, processing what they'd just seen. Morale was shaken in some people who could not stand to see their loved ones go. But everyone would get a brief moment to compose themselves before...

 

In another trick of the mind, the ground would give way from beneath them and everyone would find themselves in free fall, seeming to have ended up above the forest - the expanse of which could be seen as far as their vision could take them. Fear of heights checked, everyone would crash to the ground, feeling the pain of bones broken, bodies bruised - until, of course, it all subsided and they would find that they were fine. Nothing damaged - nothing harmed. Just another vivid trick that seemed like reality...

 

Then came the creatures of the dark. Creatures of many people's fears. They emerged from the darkness to surround the groups as they came to terms with the world around them. Clowns, Spiders, Dolls, Snakes, Ghosts... all sorts of haunting creatures that posed a threat that seemed very real. But, of course... they were dispatched of easily in the darkness. Never underestimate adventurers, after all...

 

The group would then take pursuit once more of the creature, but it seemed like gravity itself began to work against them. Everyone felt themselves soon being brought to their knees, onto the floor. And once again, things cut to black... everyone was alone again. In their own minds. The last major vision... and it hit some strings.

 

People would see family abandon them, loved ones die, friends turn their backs. They would lose parts of themselves, all according to their fears - their attachments. Anything that mattered to them would be used against them - to haunt them. Much of the group could have been considered in distress - some needed snapping out of it to even go on. Resolve once more shaken, but some steeled themselves through the visions and grew a resolve to end this for all. To take out the creature, to decimate it and end their own miseries...

 

And so, they approached the last spot the creature had left to hide. And lo and behold, it would show itself to them. It was... a duck? That couldn't be right - and yet, in all ways it LOOKED like one. A duck with remarkable agility that would inevitably prove itself to be a real threat to them. It took no prisoners, but the first group against it were strong. They had resolve, and they were able to shatter it's disguise... somewhat, at least.

 

Under the guise of that duck was a shapeshifting creature of some kind. A powerful beast of illusory power that the second group would have to face head on soon after. It revealed much of it's prowess in getting around in this section of the battle, though team two was powerful as well, and would be able to bring it down to size... for the last team, a team of three.

 

This team of three held their own exceptionally well despite the circumstances. One of them was obviously shaken by the visions - but they were able to get it to it's last legs. That is, before a member of Team 1 intervened, and in the last moments the creature managed to strike two of them down non-fatally before being impaled in the head with a spear at the hands of one of the distressed few.

 

In it's last moments, the creature would revert all illusion around the forest and bring it's power into itself to send a final vision to everyone. The sounds of their loved ones screaming in pain as they had to endure watching a spear go through their heads. In it's last moment essentially forcing them to watch the person they cared about most die in the moment. The group left the scene victorious, but with many of them in distress and probably needing some vent for what they'd seen...

 

Thank you to everyone who attended! For an event about fears (which I was worried people would just ignore) you all did remarkably well in reacting to the situation and everything that happened. I hope you all enjoyed it!

[Whitender]

Yes, Hello. Whitender here as I am going to tell experience for my character that is Forced In Character as Appo (Who Hosted the Event) asked me and other people that participated the event. With a Name, Kenny for the side story. As I'll explain for his point of view.

When facing around as Kenny as the Heard about the situation after he returned to Kysei. It makes him flash backs on how he suffered being alone, while also talking is seriously too while facing the pain of this Illusion Land of the Forest. As they might felt the nightmares from what's happening to his mind of horrible Memories. Causing the regret as if he could of been into a family with at least someone to take care of him while self learn to become a black knight.

Suddenly!?! they were blocked off  from a wall as if they were crushed and began get flashbacks and then fell to the ground as if an illusion is happening while they then have to take down the spooky monsters as they suddenly appeared. While three groups have to take them down, but that's the beginning nothing can be worse right? Wrong.

While the group navigated to the south of the forest they faced to the Red Eyed Duck that are aggressively angered, they seems to barely unable to take them down with their attacks Because he's op in defense Began to take a defensive stance of taking them down for he didn't actually helped with the effort on taking down but at least defend other character under this nightmare. With a close call process but also near-death situations. They manage to take down the duck a lot before having another group to take over to finish them off. And have their Clothes Ruined and Bitten. 

During the final fight as Kenny Spectating, he was able to resist the visions while tried to join to help the three of the groups. But failed once more as it was a sudden close call while one person jumped in but failed as they collapse from their teeth. (Don't worry, they are alive by the way.) As if jumped in instead, it would saved a life while get their clothes ruined once more.

In Conclusion, after the duck is been defeated, he realized the nightmare is over. While looks over the costs on by doing it, injuries as the group went back to where they belonged to in Separate ways. For they will remember this situation forever in their life time. As Kenny begins to now survived with a ruined uniform with teeth marks of a duck. While with strength of a Black Knight to protect themselves and others too.

Side note: Using this as IC knowledge is Illegal without seeing the character unless you also participated over here. But it's the summary for this character point of view at the event. Until then, remember that Appo is cooler than me.

Your all lovely people.

[Coleblahski]

I was the Trailblazer- let me give his POV

It started out pretty chill, and one of the biggest takeaways for himself in the beginning was the stepping up and trying to get a voice of calm out there; whether he was successful or not would be left to the people involved to decide, but he was glad to see individuals taking leadership roles. He wasn't usually one to toss coins, lollygag on multiple decisions to take, or what have you, but this time he tried to be more reasonable; waiting for everyone to speak their minds before ushering towards a choice. When they headed North, he faced the constricting darkness without much issue; he had never been one to feel awkward in breaches of personal space, nor was the individual he ended up seeing make him lose his cool or become complacent with a feeling of safety.

It wasn't until they had moved east and went through their second huge illusion ordeal; even the falling could not step up to his unbridled fear in what he experienced in the monster's personalized nightmarish scene for him. He steeled himself, despite the pain and the sorrow, ready to take on the monstrosities the beast had let loose upon them afterwards.

In the end, once they chased the beast down, his team would be the first to go in; doing quite a number, at a great expense. He nearly died to the beast and stood strong as it failed to strike a killing blow upon him; afterwards, he and two others from his team were out for the count, mentally, physically, however it happened to be.

The aftermath saw Damian reeling everything back in for himself, trying to get people ready to leave, helping the Cynic to the Sanctuary in Cellsvich; all that good stuff. Whether it's a detriment to his mental health or a boon, he did not see his suffering to be on the same level as those he went in with; he took the sights of their faces as signs of the extreme horrors they faced and also imagined what immense pain those before them could have endured before the end. While he bottles his experiences up and views them as miniscule in comparison, he walked away with a newfound understanding of his resolve and what it would take to break him; he may not be as scarred as the monster might had wished, but fear alone can't stop a Trailblazer.

(OOC)

Loved the event and it was my first! What an introduction to the careful and tuned construction such as this. I enjoyed myself immensely! There were times when it felt like the number of players may have been too much for an event like this, but also times where I couldn't help the need to think how much different it would look for other people to experience! The narration terrified me, not necessarily for my characters sake but others; seeing the fears from a player's point of view was frightening and eye opening. At the time of the event I couldn't think of a great, underlying fear for my character other than what others had seen be personalized for him; so hopefully he can revisit an event like this to test his resolve again with new, propped up fears!

[Aqua]

I was the Fluffball at the Event- So I shall give her POV of the event.

Things started out chill, the biggest takeaway for her is going into something she is not specifically designed for. However when Introductions were done everyone broke into their groups of choosing, Selena grouping up Yuuto, Damian & Len. With all the spooks and the illusions going on, she was probably one of many to freeze like stone in most scenario's especially when it came to fighting the clowns, spiders, Snakes, dolls and ghosts. Upon the start of fighting these, she was blindly using her skills and techniques until the clowns and spiders were dispersed

Despite this recollection of herself, fear still struck her like pins and needles, of course, more illusions didn't make it any better even though she's grown up knowing how to deal with them. Then came the beast, which made it much worse for her to even think straight. Despite being able to keep her composure she did overuse what magic she had in her arsenal to the point she'd end up out cold for a little while

The aftermath? Well, she briefly met Keira, someone she knew from before going on the quest and Leigh and his wife, they had a brief discussion along with Kenny just outside the Mage guild of the Imperial Capital about what had just gone on in the forest of fears. From there she's supposedly being having her wolf pup, Axel checked over and hasn't been seen since.

OOC: Loved the event even if I knew what was going to happen. Was great to finally face some fears once and a while and this was a great way to do it.