Spooktober 2021!

[Ashen Lilies]

It was a dark and stormy night. It hadn’t meant to be. The morning and afternoon had been clear, cool, and crisp, and in fact the sky had been stubbornly clear and cloudless for days, and had been predicted to remain clear for days to come. But that wouldn’t have done. That wouldn’t have done at all. So it was early in the evening when the clouds began to form, and then gather above the hill, swirling and twisting into dark and heavy stormcloud that brooded gloomily in position as the sun’s last light faded over the horizon, before bursting into a tantrum of rain and thunder.

And so, in spite of everything, it was a dark and stormy night. A dark, imposing figure stood looking upon a lonely hill. She was dressed in an elaborate gown of black and purple, with an elaborate horned headdress and holding a tall staff topped with a magnificent chunk of amethyst, held in place by a spiked iron ring. At her side was a demon of the abyss, darkly handsome and finely dressed in black and silver and white lace.

The sorceress thrust her staff skyward, holding it aloft to the turbulent heavens, and lightning fell down upon it, bolts of power impaling themselves upon the elaborate headpiece and feeding into the stone cradled within, which began to hum and glow with a fell light. The dull whine of arcane power was accompanied by a low pounding of drums, and an ominous thrumming of electric guitars, which increased slowly in speed and volume as the sorceress’ energies gathered.

Then, boldly, the sorceress swung her staff forward, crying out an incantation as a beam of pure energy erupted from the gem, lancing through the night into the crest of the hill. The ground let out a sound like a struck gong, and began to shake, up and down in broad ripples expanding outwards, while percussion and guitars exploded with frantic energy, blistering arpeggios hammered out in time with the rumblings of thunder and the shuddering hillside. The sorceress, standing poised and unbothered by the violently moving earth beneath her, turned slowly towards her companion.

“Cassandra. What is that infernal racket?”

“It’s mood music. For dramatic effect.” The demon shuffled awkwardly.

“My child, I am wresting an evil castle from the very bosom of the earth. It is already dramatic.”

“Do you not like this track? It’s a good track. Should I pick a different one?”

“No, it’s... it’s quite alright dear.”

The top of the hill began to rupture and split, revealing a yawning chasm, from which towers began to emerge, and turrets, and walls and ramparts, and then indeed an entire castle, built of blocks hewn from black stone, which arose from the hill like a blooming lily, and then loomed imposingly, flashes of thunderlight casting long shadows over the quieting earth.

Geneviève gave the butt of her staff a final knock on the ground, and all the windows of the castle lit up with warm candlelight, and an answering knock came from the castle drawbridge and gate, which swung wide, opening into a large and luxuriously decorated banquet hall. Within, fires crackled in dozens of hearths, and hundreds of candles and jack-o-lanterns bobbed jauntily in the air, high above long tables laden to near buckling with platters of pastry, bowls of candy, jugs of mulled wine and cider and steaming hot chocolate, and tapped kegs of pumpkin shandy. Headless suits of armor wandered between, carrying silver trays to and from a lavishly stocked bar, and on a raised platform a chamber orchestra (without musicians) began to play...

At long last, it was time for this year’s Spooktober festivities to begin.

[Ironsmith]

[Now Arriving]

Despite her distinct lack of walking speed, a certain vampiress seems to he among the first arrivals at the castle. She half-walks, half-glides into the room, giving the other partygoers (the ones who were here, anyway) a friendly little wave in greeting. Her costume seems to be one of a diabolic noble of some kind; she's wearing a crimson, ballgown-like dress, with a volumious skirt and puffed shoulders, decorated with black lace across the chest and back, and accompanied by elbow-length black gloves. She has her hair done up in a crown, with small wavy locks around her ears, complimenting the tiny pair of horns that had grown in on her forehead, which she was hoping other partygoers would assume to just be part of the costume. And for tonight only, she's swapped out her sword-cane for a bident, using the shaft of the two-pronged fork to push herself around.

Siana glances at the other partygoers nervously, letting out a grateful sigh that none of the rest of her family had shown up. Arthfael would probably think it's dumb and not want anything to do with it, and her uncle would probably agree for the exact opposite reasons. Owena would've been an even bet, but thankfully, she seems to be busy tonight. Which meant she'd have the party to herself, relatively speaking.

---

Also dressed as a hellish noble, but needing absolutely no costume to do it, Braeg walks into the room, his attendants shuffling in nervously behind him. No way he was going to miss what promised to be an interesting party, mixing spooks festivities. Such an occasion was practically begging for his attendance.

His niece was also in attendance, though naturally, Braon had seen fit to arrive separately and was trying to avoid making contact with her uncle if at all possible. She was here to have fun, not start a fight. Her costume was made mostly of vines wrapped around her over skin-colored tights, along with what appeared to be a crystalized apple, made into a pendant by a thin gold chain running around her neck. She watches the other partygoers with keen interest, looking to see who might be entertaining company... particularly singling out anyone who appeared to be especially nervous.

[bc56]

Arrivals
Someone arrives at the entrance to the castle and sweeps her way into the grand hall. She's wearing a black cape and wide-brimmed black hat, pulled low over her face, which is covered by a black domino mask. A rapier is buckled at her waist.
However, the masked swordsman look is altered somewhat by the woman's own appearance. A pair of fox ears poke out from slits in her hat, and nine fluffy tails are only slightly covered by her cape.
Jade Fisher brushes a few strands of red hair out of her face and surveys the scene. She's normally fond of Spooktober parties, and this one is no different...
Except last year she accidentally wound up in debt to a spirit of Autumn. But she's almost completely forgotten that by now. She's had a lot of other things on her mind.
She saunters over to the refreshments for a bite to eat while she waits to see if anyone she knows shows up.

[Morty]

As is the case every year, the castle is swarmed by goblins, woblins and one gnome. This time, the horde of little folk seem to be all dressed as dragons. Brinika is wearing the costume of a dark grey dragon, thick and spiky, with a long tail but no wings. There was some argument as to whether a wingless dragon counts as one, but Brinika managed to make her case. Tuskfang, her half-Wolfen cousin, is wearing the costume of a smooth-scaled black dragon.

Also visiting the place is Thariza. The Charr has donned a black costume covered in purple-painted foam, to give the impression of a creature covered in crystal growths. She hasn't visited the Spooktober celebration before, but she's well familiar with the Mad King festival in Tyria. Seems to be a similar mood, except without a... crazy pumpkin-headed dead human king. So a real improvement.

[Deathkeeper]

Two large guests arrive, sneaking in among the crowd.

The first is a very portly wolf-man, dressed in a long coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses. He shows an immediate lack of control by going directly to the snack table at the prompting of his rumbly belly. Though to be fair to him, it was a long ride here.

The other is a large minotauress in a brown jacket, slacks, and an old-fashioned hat. A toy whip and revolver are tied to her hips.
Mina really wanted to bring Gwas to his first holiday party but she couldn't find him anywhere! No matter where she looked.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

Is that...?

Siana approaches the snack table quietly, pulling herself along with her costume's bident, taking a closer look at rhe snacks on the table and pleasantly surprised to find a series of shot glasses filled with ichor.

She smiles and facepalms jokingly. Of course they had vampire food here. If there was one night a year when they absolutely would not be able to avoid it, this was the one.

Seeing as to how this snack table is open to the whole party, Siana scoops up one such glass and drains it in a second. Mm... that's the good stuff.

Too good. No way she can stop with just one.

Or two.

Okay, three's the hard limit for sure.

No more than four.

At glass number five, Siana notices she's been pigging out right next to another guest, that she somehow didn't see until right this second. Horribly embarrassed, she sets the glass back down on the table and giggles nervously, hoping Jade didn't notice her little faux pas. "Um... hi!" She manages, giving her a stained-toothed smile.

[Earl of Purple]

Accompanying the swarm of goblins is a lone gnome girl, wearing a pink furry outfit with a wide tail and head fins and horns. She's also wearing a pair of pink glasses. She's dressed as a Mizutsune, a rather specific one as it happens.

Elsewhere, Jack arrives. The shapeshifter is currently wearing a white robe embroidered with many eye-shapes. She's shifted feathers into her hair, and dyed all the feathers white- the ones in her hair, the ones growing down her arms, and the feathers of her extra wings, with the eye in the central joint. She's also painted a third eye onto her forehead, above her own grey eyes, and there's other eyes painted onto her skin visible through the white feathers of her arms and again on the palms of her hands.

In a third place, an obese gnome wearing a green suit is carried into the party. He's got a metal open-faced helmet on, with wires connecting to the armchair he's sat in. It strides along on four articulated legs, but the legs have been enchanted to be invisible whilst the rest of the armchair is covered in yellow plastic panels and flashing lights, with multiple large X shapes in the panels.

[Deathkeeper]

The wolfman can't help but look over at the large, seemingly floating chair and examine it a little closer.
"Wow, nice ride. How's it move?" he asks the gnome.

[Earl of Purple]

"It has four invisible legs. It could fly properly, but I would need to build wings for that. And those would by necessity be large and very unsubtle, plus the person whose chair this is based on could hover in it. I can't do that with actual wings, it would have to settle down when not in flight. The legs are easier to hide." Although as it's walking rather than actually hovering, it sways and bobs rather than remaining steady. And Pontius does have a flying chair; the wings are large enough it's hard to fit through most doors. Making those invisible and taking off would be chaos, as Pontius wouldn't be able to see them either.

[bc56]

Snack Table
Jade wipes a couple crumbs of chocolate off her own mouth and smiles at Siana. "Hi!" She's pretty sure that's just fruit punch (she's wrong). "That's a great costume, who is it? And how did you do those horns, they look so real!" This girl looks nervous, Jade thinks the best thing to do is be friendly.

[Deathkeeper]

"That makes sense. A hovering chair sounds pretty neat. I think my brother has one of those. Kind of annoying since he's the one who can walk long distances." Djinni minion empowerment does that.
"So you made it yourself, then?" asks Codebreaker, looking at Pontius from over his glasses. "My name's Codebreaker."

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

Siana cringes internally, but gives Jade a small smile. As much as she didn't like drawing attention to her new marks of shame, she's at least gratified to know her ruse was working.

Ugh. Ruse. And gluttony, she thinks, looking down at the shot glass in her hand. She's even starting to think like a fiendling.

"Oh. Um... well, it's, ah... not meant to be anyone in particular, really." Siana manages to say, leaning on her bident. "Just an amalgam of various underworld figures from here and there. Typical devil plus little elements of Hades." She smiles and gestures to Jade's own costume. "But never mind me, look at you! That's got to be the best... thing ever!" She says, having no idea who Jade's costume is supposed to resemble and no context for guessing. A swashbuckler of some kind? It looked amazing either way.

[Earl of Purple]

"Pontius Mortifex Dathrii, of Pontius' Custom Constructs. I made this one, and several others. One actually does have wings. Would you like one? It'd be expensive, materials and labour, but if you provided an armchair and brought it to my workshop I might be able to reduce the price a little." Technically with how gnomes work in Earl-land now, Pontius should have a fourth name, but it's up to him to pick one and he apparently hasn't.

He also offers a hand to shake, as the chair raises up a little. The legs are extendable, and this movement is quite smooth- it actually does look like it's hovering upwards.

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker nods.
"Well, a huge set of wings might be a little ostentatious even for me, but it does sound rather enticing. You surely look quite comfortable. I could certainly use something plush and comfortable. Though I admit it would have to be rather large." he says, pondering the image.
"Money isn't an issue for me at the moment." he adds.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"What? No, it's just a cape and a mask." And a hat. Jade shakes her head. "Zorro's not supposed to be a fox. Or a woman." But whatever. "You probably don't know who Zorro is. I feel old now." Although the whole alternate dimensions thing also makes it mostly a moot point. Some people don't know who Zorro is, others know him as a historical figure, and others like Jade understand him to be fictional.

[Earl of Purple]

"I am glad you think I look comfortable; it is a very smooth ride. Not especially fast, however, and bulky. I live in a human-scale house, which is the only reason I can fit through the doors." Pontius is short; under a metre tall. His armchair is wide, and it's easy to imagine that one scaled up to human-size might struggle with most human-sized doors. "I'll give you my card; I have a shop in Mallside and another in Inside. That one is also my warehouse and workshop, where I and my apprentices build the constructs I sell." Pontius doesn't actually like selling them. But if he didn't he'd have to probably build a bigger house or something.

[Ironsmith]

Snack Table
"What? No, it's just a cape and a mask." And a hat. Jade shakes her head. "Zorro's not supposed to be a fox. Or a woman." But whatever. "You probably don't know who Zorro is. I feel old now." Although the whole alternate dimensions thing also makes it mostly a moot point. Some people don't know who Zorro is, others know him as a historical figure, and others like Jade understand him to be fictional.

[Snack Table]

"Ah, don't worry about it. I spent the last ten years living under a proverbial rock, in another world. It's taking me a while to catch up with the local culture." Siana giggles. "Still, it's a really neat costume! I wish I'd known about it sooner." She smiles and leans just a little too much on her bident, slowly pushing herself away from the table. "Might've been a better option than- whoop!"

And down she goes, in a mess of wooden hoops and ruffled skirts. Oof.

[Meeting Mina]

"Doctor Jones, I presume." Braon says as she approaches Mina. "Though last I checked, he was a little shorter, more human, and... well, a he." The fiendling chuckles as she circles around, examining what to her looked like a very mediocre costume.

Not that hers was much better; the ivy around her tights suggested she was cosplaying as some kind of nature spirit, though by far the bigger feature was the fact that she, at first glance, didn't look to be wearing anything at all. This had already gotten her a number of funny looks (including an obviously-offended glare from one of the dryads in attendance), but Braon seemed to enjoy that.

"Did you make this yourself?" Braon asks, halfway between impressed and contemptuous.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"Woah!" Jade immediately bends down and offers a hand to Siana to help her up. "Are you all right? What happened?" With all the fancy skirts, Jade can't actually see that Siana's leg is paralyzed, although she can tell that Siana has a limp and relies on her bident to walk.

[Ironsmith]

[Snack Table]

A closer look will reveal that to only be half true.

The bottom-most hoop in Siana's skirt has a set of spherical wheels mounted to it, as Jade will now be able to tell with the whole contraption on its side. Between that and the hoops themselves, it quickly becomes readily apparent that the skirt is meant to be self-supporting, so Siana would only have to keep a foot on the ground in order to keep from rolling away. Unfortunately, whoever put it together did a bit of a rubbish job; the hoops are far too narrow to properly accommodate shifts in weight distribution, so if Siana leans too far in one direction...

Well, this happens.

Siana flashes a thumbs-up. "I'm okay!" She grins, setting her bident to the side as she tries to roll her skirts so she can get back up. "Sorry. I'm not used to this rig yet. Normally I just use a cane."

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius/CB

"Ah, I hear you. My brother is over half again as tall as me and just as much wider and he has trouble with doors. Something fit for me would probably have the same problem. But maybe I could find something? You certainly look like someone who appreciates the finer things." Namely that he seems to have very nice, expensive things. And that he's the first person he's spoken to in a while who isn't judging Codebreaker for his weight. Probably.

Braon/Mina

Mina smiles simply, completely unfazed. "Costumes are costumes. I'd have gone as a cowgirl but someone told me it might be offensive. And yes, I did. It took me a week. You try sewing with these things." She gestures with her large, thick fingers.

[Earl of Purple]

Pontius & Codebreaker

"I might be able to, yes. Do you need one? I designed this because when I was a lot younger, I fell from a tree and hurt myself badly. I haven't been able to walk for long since." Which would put a hamper on his ability to exercise. Pontius doesn't judge Codebreaker for his weight, but if all he wants one for is to make his life easier and walking doesn't cause him pain, Pontius will charge more for it. Not that Codebreaker should know that, unless it connects to numbers somehow.

[bc56]

Snack Table
"Wood seems too flexible for a structure like that. Have you considered using aluminum? Or plastic?
Or better, a mechanical brace? Cybernetics are too expensive to be a practical option, but something based on a lifting exoskeleton might work." Once Jade gets onto an engineering sidetrack, it's hard to stop her. "I'm not super familiar with antigravity tech, but maybe something like that could help?"

[Arkhosia]

Arrivals - Spiraling Sighs

It's the eve of Spooktober once more, and as more vehicles park and carriages arrive, there appears a familiar sight for at least one member of the family hosting this year. Cantata appears beneath the cozy candlelight almost as if she'd been among the very stones conjured from the earth, leaning back against the wall and mulling a glass of warm cider in a single perched hand. For tonight she's dyed her dark brown hair a deep black, and her amber eyes seem to shine a brighter gold than usual.

Her actual costume is rather simple next to many other guests - it's a simple black dress held up by ruffled straps with an ebon rose over the heart, paired opera gloves and ankle-length boots, a pair of oversized knives with gold crossguards sheathed on the waist. Spatters and streaks of fake blood have been painted across her face and used to stain the hands of her gloves. She seems to be searching for someone among the crowd of cheery revelers.

Arrivals - Immutable Exuberance

Meanwhile out at the castle's grand entrance, the doors to one of the carriages burst open as a white-haired catgirl steps out with a great deal of cheer, purple eyes glittering with excitement. She's an older woman, clad in a pale green dress whose skirt only extends halfway down the thigh while the top connects to a black choker and leaves the shoulders bare. A doctor's coat hangs loosely off the shoulders as she looks around and back behind her, waiting for her partner to follow along.

"I can't explain why, but it really feels like ages since I've been out to one of these! Seems you folks haven't lost an ounce of spirit for em." Caelynn smiles back at Magtok. There's a mischievous little glint in her eye. "I think whoever's hosting this year could probably rival your flair for the dramatic."

[Ironsmith]

Braon/Mina

Mina smiles simply, completely unfazed. "Costumes are costumes. I'd have gone as a cowgirl but someone told me it might be offensive. And yes, I did. It took me a week. You try sewing with these things." She gestures with her large, thick fingers.

[Braon/Mina]

"And who cares if it is? Screw 'em." Braon shrugs. "You let some total strangers tell you how to live your life, and you're gonna end up miserable. Besides, that would have been hilarious." The fiendling smirks as she leans against a nearby table. "...More saliently, though, if making a costume was that difficult, why bother? Couldn't you have bought one?"

Snack Table
"Wood seems too flexible for a structure like that. Have you considered using aluminum? Or plastic?
Or better, a mechanical brace? Cybernetics are too expensive to be a practical option, but something based on a lifting exoskeleton might work." Once Jade gets onto an engineering sidetrack, it's hard to stop her. "I'm not super familiar with antigravity tech, but maybe something like that could help?"

[Snack Table]

Siana shrugs. "It's all Ellinikan to me." She says nonchalantly. "I just saw this dress at the tailor's and thought it was pretty neat. Owner said she got the idea from a new fashion trend in Skyside. One that was surprisingly disability-friendly, given it was apparently designed for mermaids." She grabs her bident and pushes herself upright, arms waving precariously as she tries to make sure her balance is okay. "I was considering finding an excuse to wear it the rest of the year, albeit a little trimmed-down, but... well, yeah, like you said, the design's a little lacking."

[Deathkeeper]

Pontius and CB

"Not strictly need. My heart isn't very strong and walking long distances is hard for me. I'll stop by your store. Maybe I don't need something that large but I'm sure your store has things I would like." Codebreaker admits it would be mostly out of a desire to not walk places and to keep up with his brother who already has something like that.

Braon and Mina

"Yeah, well. I live with the guy it'd probably offend." Mina shrugs herself.
"I'm not made of money. I'm not blowing that kind of cash on a cheap costume that'll rip the second I move my arms." Sai has cursed Mina with arms that don't get along with sleeves very well.

[Ironsmith]

Braon and Mina

"Yeah, well. I live with the guy it'd probably offend." Mina shrugs herself.
"I'm not made of money. I'm not blowing that kind of cash on a cheap costume that'll rip the second I move my arms." Sai has cursed Mina with arms that don't get along with sleeves very well.

[Braon and Mina]

"Hmph. Sounds like he needs to grow some thicker skin." Braon chuffs. "...Still, I get the money thing. I'm not exactly swimming in gold, either." She gives a little smile and extends her hand. "The name's Braon. Braon Hexenb-"

"Lesserwood~"

"Oh, [SCREW] OFF!" Braon shouts irritably at her uncle. "...Hexenborne."

[bc56]

Snack Table
"It's nothing that can't be fixed without a little ingenuity and elbow grease." But skyside? Disability friendly? Unless there was a sudden influx of mermaids, it seems unlikely. "I'm sure I could make an improved version with my tools and some time."

[Earl of Purple]

PMD & CB

"I don't have any walking-chairs on offer, at the moment. I have created several, but I use them for myself. Mostly I work with golems and things like that, which are mostly made of one material and most of the brute work done by my apprentices. Stone, metal, clay, glass, even plastic or ice sometimes. If you can find an armchair, I can see what I can do. Go to my workshop, I'll get some measurements, see what exactly you want, show you some of mine, and work out a price for you." A walking-chair like the ones that Pontius has ridden in since his first appearance hasn't had anyone interested in buying one yet.

[Deathkeeper]

PMD and CB

"oooh, golems? That sounds very interesting. Magic has always been fascinating, though I am limited to very specific applications myself. So you use them for labor?" CB isn't sure if he entirely wants a walking chair as it's something his predecessor would definitely get but he thinks makes him look quite arrogant. Still, he's kind of annoyed his brother has a floating chair when he can walk just fine.

Braon and Mina

Mina shakes Braon's hand, ignoring the outburst.
"Well, he can't really get any kind of skin as he's a talking object. He'll open up some time. He just needs more time to think of himself more instead of defining himself by his owners." Mina admits. She needs some way to get through to him. She just hasn't found it yet. Maybe she should tell him he's okay to make cow jokes around her if he stops actually insulting her, but maybe he would just abuse that.

[Earl of Purple]

PMD & CB

"They can be used for labour, yes. Or they can be bodyguards, they can salvage from shipwrecks, and do whatever else you tell them to. Personally, I just build them and sell them." And still ensure they've got a command so they obey him, so if somebody tries to use one of his golems to rob his house or shop, Pontius can stop them. "My magic is also very focused, on building and maintaining animated objects to a mimicry of life." Pontius might be able to make a full-on Warforged, or something similar, but he doesn't because he doesn't like robots and the idea of a golem that can think for itself strikes him as too close to robotics. "What's your speciality? Do you mind telling me?" Codebreaker may want to keep it secret for whatever reason, after all.