[ October Event ] The Black Stag Casino

[pumpkinhollow]

**Plain text version here. [Pending - pardon the delay! Plain text version will be created and added within the next 48 hours.]

THE BLACK STAG CASINO

THE LODGE

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild unreality, lapses in memory }

Wake-Up Call

You wake on the morning of October 26th in the most comfortable bed you have ever laid in. Regardless of what accommodations you’ve been used to in the past, no matter how lavish, you cannot remember the last time you felt so perfectly cradled by a mattress or slept at such a perfect temperature. You wake to the sound of a pleasant little chiming sound, repeated over and over until you address it.

You sit up and realize you don’t know where you are.

It’s not that you don’t remember coming here--- in fact, you very much do. Though the action itself is a bit of a haze, you can recall being approached by a stunning woman dressed in all black, with a wide-brimmed hat that had long tassels which concealed most of her face. She handed you a beautifully printed invitation, though you can’t recall the text, just the image of golden antlers and blue flowers on black paper. Then you went home, packed a bag of your things--- clothes, personal items, toiletries, medications, money, things you might need on vacation--- and then when you opened your door, you were standing in a forest. You recall following lights in the distance until you reached a large, ornate wooden door and then---

Well, now you’re here. In a beautiful hotel room decorated in lavish navy and black decor, possibly with others, and there is a ringing sound.

When someone answers it, despite the advent of the speakerphone having yet to occur, the golden handset phone on the desk can be heard at a pleasant volume which everyone in the room can hear. A woman’s voice speaks.

“Welcome to the Black Stag Casino and Lodge!” she says. “This is the wake-up call you ordered when you checked in last night. Just a reminder--- you are visiting us with an all-inclusive package from now until November 4th! All food services and amenities are free with unlimited use, all entertainment is included at no additional cost, a no-cost service to take care of your affairs at home has been added for you, and you will be receiving 50 free casino chips when you visit! The only things that have a cost to them are the shopping areas and additional chips. Check-out starts at 11am on the 4th, and not a moment sooner! If you have any questions, please see our front desk, open 24/7. Also, please be aware that all interpersonal violence is physically impossible outside of the arena, and no weapons are permitted inside the lodge. Enjoy your stay!”

And enjoy it you must, it would seem. When you look out your windows, you will see the misty pine forest sprawling out endlessly in every direction as far as the eye can see. While you’ll have an opportunity to verify it later should you choose to, you likely already have a sense that there is no way to leave. But at least there seems to be plenty of ways to make the best of things. Time to take a look around?

Amenities

The Black Stag Casino’s lodge is well-outfitted with only the most indulgent of luxuries; the beds are just a start! Each room has a pair of enormous king-sized beds with plush bedding and always the exact right amount of pillows. Rooms can each house between 1 and 4 people. (Please feel free to check out and add yourself to the room assignment chart as you see fit. It should be noted that only those chosen by Dahlia Leeds or Prince Aster are permitted to stay in the VIP suites.)

The bathrooms are equally luxurious, each with remarkably advanced independent plumbing, full-sized bottles of shampoo, fluffy towels and even monogrammed black bathrobes customized to each guest. A handy card informs you that you can even keep the robe when you leave, which is wild.

Each room also has a balcony overlooking the expansive lodge grounds and surrounding forest. The views are eerie, but beautiful in their way.

And of course, each room has several copies of a map of the resort, showing the locations of its underground shopping promenade, numerous performance stages, always-open front desk, lavish spa, buffet, restaurants, bars, and expansive casino floor. There’s also something out behind the lodge called the “arena,” though its purpose is unclear just from the map.

Finally, you will also find a phone number and impressive menu for room service, whose prices have been concealed. A card is attached reminding you that anything you ordered is included in your package. Truly, all expenses are paid. If this place were not clearly the work of a demon, it might be a dream vacation. But considering that anyone in the know could easily clock this as the work of a demon representing indulgence and consumption, the message is clear.

Still, perhaps it can’t hurt to enjoy it a little bit. You are trapped here for a while, after all.

THE CASINO

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, violence, potential character death }

Game Tables

The first thing you’ll see if you enter the casino floor is, of course, a wide array of game tables run by dealers both humanoid and monstrous. However, the vast majority of dealers appear to be… the exact same woman. Specifically, a woman in a tight black dress and long black gloves, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with tassels that conceal most of her face. They each wear a gold name tag just below the plunging neckline of their dresses, and each and every one of them reads “Daphne.” (On rare occasions, the observant watcher may be able to catch one of these women phasing into a pair of mirrored copies, indicating that these are all very literally the same person.)

The games are all fairly standard casino fare. Betting is simple--- if you win, your bet is doubled. If you lose, your bet is forfeit.

Casino Rules

Each guest starts with 50 free chips and is responsible for keeping track of them on their own. Chips cannot be used for anything outside of the casino and must be redeemed at the prize counter. More chips may be purchased with Brass at a rate of 50 chips for 200 Brass. Chips cannot be redeemed for Brass once purchased and cannot be transferred or pooled between guests. Chips are not transferable between players.

A guest may bet as much as they’d like on each game, which does not have to occur within a thread (although some should, because that’s what we’re here for!) and can play until they run out of chips or wish to stop. Each game will use dice rolls (or a roulette wheel) to determine winnings, which means that all casino games rely entirely on chance to win. You are on your honor not to fudge results! We have four casino games that we have simplified for text-based RP:

Blackjack

Roll a D10. Rolls 2-9 are number cards of any suit. A roll of 10 can be a 10 number card or any face card (Jack, Queen, King) valued at 10. A roll of 1 represents an Ace, which can be valued at either 1 or 11, per the player’s preference. After the first roll, players can decide if they wish to “hit” (roll again and add the value of the additional roll to their previous) or “stand” (abstain and stick with their current value), with a goal of getting to a total of 21 or as close as possible without going over.

Players may continue to roll until they either decide to stand, or until they “bust” (exceed 21). A dealer will roll against them, which the player can either roll themselves OOCly on behalf of the dealer or recruit another player to roll for. Whoever gets closest to 21 without busting is the winner. Players who are able to “get Blackjack” by rolling to 21 exactly get triple their bet!

Craps

Actual Craps is somewhat complex and not conducive to RP, so this is an extremely simplified version. Roll 2D6. This value will determine the “point” for that round. From there, you will have 7 rolls to attempt to roll the exact same value. If you fail to do so within 7 rolls, you lose and your bet is taken by the house. If you manage to roll the point, you win. If you at any point roll “snake eyes” (a pair of 1s), you automatically lose, unless it is the first roll to determine the point, in which case you may roll again.

Poker

Due to the numerous steps in Poker and the fact that it is meant to be played with the other people at the table as opposed to the dealer, most of a Poker game will be done ICly or handwaved.

Poker requires a minimum of 2 or a maximum of 5 guests and D20s. Place bets to enter, roll your D20 once, then keep the number to yourself. Based on your roll, determine whether you wish to “call” (double your existing bet for the opportunity to win) or “fold” (forfeit). Players who folded will not be eligible to win. All players who called will then reveal the number they rolled on the d20. The one who rolled the highest wins. Rather than doubling their own bet, however, the winner receives all money bet by other players, including those that folded.

Roulette

The Black Stag Casino, like most casinos, has a roulette wheel in the center of the room. However, when you approach, you see that it is not like a traditional roulette wheel.

Instead, all the tiles that should be red are blue, and marked with gold lettering that reads “WIN!” and the black tiles all have gold text on them that reads… well, each one is something different.

The rules are simple. Place a bet of your liking and spin the wheel. If you land on a “WIN” tile, then your chips are doubled as usual. If you land on any other tile, you are subject to the effect of that tile. You may interpret it however feels right to you, and one of these effects even supersedes the “no violence” rule! SPIN HERE!

Most Dangerous Game

On the far wall of the casino from the main door, you can see an exit onto a large balcony with seating overlooking what appears to be an enclosed area of the forest, marked as the “arena” on your map. Beside the doors, you can also see a bookie working at a betting counter. Above the counter, you can see the name of the game, which is simply listed in a stark font as “PREY”.

Additionally, you can occasionally hear a crackling audio that sounds a bit like an old intercom making announcements asking that various people (usually two names, sometimes more) to report to the arena booking counter. There are times listed for “matches” on the wall with people’s names listed, and you can place bets on each “match.” The bookie doesn’t care much to tell you what the premise of the game is, just that he’s the one you can sign up to play with if you want to participate, and that there’s a pretty significant windfall for winning.

- HOW TO PLAY -

- PREY -

Any Pumpkin Hollow resident can play the game in the role of Prey, either by deliberately signing up or by ICly “drafted” to play against their will. (OOCly players would still be volunteering their characters, it’s just an opportunity for you to force them to play if they might not want to.) ICly, the Predator that they are matched with is chosen by Aster with the aim of being an interesting and well-matched fight, though the Predator does get some input. (Again, OOCly this is decided by players entirely.)

Prey are entitled to any weapons or tools they request, but have no input on the environment. Their goal is to escape, incapacitate, or kill their Predator. There will be at least one escape route per arena layout whose location and escape conditions are determined by the Predator. The winner is determined by a combination of dice rolls and player communication.

Prey who win their match-ups will receive a significant prize--- a flat prize of 200 chips, plus 50% of all bets made against them. (Bets from NPC demons will be determined on a D100 and PC bets will be added in after, if there are any.) Prey who lose get 50% of all bets made in their favor, but are dead by normal Pumpkin Hollow rules for the rest of the day. No death certificate is needed for deaths occurring in PREY. Sending Stones do not function inside the arena. No other guests may enter the arena, even as ghosts.

In the PREY Betting thread below, it is the Prey’s responsibility to set up a top-level for their match-ups betting pool. This is done by simply replying to the betting thread with the names of the Prey and Predator as the comment’s title. (ex. [Prey name] vs. [Predator name])

- PREDATORS -

Predators are VIP guests specifically brought in by Aster for this purpose, who signed up to participate via a special character claim. No more can be added. Their goal is simple: to kill their prey, by any means necessary. Predators are given some leeway on who is chosen as their prey and are provided with any weapons or tools they desire. They are also allowed to have the arena magically modified to their liking. However, they cannot modify their environment during the match unless that is specifically one of their existing powers, and they must install at least one escape method into their arena. Predators who die are only dead for a few hours before Aster sets them right, and they are not rewarded or penalized for winning, as they are already being rewarded just for being here by Aster (who has promised them each some sort of wish) and are simply here to work.

The Predators available to play against are below the cut. The Predator is responsible for the starters for their match-ups in the PREY thread below so that they can set up their arena, unless otherwise discussed.

Predator Options

Acrid || Risk of Rain
Nama/Anri || acrid_rain

Allyin Kailius || Original Character
Yarrow || allyin

The Butcher || Malevolent
Meghan || sometimesfortissimo

Brooke Augustine || InFamous: Second Son
QV || helltopave

Chase Collins || The Covenant
Dee || bastardofipswich

Dahlia Leeds || Pumpkin Hollow
Rose || thethirteenthchild

David Xanatos || Gargoyles
Batya || still_got_the_edge

Fenrir || Original Character
Kalineh || odinsbane

FUTURE || SAYER
GladHatter || for_humanitys_future

The Goose || Untitled Goose Game
Jesse || a_anser_horribilis

Hol Horse || JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Sentis || emperorcard

Itazura Unmei || Final Fantasy XIV
constellation || bloodyscalesemptyheart

Jack Spicer || Xiaolin Showdown
Kai || howiruletheworld

Julia Montauk & Trevor Herbert || The Magnus Archives
Blue || tapetumlucidum

Leshy || Inscryption
Harvey || scrybeofbeasts

Mary || Identity V
Mira || predation

Max Jagerman || Nerdy Prudes Must Die
Rose || whowillprayforyou

Ned Low || Our Flag Means Death
Rin || forthelulz

Nikola Orsinov || The Magnus Archives
Rose || dancetheworldnew

King Oberon & Puck/Robin Goodfellow || Folklore
Guildenstern & Bash || oberlord & tailorcries

Spamton G. Spamton || Deltarune
Harvey || nowsyourchance

- SPECTATING & BETTING -

In order to bet, please make a comment in the appropriate betting thread stating which character is placing the bet, how many chips they are betting, and who they are betting on to win the match. Please do not use meta knowledge to influence your bets. If you bet correctly, your bet will be doubled as usual.

To spectate a match, grab a seat on the balcony overlooking the arena! The arena may be enclosed or have scenery that blocks the view, but not to worry--- two large magical screens will be tracking both the Predator and the Prey. You cannot communicate with anyone inside the arena.

Prize Counters

When you’ve earned enough chips, there are some exceptional prizes available at the prize counter! Choose from any of the following options:

Cheap Souvenir - 50 Chips
Some kind of weird junk. Can be nearly anything you like, within reason. Fuzzy blue dice, a bag of weird candy, a poorly made trophy, a Black Stag Casino branded pen, or a very ugly stuffed animal are all great options.

Bottle of Generous Garlic Powder OR Vanilla Extract - 100 Chips
A small bottle containing seemingly infinite high quality garlic powder for cooking or vanilla extract for baking, one or the other (you can get both but you must buy each separately). Not for the faint of heart, as in order for the bottle to retain its endless quality, you must always use its contents to excess each time you cook with them. If you follow the recipe, you will find them empty the next time you reach for the bottle.

Decanter of Endless Spirits - 200 Chips
A stunning crystal decanter that will contain an endless supply of an alcoholic beverage of the pourer’s choice. It is always of the finest quality. Be warned that those who drink from it will feel a slight temptation to overindulge.

Deerbone Dice - 300 Chips
A pair of 6-sided gambling dice made of deer bone, with the dots inlaid with gold. They feel very lucky. Anyone who owns these could add +3 to the result of any dice rolls they perform in any context for the duration of the game.

Silvertongue Amulet - 400 Chips
The wearer of this silver pendant would find themselves permanently more persuasive whenever wearing it, and would find it easier to get people to do things for them or give them information. It works even on the most powerful supernatural creatures, though the success may vary on demons, elder gods, or goddesses somewhat.

Infernal Service - 500 Chips
A ticket promising the services of one infernal servant under Aster, for any task that does not directly conflict with Aster’s interest in a non-negotiable way. Which Infernal Servant will be at Aster’s discretion and dependent upon availability.

Unholy Talisman - 700 Chips
A protective ward in an array of designs that will allow the wearer to resist the influence or workings of Nyarlathotep. Would only help with non-physical/mental effects, physical damage would not be preventable.

Fallen Angel Investor - 1000 Chips
A certificate indicating that Aster will personally fund an Entrepreneur career, paying for you to open a business of your choice. The funded business will automatically be a Level 3 business and there are absolutely no catches aside from Aster being a little nosy about how numbers are.

THE EXTRAS

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Potential for overeating, heavy alcohol use, mental manipulation }

Food & Drink

Considering it's Aster’s specialty, you know that the food has to be good. And the staff is more than willing to identify everything in the food! It’s not human, they promise. (For once it’s genuinely not. Besides, lying was Mendel’s game. The Dark Feast prefers to skirt around the truth instead.)

There are two main places to eat. The first is a high end, luxurious restaurant with rich and well-made food, some of which is unique and a bit experimental. It’s the finest money can buy, and it’s all yours for free. A great place for a date! Never tried caviar? You can get it here.

The second is a buffet. The food here is also fantastic, though with significantly less bells and whistles. It’s all hot, fresh, and widely varied, and it’s never empty.

Additionally, there is also a stunning bar, whose bar-top is carved from dark wood and whose decor incites a close, intimate feel. There is a VIP room that intends to be specifically for Aster’s guests, the Predators and his family members, though others can join them if invited.

It’s worth noting that each of these places make it fairly challenging to stop consuming, and time seems to pass strangely in them, becoming easily lost. It takes a bit of willpower to leave them, and ordering room service doesn’t seem to really circumvent this problem, as you’re still left wanting more once you’re finished. However, the effect seems fairly mild--- except in the buffet. It is extremely easy to get trapped in the buffet, overindulging in the food there and losing hours and hours of time, and once you go the first time, you feel compelled to go back each time you get hungry. Overconsumption is Aster’s game, but it seems particularly potent there.

Shopping

On the bottom floor of the lodge, which is underground, there is a sprawling indoor shopping area designed to look like an outdoor promenade in a fancy commercial district, with stone shop fronts and gold-lettered signs and tasteful street-lamps lining the herringbone-pattern brick walkway. There are a fair few shops down there, some of which don’t seem completely compliant with the time period Pumpkin Hollow exists in. The shops are as follows:

Wolf’s Clothing: A high end boutique with stylists who can put together the perfect outfit. Everything is magically tailored to fit the wearer perfectly.

Quarry’s Demise: A shop that sells powerful magical armor and weaponry from the mainland. Purchase will be sent to the buyer’s home directly, as weapons are not allowed in the casino.

Flames of Yvelas: A shop selling powerful magical items and potions that you can’t get on the island. Combat products will be sent directly to the buyer’s home.

Complete Sustenance Market: a food market selling high end specialty products and health foods, many of which are not available in Pumpkin Hollow. Perishables will be sent directly to the buyer’s home.

Nightingale’s: A well-to-do bakery with fancy cakes and artisanal bread. Also serves coffee and tea. Occasionally you can see the baker, who is evidently a large wolf-monster with open throat lacerations. This does not seem to impact the quality of the product, or the sanitation of the kitchen. Apparently he just looks like that.

Buckskin Spirits and Liquors: A liquor store with everything imaginable.

Spacetime Super Store: an interdimensional clothing store that has clothing from other time periods, ranging from medieval to futuristic.

Ye Olde Pokemart: A shop that sells Pokemon supplies. It has a bakery counter in the corner that sells Pokemon-safe desserts called PokePuffs.

DreamThrift: a thrift store of some sort that seems to sell gadgetry, decorations, or mundane items from various worlds and time periods. Much of it is middling quality.

Spirit Halloween: Exactly what it says on the tin. How did this get here?

Ennui Perfumery: A perfume boutique that sells beautifully bottled perfumes named after abstract concepts, whose fragrances somehow smell exactly the way one expects the concept to smell and also evokes the feeling of that concept.

Price Guide

The specific items found in each shop are up to players, within reason, and are categorized within a set of broad categories. You may use your best judgment to determine the price of something. If the mods receive a massive influx of price check questions, we will explode, so please use the price menu to the best of your ability and reserve questions about pricing for things that you truly have no frame of reference for. Things are expensive because all of them will be things you cannot get back home!

Follow this link to view the price chart!

Entertainment

In addition to shopping and games, there are plenty of other fun things to do at the lodge. You could take in a show! There are magicians, acrobats, musical performances, and a stage that is dedicated to a 24-hour cabaret that becomes distinctly adults-only after dark. There’s also a spa where you can get massages, a magically-heated hot tub and swimming pool, and a dance hall. Take a break from gambling and check out the other indulgences available.

Grounds

Attempting to exit the casino is entirely possible, but not advisable, as you'll be met with a long and grueling journey through an endless woods full of increasingly violent predators and thick fog. Conveniently, however, once you turn back, you'll find the path very easily traversed and the lodge only a minute or two's walk away, even if you've been traveling through the woods for hours.

CHECK-OUT

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A }

We Hope You Enjoyed Your Stay!

On November 4th at 11am, you will be allowed at last to exit as normal. But will you want to? Perhaps some of you will struggle with the temptation not to extend your stay. Remain a while more. Indulge, consume, obey.

Or not! We hope to see you back soon!

Comments

PREY Matches

[pumpkinhollow]

A repository for all threads involving PREY match-ups so that they're all in the same place. Predators, respond to this post with your toplevels for your matches describing your arena and starting off the match, unless something else is discussed with your partner!

Brooke Augustine | InFamous: Second Son

[helltopave]

This Is Not A Place of Honor
[open to Anzu and to one or two others, as separate matches]

The first thing that becomes obvious about this particular arena is that it's big. Augustine's powers don't exactly lend themselves to close quarters, so to accommodate, a vast paved expanse of flat ground has been laid out like some monstrous, barren parking lot.

She stands across the field from her prey, almost a speck on the horizon. A moment passes - longer or shorter depending on if her quarry makes a move first - before she raises a fist in an uppercut-like gesture. Huge spires of jagged concrete erupt from the ground at seemingly random intervals, wide around as redwood trees if not wider, turning the battlefield into an echoing obstacle course of gray stone.

(True enough, she could've requested they be there from the word go, but the immediate show of force is just as important a tactic as any other.)

"Let's get this over with," she calls, her voice reverberating off the pillars in such a way that it's not immediately clear where it's coming from. "I promise I'll make it quick."

[actuallyawolf]

Ylva stands in the arena field (she has limited experience with concrete, and she is not a fan, she is deciding), squinting at the shape in the distance. Armed with a sword and a shield (not hers, but they're perfectly servicable), she squares off, considering.

She gives a whoop and starts running forward, trying to close the distance between them.

[amourtician]

Anzu has his new walking-stick, just like in that bloody strange forest, and after some consideration, he'd asked for two pairs of knuckledusters to defend himself with. He figures that it's not actually that easy to punch oneself in the face on purpose.

When the concrete spikes rise up, he very nearly flees and hides behind one immediately. But somehow, he manages to stay composed and plant his feet and stare up at Augustine.

"Thou'lt welcome to kill me, darling!" he cries out. "But thou'lt have to catch me, first."

And then he flings himself behind a concrete spike, out of Augustine's line of sight, and runs. He's not so confident he'll actually outrun her. He's not confident at all that he might outfight her. But he'll not go down easy, at least.

The Goose | Untitled Goose Game

[a_anser_horribilis]

The arena, when you arrive, is green and lush, like a garden or a park. Thick flower beds and low hedges dot an expanse of green lawn, tall enough and thick enough that your average human-shaped person is going to have to go around them, along with the odd park bench or inexplicable stray road cone or abandoned child's toy. Near the centre of the arena is a pond of still water, with reeds and lily pads growing around the edges. It might be three or four feet deep in the centre, but no more.

On the other side of the pond is a hedge maze, and the exit is visible beyond it.

You may or may not see the goose when you arrive. It's a wonderful specimen of a domestic goose: large, plump, with sleek white feathers and bright eyes. It might be floating serenely in the pond, or grazing experimentally upon the grass, giving you what at least seems like no more thought than a typical goose would. Probably.

On the other hand, there may be nothing in sight, but a faint rustling in the hedges, somewhere.

[impostor_syndrome]

Purple asked for and received the model of combat knife and handgun they would bring to a sabotage job and a stun grenade and shovel of the same make they could buy from the Company store. They could have requisitioned an automatic rifle or a battleaxe or something, sure, but an unfamiliar high-powered weapon could get them in trouble and they know exactly how these ones work. That fills up their pockets.

They look around the green, grassy arena. It's as lush as any landing site on 56-Vow, but much more deliberately cultivated and probably not full of forest giants. Where's their opponent? Behind the windows of their helmet their eyes flick right past the long-necked white bird floating innocently in the pond, no more suspecting it of malice than they'd suspect a flock of manticoils was plotting their demise.

Maybe their opponent prefers a stealthy approach. Could be waiting at the bottom of the small but highly conspicuous pond for an opportunity to drown them, or lurking inside the hedge maze. Purple holds still and listens for any suspicious sounds.

[saltwaterlungs]

Ohhh this place sucks. This place sucks ass and Darcy doesn't even know the extent of it yet. He readies his weapons, but... there's nothing really here? It looks weirdly idyllic in a way that makes his stomach turn.

There's an exit clearly marked though, and Darcy lacking anything else to do just kinda. Starts heading towards it? Ugh. Hedge mazes are so fucking creepy, even when they look pleasant. He should've asked for a fucking machete.

[theydrewfirstblood]

John requests a knife, equivalent to his own, and a simple recurve bow with a quiver of arrows. When he enters the arena...

...he's startled by how...peaceful it is.

John scans the area visually, knife in hand. It's quiet, save for the distant chirping of a bird and a single white goose grazing nearby. It's--perfectly serene.

Glancing at the bird, his only companion in this downright pastoral landscape, he huffs out a laugh.

"Something bad's coming, buddy--you should get while the getting's good." he breathes, staying on alert as he starts to move past the grazing goose.

[graphomaniac]

Upon arriving at the arena, Lev/Lyubov immediately sits down on the nearest park bench, crosses their legs at the ankles and, clutching their walking-stick like a distaff, warily looks at the goose floating serenely in the pond.

They didn't get too good at look at the match-ups before being ushered into an arena and they don't quite know what or who they're here to face; they're presently wondering if the goose is decoration, an obstacle or an incidental detail.

And they didn't request a weapon of any kind. They've got their stick, after all, and it's pretty heavy. Surely it'll do.

So they watch the goose, and quietly hope they don't make too big of a prat of themselves in all of this.

Fenrir | OC

[odinsbane]

To some, this garden may seem oddly familiar, but it’s not quite the same as they may remember. It was clearly once beautiful and lush, but the arena is currently covered in hot ash and the vegetation is actively on fire. The fountain in the middle isn’t filled with water, but instead a thick red liquid that is very likely blood. The burning roses emit an eerie red glow, the trees are blackened, the leaves flicker with the rising heat, but none of them seem to be succumbing to the flames as one might expect.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

The mocking voice is spoken out loud, but there’s an inhuman edge to it. The hedge maze not far from where the prey arrives doesn’t offer any escape from the flames, but should someone get through it before Fenrir loses interest, they will find victory at the end. Or they can stand and fight.

[redlightgreenlight]

The moment she opens her eyes, she knows who this place was designed for, and who it was designed by. He’s determined to play mind games and knows exactly where to stab. The heat from the burning bush she hides behind doesn’t even hurt as she hears his mocking voice from not far off. She refuses to die here, and while escape might be the safer idea, she can’t help but want to defeat him at his own game. She’s armed with a well crafted sword, but it isn’t Revelations, it seems Fenrir doesn’t wish to face that particular blade.

Valdis hears him moving, and that mocking tone calling out again, telling her to come out of hiding. With a deep breath she rolls out from behind her bush, sword drawn.

“Who’s hiding?”

[ss_buttcrack]

"Oh crap... not this again," Crichton mutters to himself as he beholds this barren land of fire and ash. If not for the fountain, he might not have recognized it, but, yeah, that's a memorable water feature--blood and all.

"All right, all right, I'm comin'." He steps out with his pulse pistol in hand, looks between it and his opponent, and suddenly wonders why he bothered. It didn't do much good against the hellhounds the last time.

"Don't suppose I could get you to agree to an old-school cowboy duel? Ten paces and draw?"

[hate_gettin_older]

Oh, he's been here before. His lip curls as he recognizes the place, as transformed as it is.

All right, if the trees aren't burning up, then either there's something weird about the trees, or something weird about the fire. One way to find out.

"Fuckin come out yourself," Edgar shouts to the air, turns, and sprints for the hedge maze.

Puck and Oberon | Folklore | Closed to George and Anzu

[tailorcries]

There’s a sweet scent to the air. Maybe you were expecting something more threatening, maybe something that feels more hostile, but this faery glade is… Pleasant, for the most part. Cowslips and other wildflowers dot the meadow you find yourself in, there’s a few happily babbling brooks that seem to spring up from nowhere and meander in patterns reminiscent of a toddler with a crayon, and specks of… pollen? Pixie dust? Something in little specks of gold drift through the air. There’s the odd deer here and there, and some birds in the branches.

Of course, then you’ll notice the cold woods beyond this little glade. Tall Irish oaks, hazel, yew, twisted over themselves with trunks as big as the pillars in a car park and taller than skyscrapers, so dense with foliage that the light can only peek through in whispers. The underbrush is wet and rotting, and the deeper in you go, the more tangled, gnarled briars seem to rise up from the ground to snare you. Freedom is, as it often is, on the other side of these thorns. If you make it that far.

Puck and Oberon’s arena has a few main sub-arenas;

The Underbrush is ground-level under the trees, hazards include mundane dangers like cliffs shrouded by foliage, tangling roots and rotting logs that collapse under your weight, and plants like stinging nettle or poison ivy, along with non-mundane dangers of Oberon’s hunting hounds nipping at your heels. Babbling brooks wind their way across the land. They dive underground just as much as they emerge above, so be careful.

The Canopy is the large, broad branches and leaves above, usually accessible by thick vines or an especially large and twisting trunk that leans far enough to be a ramp. Some parts are akin to what you’d expect to find in an Earth jungle: plenty of branches and vines that will tolerate your weight, and many more that will not. And some parts, where the trees are especially titanic, see the branches spiraling and leaping through the air, thick as catwalks. It’s a jungle gym up there.

The Caves make the land porous. There are many entrances into the labyrinthine depths, ranging from slippery vertical chutes, gaping maws, and hidden ducts. No matter what, though, it is deep, and it is dark. Some chambers open into massive cathedrals too huge to shine a light and see the other end. Some tunnels are belly-crawls. Some walls are knifelike; some are covered in crystal; some of them are made of precariously stacked boulders. Sometimes, they’re filled with water. Oberon’s power seems a little muted here, but do you really want to end up as Nutty Putty Cave Part Two?

Finally, the Thorns are the most hostile part of the arena, the absolute boundary around the outside. Any deer-trods through are faint and difficult to follow, and the briars are fairytale-like in scale. There is a way out, if you’re clever and brave, but not all parts of the thorns lead to freedom. Depending on where you’re led- or have been chased- you might be walking right into Oberon’s unkind grasp. Or, more likely, you may end up skewered on a thorn. Tread carefully.

The round starts with the bellow of distant hunting horns, and the barks of salivating mongrels from the underbrush, just beyond the faery glade. Best hope you wore good shoes for running.

[stonecoldtop]

Well this... isn't good.

On the upside, he's done something like this before, and he just has to persist long enough to get through the woods. On the downside, absolutely everything else.

George starts moving as soon as he hears the horns and dogs, heading for the Underbrush at a run. Get some distance between him and whatever's coming. Maybe it'll give him time to take stock of the situation and what few advantages he has before it gets worse.

[amourtician]

Anzu did not wear good shoes for running — though they'd probably just about do for a stroll through the woods — but he did bring a blackthorn walking-stick.

He walks to the edge of the clearing, finds a large enough tree — one he can brace his back against, should he need to — and takes an easy, confident stance under it, leaning on the walking-stick as if just waiting for the tram back in the Talons.

He looks in the direction of the baying hounds, and calls out, "fox-hunting's awfully bourgeoisie, darlings! Rather too much so, to have any chance of scaring me, I'm afraid."

His accent is prominent. Much moreso than usual. He usually softens it in the direction of the klal-shprakh, for his husband's sake.

Max Jagerman | Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Starkid Productions) | 18

[whowillprayforyou]

[ Intended for Darcy & Leon, but could be open to anyone! Let me know if you want to fight Max! ]

Upon entering the arena, Max Jagerman's prey will at first find themselves in a high school locker room, one that's clearly connected to somewhere outdoors. It has that smell to it, and a particular level of dirt, like a bathroom at a public park. And there's a certain quality to the doors that gives them away as being attached to an exterior wall. The lockers are plain white, aside from some ultramarine graffiti spray-painted across the doors of a strip of them, reading "GET FUCKED, CLIVESDALE! GO NIGHTHAWKS!" So, probably the away team's locker room, if one were to make an educated guess.

One of the lockers stands open. A green jersey hangs within, alongside a matching letterman jacket. Both are marked with the logo of the Clivesdale Chemists, but emblazoned with the surname and a unique number for their recipient. A gift, it seems, from the host of this arena. They're optional, but the jacket might be wise. An autumn chill arrests the night air outside the locker room door.

As soon as the player in the role of prey steps out of the locker room, bright stadium lights flood the well-manicured grass like a flashbang, chasing away the black. A hulking beast of a teenage boy stands on the far side of the field, wearing a blue and black jacket to match the design painted onto the grass that doesn't quite seem to be Aster's doing. He tosses a football into the air and catches it a few times, waiting to be approached.

The football field is surrounded by a high, spiky fence that wraps around the bleachers on both sides as well, but the exit is clear--- a gate on the far side of the field, behind the goal post. It has a heavy padlock on it that seems not to have a keyhole. Perhaps there is another way to open it.

"Welcome to my palace!" Max spreads his arms wide. "Let's keep this real sportsmanlike, yeah?"

Julia Montauk + Trevor Herbert | TMA

[tapetumlucidum]

[OTA until such a time I think I can't take on anymore. Available as 1v2, or 2v2 if anyone wants to team up. Hit me up to decide how we want to play it, whether working towards an outcome or rolling/playing by ear. What to expect from these two can be found here.]

You're in a forest. It's not the same forest that you remember walking through or that you've seen outside the resort, but it's a forest all the same. Beneath your feet is the well-worn path of a hiking trail, carved into the earth like it's been walked a hundred thousand times and stretching off into the distance both ahead of and behind you. There are trail markers and blazes visible on trees that may guide you, but which way? Deeper into the forest, or back towards... something else, a road maybe, an escape.

There is a woman standing on the trail with you, a little ways away. She's on the taller side and dressed practically, in cargo pants and a muscle tank and old leather jacket. There is a long, deep scar over her right eye and her eyes are an odd, animalistic yellow with slitted pupils. It's hard to say what's sharper, the claws at the ends of her fingers or the knife strapped to her thigh. She's staring at you with her head cocked just to the side, expression otherwise flat.

She speaks in a neutral, Estuary English accent.

"I'd get running, if I were you."

David Xanatos | Gargoyles (Disney)

[still_got_the_edge]

It doesn't look like an arena at all.

You're on a deserted city street, under a heavily overcast night sky. If you come from late 20th-century Earth (or somewhat later), you stand a decent chance of recognizing it as New York City -- at least if you look to the south and up, where you'll see a pair of identical squared-off towers, full of illuminated windows. It's very empty for a New York city street, though, even outside of a residential or entertainment district; there's no traffic, car or pedestrian, just a distant hum of sound suggesting that there might be some of both further off. Maybe if you could get to someplace more populated ...?

The only moving thing in sight seems to be dried leaves and litter, swept down the sidewalk by a stray breeze -- and a couple of helicopters high overhead, circling above the buildings surrounding you, searchlights stabbing down seemingly at random.

Wait, no. There's another sound, closer by.

Something like heavy canvas, beating the wind.

The Butcher | Malevolent | OTA - no pre-plans needed

[sometimesfortissimo]

The arena is set up like a small subsection of a dense 1930's city, including such features as dark back alleys, dimly lit dummy storefronts, multi-story apartment buildings with metal fire escapes and concrete basements, and even a creepy abandoned train station with only half the lights working. (The one escape method he's installed happens to be at the end of that dark tunnel.) In short, it's all the liminal spaces one's heart could desire. The perfect hunting ground for a predator of the concrete jungle.

"Evenin'," Butcher says, with a tip of his hat from across the arena. For a hunter, he doesn't seem all that intimidating.

Dennis Collins, better known at the Butcher, is a short and stocky man. His thinning grey beard belies the fact that he's at the higher-end of middle aged. He doesn't look to be anything but human, which seems hardly a threat compared to some of the supernatural villains in this contest, but his eyes tell a different story. So light blue they could almost be grey, there's a friendly twinkle in them, a slight wrinkle in his cheeks makes it seem as if he might be about to laugh. It's clear from the way his hands move around a thin garrote made of piano wire, the laughter comes from him imagining what he'll do to his victim once he catches them alone.

"Tell ya what? Just t' be sport'n, I'll give yeh a thirty-second head start. Better run little mouse."

Chase Collins | The Covenant (closed: Crichton, Darcy, Mairi, Imbros)

[bastardofipswich]

It's a cool, brisk night, and there's a house in the middle of the arena. It's old, a once-stately colonial style house that's seen better days, but it doesn't appear to be abandoned. Somebody's lovingly decorated it for Halloween, and it shows in the (slightly rotting) jack-o'-lanterns on the porch, and the fake cobwebs strewn about, with little bats dangling above the door. There's a large bowl set out on a little table, filled with candy, with a little sign sticking out that reads "TRICK OR TREAT."

Stick your hand inside, and you'll find either a boon of your choosing, or a nasty little prank. Spiders, something snapping at your hand with very sharp teeth, a burning sensation, whatever!

But before any prey can reach the porch, they're first met with their predator: a smarmy teenage boy, who appears on top of the gabled roof.

"Boo."

Behind his prey, a line of fire erupts, circling around them and the house. There's no real tactical advantage to this ring of fire or anything; it's clear he's just showing off for the sake of theatricality.

With a laugh, he disappears in a swirl of black mist. Well. Nowhere to go but inside!

The inside of the house, you'll find a cheesy haunted house, complete with a cackling animatronic skeleton that bursts from a grandfather clock, like, as soon as you enter the foyer.

Happy haunting!

[ ooc: I can't commit to fully writing out more matchups, but if you want to do a quicker, streamlined fight with dice rolls, shoot me a message on discord (at weeyotch) and we can work something out! ]

Spamton G. Spamton | Deltarune

[nowsyourchance]

To Be a Big Shot
[ Closed to Jean and Zelda, with one more free space! ]

The arena, when first entered, echoes with each footstep the prey takes. It isn't the echo of a wide, open-aired expanse, but almost the empty, mirrored sounds one might hear in a mostly empty warehouse. In the dark, one can discern wires, switchboards, desks littered with papers and clipboards, and equipment among then. Garments hang on racks, and any requested weaponry or armor has been lovingly placed on a stand all of their own.

Across the door they entered from, another door stands down the dark hall - though it doesn't budge if an attempt is made to open it. A large keyhole speaks to the trouble at hand.

There's only one other way forward, halfway down the hall, where it parts into a space, darker yet darker as it sprawls into a seeming nothingness.

This nothingness only lasts as long as it takes for the prey to step out, of course; it's quickly replaced by a sensory onslaught of blinding light, raucous canned applause, and jaunty music that cuts in and out, as though the record it's playing from skips over and over again.

It's only when those viciously bright stage lights dim that the wooden floor of the stage is revealed, sprawling ahead until stairs descend back into the dark. That spilling black isn't impenetrable any longer, however: seats, with red cushions and black plastic frames, line neat rows, ascending up to a distant room, the lights glinting gently on the wide windows. At the back of the stage, the city just beyond the false windows doesn't look quite so fake, when one takes a closer look. Small red cars, identical in shape, bustle down blue streets littered with bright advertisements.

The time to look at anything in particular is scarce, however; a voice booms over the stage, just as stuttering and distorted as the music.

"HEY, EVERY---!"

It's difficult to discern if the voice was naturally going to cut out, or if the plummet from the rafters, abruptly stopped just before the falling individual hit the ground, was what cut him off. The source, a dangling puppet clad in strange, winged armor, laughs loudly and forcefully. It's quickly overlapped and smothered by the laugh-track that rings out from the audience. He doesn't seem to notice.

"We've got a very important guest today, one from THE BIG MAN himself!" He announces, "the Big Man" cutting in with an entirely separate voice, in the low drone of an infomercial narrator. "Everybody give it up for PLAYER NAME!"

The invisible crowd roars in excitement that borders on frenzied.

Leshy | Inscryption

[scrybeofbeasts]

A Walk in the Woods
[ Open, taking 3 fights! See OOC below for details, this one's a weird one! ]

When the prey for the match enters the arena, a sprawling forested path pours ahead of them, illuminated only by the light of a full moon.

All detours off the path always seem to circle right back to it, though no predators ever appear from the thickets to attack. The only sounds that break the stillness of the woods are soft breezes and the occasional rustles of creatures in the underbrush, but nothing dares approach. For a solid several minutes, the prey of this arena finds themselves truly and deeply alone.

Then, at last, a destination appears in the distance: a cabin, its windows dimly aglow with candlelight, as alone in this forest as the prey is.

Though nothing rushes the prey to the small, aging home, the door opens without protest beyond a groan of age. The inside is simple, albeit empty: small console tables are cluttered with knick-knacks and books, and a table bearing a candelabra sits in the middle of the room. Two chairs sit at the worn piece of furniture; one is empty, and its opposite is taken.

The figure at the table does not speak until his guest has fully stepped into the cabin, but he stands with a slow creaking sound, not unlike the door. He rounds the side of the table, footsteps against wood replaced with the clacking of hooves. The dim candlelight casts shadows upon his bearded face, the sticks that jut out from his hair and his clothes, and the shelf mushrooms that climb his arms as he gestures to the chair. His voice resounds, low and gruff, not in the air between them, but in the mind of his opponent - his mouth, should there be one under all that beard, never moves to speak.

"So, you're it, then? ...Very well. Please, have a seat. I will explain the rules of our game, regardless of which way you see fit to play it."

[ OOC: So, for this prompt, I'm doing something a little bit funky: if you choose to play Inscryption, we could just dice roll for it, but where's the fun in that? Instead, I'll be using Inscryption Multiplayer by 107zxz! It includes all the beast cards for Leshy's portion of the game, and is set up to be played in real time!

To play it this way, it needs to be downloaded on PC (any OS is fine!) to get the ruleset! I'll provide a file over Discord or through PMs to this journal. We'll pick a time, play a round (or best 2 out of 3, if you prefer), and call a winner from there. If your character wins, they get all the usual wins from their PREY betting! If they lose, there's that 50% of the bets placed on them - but, as a fun extra, I'll be creating a death card just for them, tailored to the sort of sigils/vibe I think they'd have. :)

Alternatively, if you don't want to/your character doesn't want to play the game, it'll just be standard combat, with a twist! Leshy will still be sending animals to get his opponent, and just be playing the game, but like, life-sized. This is a totally valid option also, I just wanted to do something fun with the card game! ]

Acrid | Risk of Rain

[acrid_rain]

The arena is big. A camp of catwalks and shipping containers, surrounded by cliffs and crevasses and buried in snow. In the center of it lies a stone dais, knowledge of which has been implanted in the mind of any prey. Ninety seconds in the vicinity of it, and they will be transported safely from this place.

A growl sounds out through the air, echoing off the walls. Something in the air smells of death and sick and rot.

closed - fever vs. allyin.

[abhorrently]

Being granted exactly what she asked for before the match feels too easy, like there's some catch. The padded warmor will dissolve at a critical moment, the staff will break like paper, the shield will snap and so on. But so far, nothing feels awry, and she's watched enough of these matches to allay some suspicion. Gods, how it makes her blood burn, infuriated that she cannot simply take care of things on her own. But it had driven her to put her own name in the match ups, and though she had been soundly rejected when she'd tried to place what she thought was a wonderful bet - "Rules are rules, ma'am," - this had finally come.

It doesn't matter who it is. It doesn't matter that she doesn't recognize the name. Whoever they are, they're her enemy now, and that means one particular ending is possible. She'll accept nothing else.

It's a forest, she notes, stepping out into it. The trees seem almost infinite, repeating in strange ways. Something's not quite natural here. But it'll have to show itself, won't it? Sooner or later. And it also occurs to her that like this, the demons would know what she's capable of. Time to keep a few things in reserve, then.

For now, she just walks, weapons and shield all holstered, looking for who her opponent is. Footsteps light, ears open. Listening for what might be approaching.