mango 🍑 stay your pretty eyes on course
October 26th, 2022 10:51:13pm
2,926 Posts |
Be sure to read the previous chapters for more information on prizes and how the Quest works!
Sign-Ups
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Magnolia was a young girl when she first met the Weeping Woman. It was dark, the sky heavy with impending storms. She’d been forbidden from venturing beyond the castle walls, but… the spirits were walking the moor. And she was curious.
The Weeping Woman stood alone at the edge of a stream, surrounded by fairy lights. They floated in the air around her, dancing, flitting, joyful. But the woman watched them with grief-stricken eyes. Her hair undone. Her shoulders sagging.
Curious, Magnolia asked her what was wrong. The woman blinked, dark eyes staring into the fathomless dark of a different world. Then she turned to the little girl, and told a story.
“There was a time when each castle housed a king. Proud, brave, foolish, stubborn. These kings fought for their freedom, and clung to their clans.
“One such king lived here, in this castle on the loch. His pride lay in his many children, in the promise of a large clan in the generations to come. His name would pass down through all but one of them - his only daughter.
“She was a brave thing, wild in heart and untamed as the mountain cliffs. Though the king tried, he could not bring her to heel. So it pierced him with anger when another man could.
“One night too often she was caught sneaking back from an evening on the moors, grass in her hair and rosy-cheeked. Her heart was filled with a love so fierce and true, it burned with a glow that all could see. Most would be happy for her.
“Her father seethed.
“She knew he wouldn’t approve of the match, and so took great care to keep her lover’s identity a secret. But secrets can’t be kept forever.
“He was a shepherd, living in the hills just to the south. A kind young man with a gentle heart and a loving hand. Strong enough to fight, brave enough to choose his battle.
“The king took him from his home, from his flock, from his lover. He bound the boy in chains and told his daughter to swear that she would never see her sweet shepherd again. But headstrong she was, untamed as the mountain cliffs. His demands raised the fire in her heart and she defied him.
“The king chained her then as well. Bound her arms and dragged her to the loch. And he made her watch as he drowned her poor sweet shepherd, her gentle love.
“As she watched the life fade from the soul she’d twined with hers, a hate such as she had never known before or since roared within. She called forth the power that her mother had given her, and that she would in turn give to her own children.Â
“As the thunder cracked wide the night, and the rain began to shower down, she summoned a beast from the worlds beyond. A shade of a monster burst forth with the lightning in the sky, charging through the storm on powerful legs, rearing with a bloody roar at the water’s edge.
“Claws - hooves - wings - fangs -
“The beast’s form shifted with a thought, until it settled on that of a great heaving horse, eyes burning with scarlet flame, hair twisting about as though the air were water. It stared at the king, and the king stared back. As though caught in a spell, he lifted a hand to touch the monster’s flank.
“The beast - the each uisge - snorted with glee. And the king’s hand was stuck fast.
“Before she could speak a word, the monster had charged into the loch, dragging her father to his grave in the cold, black depths.
“As the rain dried up, and the thunder moved on, the beast did not emerge. But she knew it lurked in those dark waters, ready to hunt when the storm called again.
“It hunts with no mercy, but its soul was tied to hers when she summoned it here. She alone could control it, she alone could calm its rage, sooth its hunger. She alone - and all those who carried her own blood since.”
The Weeping Woman blinked then, and turned to pin Magnolia with a dark, heavy stare. A stare that told her who she will be, who she may be, who she has been, who she should be-
“Will be, may be, has been, should be - dear child of my children, how I am pleased to meet you.”
- - -
Detective MacLeod sits alone with the dowager countess in her living quarters, staring into the fire with an inscrutable expression.
Her story was strange, a tale within a tale, and yet… It was everything he’d wanted to know.
Magnolia, frail and withered with age now, takes a demure sip of tea. Her delicate hands, wrinkled and curled, give the slightest shake as she sets the cup back on its saucer. The fire that normally lit her from within - a fire she’d apparently inherited from her many-greats grandmother - seems to have gone out.
Malcolm takes a breath, leaning back in his feet. His fists clench.
The mystery is coming to a close.
Welcome back to the 2022 edition of my Epic Quest -Â Darkwater!Â
Be sure to read the rulebook!
Here’s how the Epic Quest works: I will host an activity each month that plays into the story being told. You’ll earn small prizes for each activity you complete - like points, HPD, or cash shop items. You’ll also earn XP points, and the player with the most XP points at the end of the year - December 2022 - will win the grand prize:
1. A fully coded tabbed layout from me featuring a graphic themed after this year’s quest and
2. Matching animal CSS and
3. A 1-year upgrade
The runner-up will receive:
1. AÂ custom coding slot for simple layout (scrolls or expandables) and
2. A 6-month upgrade
Participate in the Epic Quest activity every month of the year, and you’ll earn a special prize:
1. An official HP achievement and
2. A store pair with 100k points
If you haven't joined yet but would like to, check out the sign-up thread to create your mage! You must have a mage created before you can participate in the activities.
If you have any questions about the quest, prizes, or how it works, don’t hesitate to message me!
Detective MacLeod has learned something very important from the past, a key to the mystery in the present. All that's left is to sort out the players, their roles, and figure out just what secret the key unlocks.
A PUZZLE OF LOGIC
It's time to put your brains to use and solve a little mystery of your own! You'll be working on a logic puzzle. I will give you all the clues you need to solve the puzzle and discover who has what role in the Darkwater story.
Don't know how to solve a logic puzzle? Check out this WikiHow for detailed instructions and tips!
I have already created the puzzle grid for you. Use this to solve the puzzle.
The general idea is to match three pieces of information together: the character, their role, and the special thing about them.
Characters:
Anya Ruzicka
Elena
Pohta Doux
Eimear Fraser
Thea Deathwhisper
Eidolus Buchanan
Roles:
Diviner
Master
Family
Bodyguard
Espionage Agent
Archmage's Apprentice
Special Things:
Naturomancy
Wolf
"Nana"
Each Uisge
Mirrors
Pine Marten
Here are the clues:
1. Anya Ruzicka is a diviner.
2. Elena is connected with a wolf.
3. Elena is either the bodyguard or espionage agent.
4. Pohta Doux is either the bodyguard or espionage agent.
5. The family member is connected with a pine marten.
6. “Nana” is associated with Thea Deathwhisper.
7. The wolf is connected to the bodyguard.
8. The espionage agent practices naturomancy.
9. Eimear Faser is considered family.
10. The master controls the each uisge.
You can use these clues, as well as any information you can find in the Epic Quest threads, to help solve the puzzle. You may message the characters asking for information (for example, asking Anya Ruzicka what she uses in her divinations). However, don't rely on those messages to solve the puzzle for you. The clues - and some logical deductions - are all you need.
You can fill in the puzzle grid and send me a screenshot/image of it, OR you can send a list of all the characters matched to their roles and special things.
PRIZES:
Puzzle completely solved/correct: 10 XP
Puzzle partially solved/correct: 5 XP
You have until 11:59 pm HP time on Wednesday, November 2nd to message me your puzzle answers!
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