usir | Event #2: The Long Night

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🜙 Event Post #2: The Long Night, December 28th to January 5th Warning: Death and violence

	Nervous, frightened whispers spread across Idan. By word of mouth and courier, warnings that the Long Night has nearly arrived are sent out. Anasta's Shadow, the planet whose orbit lies between this one and its sun, will share a path with this planet for one week before they go their separate ways once more. During that time the far larger planet obscures the light and warmth the sun provides this world. This is nothing new to you. It has happened every year at this time since your birth and although the cold is treacherous and the dark inconvenient, in your time those were likely the only major threats you faced during the Long Night. The great dragon bonfires had always been kept lit by the trio of dragon guardians, their light and warmth keeping away the deadly freeze and the other horrors rumored to come with the darkness. Perhaps you remember the tales from your childhood, stories meant to scare children away from venturing too far on their own in the treacherous heart of winter. The long, cold week of darkness was likely filled with stories of people whisked away in the black cold, either never to be seen again or to be found mangled and frozen with looks of terror and agony forever etched on their lifeless faces. With the dragons ever present in your lifetime, you had never experienced the true horrors of the Long Night for yourself, even if you had witnessed a taste out in the world beyond the safety of the kingdom cities and villages. The true terror of the Long Night had not been experienced in full since the formation of the Elf-Dragon Alliance, many generations before your birth. The massive bonfires kept ever burning by the guardian dragons kept the towns and cities across all three kingdoms protected from the sheer dark and the deadly deep freeze of the week-long total eclipse. Now that the dragons are gone there is simply not enough magic to create the powerful, lasting bonfires that once sheltered the three kingdoms and kept out the dark and the worst of the cold. From the warmth and safety of a hearth, it is easy to dismiss the frightened whispers of Idan's current population as superstition, at least until the sun 'sets' on the night of the 27th, swallowed behind the looming shadow of the larger planet. As night approaches on the 27th, the world goes red. Only slivers of sunlight escape around the far edge of Anasta's Shadow, bathing the world in an eerie crimson until the planet's massive shape in the sky blocks out the sun entirely, plunging Idan into near complete shadow. With the light consumed, the shrieks and howls begin. Starting up like the roar of an angry wind, they grow louder and more twisted the closer they come. Within hours the howls and shrieks are mixed with a sound like metal grinding across glass. Windows are covered in sheets of cracked and spidered ice. Chimneys without lit fires begin to fill with screeching, clawing noises and an unsettling and unfamiliar clicking noise that rises and falls like an unknown language. The sounds outside begin to shift and change, as more human shrieks join the unsettlingly monstrous ones, and the crying sob of a young child, hiccuping in fear, breaks up the brief moments of silence. It's just beyond the door, or just out of sight beside the window, then silence, and the howling and scraping start anew. Now and then an eerie red glow shines through ever more solid ice caking the windows, and they briefly steam up as something living exhales a heated breath against the pane. Citizens within earshot or courier distance warn those who seek answers to stay away and avoid seeking out the source of the sounds. They caution that the answers are not worth the risks and warn that anyone outside cannot be saved. If they're out there, they're already dead. If you insist on going, they'll tell you not to leave the safety of hearth and fire without a torch in hand or your chances of surviving will drop from slim to none. Pay heed to the cautions of those more experienced than you in this new horror or you will not survive the long, harsh night and the ever more unsettling noises it brings.
🜙 Weather

	The cold fluctuates between -18 to -32C (0 to -25F) during the Long Night. At these temperatures, the risk of frostbite and hypothermia are greatly increased and without proper precautions, a person could experience frostbite in 10-30 minutes when exposed to the elements. In addition to this, wind, sleet, and snow periodically drop the temperatures further. The weather may be the least of your worries, however, as the cold is far from the most dangerous threat the Long Night brings with it.
🜙 Creatures

	The creatures that emerge during the Long Night are nearly all horrors rarely or never seen beyond this week of frozen darkness. The only exceptions to this are the Tundra Manticore and the Greater Bearbat which can be rarely found living in the highest points of the mountain caves and peaks where the weather remains icy year-long. Tundra Manticore: They share little in common with their lower mountain counterparts beyond their violent disposition. Their bodies glow from within due to the venom stored in their abdomen. They can secrete this deadly venom from their mouths or their barbed tails. The venom is said to burn like liquid fire and causes severe burns on contact. They live only in the coldest parts of Idan due to the significant heat generated by their venom that would cook them from the inside out in warmer climates. They consume ice and snow to maintain an internal temperature balance and if that balance is thrown off the combustible venom within them causes them to burst into flames. As a result, they are terrified of fire. They are silent stalkers and lone hunters. Greater Bearbat: Greater Bearbats are sound-based hunters that descend from their mountain homes, attracted by the shrieks of the shade imps. They are indiscriminate hunters, content to eat wayward travelers or other monsters without concern for what prey they catch in their long claws. They run on four limbs while hunting and will rarely take to the skies unless in pursuit of flying prey. Sound and heat deter them and light will blind them. Shade Imps: Seekers and servants of the Darkener, these monstrous shade imps can take a multitude of forms (Crawlers, Scouts, & Hounds) and shift between them at will. They are completely blind and travel as silent as the shadows they melt in and out of. They hunt through scent, sound, and taste, searching for traces of blood and fear on the air. When they aren't hunting, they communicate with other imps via ear-piercing shrieks or gut-churning howls, going silent only when they locate their prey. Their silence is more dangerous than the sounds they make. They recoil from fire but grow increasingly more determined the longer they are kept at bay, eventually overcoming their fear and attacking the source of the fire to attempt to extinguish it at the cost of their own lives. When fire touches them they go up in a puff of black smoke and a scream. Darkling: No one knows what darklings look like. They are the lost spirits of elementals consumed and controlled by the Darkener. They have no physical form and can control and manipulate shadows and sound. They mimic sounds to trick people into opening their homes or venturing out of safety and can perfectly replicate any sound they have heard, even capturing the voices of people speaking on the other side of walls. Their goal is to lure or force people out into the darkness where the Darkener can find them. They can be disrupted with light. Bayobat: Swarms of flying bat-like insects summoned by the Darkener. They have sharp, metal proboscises they use to pierce victims before consuming their blood. They are blind and seek out warm-blooded bodies to launch themselves at. Their screeches are metallic and mixed with insectoid clicking. Their bodies are sharp and metallic but their mouths are vulnerable. Their tails are lined with tiny, sharp spikes similar to barbed wire. They fear fire. The Darkener: An ancient being that is thought to come from the Outer Realm. The Darkener consumes flames with a touch, transforming them into shadow flames that burn black, giving off no heat or warmth. It possesses long-forgotten magic. Few have seen more than a glimpse. It causes temporary blindness in all who witness it, their eyes turning black with trapped shadows. Its image lingers in the mind, causing hallucinations. Those who witness it are often driven mad, growing increasingly certain the Darkener is watching them from the corner of their vision. It can be struck but doing so only causes darkness to erupt from the wound, consuming the Darkener and everything around it. There is only one Darkener.

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Alucard's turn to feed the fire. He has strictly more in his arms than would ever, ever be required, but it makes it easier for whoever comes next. The wood shall be in a nice pile for them, and they'll be spared the additional effort. So what if it limits his line of sight somewhat, and he misses that there's been a chair moved in the usual pathway from the woodpile near the door to the fire itself?

All he can see as he moves past whoever he just bumped into is a pair of feet at the moment.

"No matter," is all he says, shifting around and adjusting his path accordingly. The focus is the flame, not whoever's decided to make life more complicated.

Alucard crouches down, taking one of the iron pokers that dangles on a little stand besides the flame, and begins to move the dying embers around to make way for new logs. He's careful as he does so (long hair and fire do not make for good friends).

"That is the path everyone has been taking to replenish the fire though. Moving over just a hair would make it easier for whoever does this job next."

Oh. Great. It's him. Strange looks up and can't help but frown a little as soon as he spots Alucard. He really doesn't want to have to deal with this idiot at the moment. Still, they're here, this conversation is happening, he might have to deal with this idiot at the moment. Strange sighs, a little dramatically, and doesn't move over.

"Do they not have legs? They can walk around me," he simply responds, as he turns to look at the fire again. "Besides, I suppose I'll have to go to sleep at some point."

Or will he? Strange knows barely anything with regards to this necromancy. Perhaps he won't ever have to sleep again, he melodramatically thinks.

Ah yes. This one.

Funny how universal some thoughts can be. Alucard sighs as he registers who it is he's speaking to, and he debates what fight is actually worth picking at the moment. It's meditation long enough as he feeds the first log into the fire. Pauses to let the inital crackle and hiss of the wood take place, and then adds the next.

"Someone else will register the same issue," is the response, very weary and making it clear that this? This wasn't a fight he was going to go for. "Or move your chair regardless. Brace yourself either way."

The owner, hopefully.

Strange doesn't move. Although this time, it's more out of pure spite and pettiness over anything else. He looks over at Alucard, with a little frown, before turning his attention back to the fire.

"Then I shall deal with them when the moment comes." Though hmm. Alucard is here. He doesn't like the man, but he's at least competent enough to answer Strange's questions. "Though since you're hanging around, you might as well be of some use to me. All this darkness has thrown off my internal clock. How many days has the Long Night actually been so far?"

"We are a week in, and it will end tomorrow."

The response is said plainly, with no flourish, and Alucard adds the very last log to the fire. A few moments of poking the logs, and the fire roars to life again. The shadows cast at the back of the room are much longer, and the paleness of Alucard's skin is highlighted for all that effort.

It is also about the time that his ridiculous animus decides to walk herself over, all 70 odd pounds of white wolf fluff and mild curiosity about what's keeping her dhampir from sitting his ass back down and letting her shed all over him for the Nth time of the week.

Oh. That's good. Strange can't help but perk up a little when Alucard mentions the Long Night would end tomorrow. On the one hand, he's missed more days than he thought. But on the other hand...the sooner everything can go back to something passing normal, the better.

And then a bigass wolf walks over. Strange can't help but give the thing a confused little frown. The hare in his lap also looks up at the wolf with a 'what the heck' sort of expression, but remains where she's seated.

"Is that yours?" Strange asks, with a slightly disbelieving tone in his voice.

"If she is not, then I have quite a bit of cause for concern."

It is very good indeed that the matter is almost over. A week and a day indoors is no way to live, even if Alucard remembers how his own family spent these Long Nights. They lived outside of the city itself, and his father's propensity for remoteness did lend itself for more of the horrors of the Long Night than many. Endless firewood, endless magic, and the quiet overstated confidence that this would be survived.

They read a lot, in truth. Alucard was a good son in that regard, he always brought home an alarming amount of books as winter set in. It made the Long Night go that much faster.

Ellis, for her part, doesn't seem enthused by either Strange's question or her human's response. Both are afforded whatever the wolf version of a stink eye is. Alucard catches that, and there's a weary sigh.

"Don't be rude."

Strange doesn't know much about animals, but he knows enough to realize that the wolf's giving him a death glare. He still raises his eyes a little, looking over at the wolf with a skeptical frown, before focusing back on Alucard.

"Did you tame her or did she arrive in...other ways?" A nice way of saying 'is she a creepy soul animal.'

Bell, the hare, pops up from her blanket a little, long ears falling out of the blanket burrito to reveal to Ellis and Alucard that yep, there's a rabbit in Strange's lap. She doesn't seem scared of the wolf, but is looking at it with a quizzical expression. For his part, Strange gives Bell some ear scratches.

At being told not to be rude, the death glare on Alucard somehow, somehow deepens. The only response the dhampir has is to sigh at her, because this is his dumb wolf. She's an asshole. That's the long and short of it, and he's come to accept that fact over the past month. The only time she isn't one is when the situation is too serious for dickery.

"The latter," he clarifies, eyes falling on Bell at that. The blanket burrito is terribly endearing, and Ellis just shrugs at that. Weird soul animals are just normal, and this one isn't bothering anyone. (So far, the only one she's gotten along with is Victor's, and that's because Makka's a wolf too.)

Alucard only gives Bell an acknowledgement, quiet and respectful in all the ways Ellis is not and never will be so far as he can tell.

"Is the cold so bitter for her?"

The blanket, he means. There's something closer to concern in the question.

Strange shakes his head. When he speaks, he's not even bothering to hide the worry and concern in his voice. "It is bitter, but she has been...unwell, lately. This is equal parts to keep her warm and to keep her from wandering off somewhere in a slight delirium."

After they revived, Strange noticed an odd thing: Bell was sick. He wasn't entirely sure how or why, but she was burning to the touch and acting slightly delirious. He also wasn't entirely sure how to cure a feverish soul rabbit, so blanket burrito and lost of liquids it was.

The hare, for the most part, looks to be on the mend, though occasionally she does give a few little rabbit sneezes and looks a little dazed.

Alucard exchanges the fireplace poker for the set of iron tongs that hang on the little instrument stand. It is nothing at all to drag one of the brightly blazing logs closer towards not Strange, but the rabbit on Strange's lap, and ensure that the angle of it will provide better warmth no matter where they sit, so long as they are in this particular section of the room. The fire crackles and hisses for the effort, but it does no more.

Strange is an unethical idiot. The rabbit, so far as Alucard can tell, doesn't deserve that same judgement.

"There may be thicker bedding with the inn keeper to take advantage of then," he offers, careful as he returns the tongs to where they ought to be.

Also, the sneezes? They're cute. And there's a bit of a thin smile at the noise.

Oh. Well, this is surprising. Strange stays where he is but looks over at Alucard with an expression of interest and slight confusion. Bell, on the other hand, does not seem to care and visibly relaxes once the heat is a bit closer towards her.

The fact that Alucard is smiling is...odd. Strange continues to give head scratches as Bell gives another adorable tiny sneeze.

"Thank you," he says, with a little nod. "I'll definitely make certain to borrow some of that bedding when we both decide to sleep." He's not an idiot, he's not going to sleep directly next to the fire. And, because he's a bit curious, Strange asks, "How has your wolf been faring?"

Alucard is a jackass, not a monster. He can be the bigger man in the aid of a very cute rabbit. And think said rabbit is cute and be allowed to smile at soft bunny noises, even if the person the rabbit is attached to shares none of her charms.

"She is...spirited," Alucard ventures slowly. It feels like the best adjective for her most days, but that's hardly what Strange is asking either. If that rabbit can get sick, then that's a genuine cause for alarm.

"What were the circumstances that came before this change in condition?"

Oh this is a question that Strange does not want to answer. But, he must, if only because more people need to know the extent to how undying they all truly are. Strange pauses for a moment, obviously uncomfortable before he admits, under his breath but loud enough for Alucard to hear,

"She died. Both of us did. And we revived a day or so ago."

Alucard's able to keep his voice low. But even then, there's a horrible mess of rage and shock that seem to be competing for top place, along with the twin undercurrents of are you kidding me? and did you seriously get your dumb ass killed a second time?!

"Again?"

Just one word. He knows how it sounds. Alucard does not care a goddamn inch. Every muscle in his body is tight. Plus there's more to come.

Ellis doesn't tense the way Alucard does. But her ears flick forward, indicating that she is listening.

"Again," Strange repeats, though he's not really bothering to hide the slight annoyance in his voice. Yeah, he died again, he knows it's embarrassing and a little ridiculous okay, give him a break?

"It was...odd. Different things happened than when I revived on the battlefield." There's a slightly confused pause before Strange admits, "I think I was a ghost?"

Which he's honestly not sure how to think about!

"Again."

This time the weariness wins out in Alucard's tone, and he does not hide that either. He hates this information, far more than he dislikes the source's messenger, and while the messenger is hardly the worst of it, the fact that this information needs to be gained makes the whole thing feel very tiresome indeed.

Ellis doesn't move. Her eyes are on Strange, as are Alucard's, but her expression is much more muted. Alucard is essentially going through all the emotions at once, doing his very best to moderate tone.

"What makes you believe you were?"

"When I died, it wasn't just blackness as it was before." At least, as he thinks it was before. "There was a shadowy realm of some sorts. Everything looked dark and colorless. I couldn't roam far from where I died and couldn't see anyone."

As Strange talks, his voice slips from his normal excited tone to something that's also muted. Though his is less of a deliberate muted and more of muted due to the fact that he honestly has no idea how to process this. Why was this death different from the first?

No matter what, that feeling of loneliness was terrifying. He doesn't want to experience it again.

"There was someone there. I thought..." He breaks off for a moment before continuing. "I am not a religious man. I never was and, in all likelihood, never shall be. But that figure looked like Death itself."

"That's..."

A lot. The first two words that spring to mind are simply a lot. Brilliant, Alucard. Stunning intelligence. So he lets his mind mull it all over for a few quiet moments, poking and prodding in all the ways that he would process other information.

But he can't treat this like an object or an artifact, this is life and death. Something that impacts everyone, and if there's one clear thing here, it is that so much is wrong with what Strange has said. Not for any reason than to die twice and come back is just wrong and...this is still necromancy, isn't it? Perhaps this is part of it.

"You were in between," he settles on finally. Which is as good as an understanding as being a ghost. Probably the same thing, just a slightly different interpretation.

Ellis is curling around Alucard far more than she'd ever do under normal circumstances. Her entire body is pressed against his back, feet and butt poking out at either of his sides. Comical under normal circumstances too.

"Whatever's responsible for the initial return must have extended their reach deep into that domain. Were you noticed by the figure?"

It is such an intimate detail to ask, especially when you dislike the person in question. But oh, ignorance? That's much worse.

Though he doesn't realize it, Strange is of the same mind. He doesn't want to talk to Alucard about this: the whole dying process is far too intimate to discuss with someone he doesn't like. But he feels that he must talk about it with somebody. What would the alternative be, keep it to himself? Ridiculous. How would he learn about what happened that way?

"Of a sort. It was following me at the start, lurking almost outside of my vision. It was hooded, on a horse with glowing blue eyes. It was only when I turned to confront the thing and we saw each other, eye to eye. Then the darkness spilled forth and I found myself reviving, like I did the first time."

It...was certainly something. Strange is staring off into space, distracted by what he knows he saw during his state of being in between. It's only when Bell nudges him with her nose, pressing a warm hare nose to his hand that Strange blinks back into reality and resumes some idle scratches.

"You were something out of the ordinary," Alucard murmurs, thoughtful and considering. That's the easiest way to understand being followed by a figure on a horse, eyes glowing. "There was no emotion you could read from either, was there?"

It is a tiny detail. Perhaps it will reveal nothing. Alucard can only imagine that Death is a thing with no emotions, not in the way the living world understands them. Death has seen all, heard all, interacted with all. Why would Death be so moved to an emotion beyond potential curiosity at something well...strange.

Reality does not call to Alucard yet. He is awash in careful and measured consideration.

Normally, Strange would take pleasure at being called something out of the ordinary. However, actual death experiences weren't and never would be 'normal.' He shakes his head at Alucard's question. "I couldn't read either of their expressions—hell, I couldn't even see the hooded figure's face."

Just those two, glowing blue eyes, staring at him from afar.

There is only a nod of acknowledgement. This makes sense, this fits a notion already thought of with regards to Death and all of Death's attendant things. Not that such alignment brings comfort, nor should it. This resurrection, everything associated, this is a terrible reinforcement of how very, very wrong the situation is.

What else does one say after such revelations either? With his late associates, Alucard could venture something, at least. Or they would break the silence for him, and all dark humor would break the terrible tension. All Alucard has is his thoughts.

His thoughts and the soft whine of Ellis who very, very much is not a fan of any of this information. But the noise breaks the tension, and Alucard can at least return to the original subject.

"And so all of that feeds into her poorer health." Bell's, he means.

Strange nods, then continues to explain. "When we awoke, she was feverish. I brought her back inside and have been trying to ward off the fever ever since but I'll readily admit that I have no experience taking care of animals."

How do you reduce a fever in a hare? What about a hare that's connected to your soul in some way? Strange has absolutely no idea, so blankets and water it is. It's obvious that he cares a lot for the poor animal, even beyond the normal capacity of an animas being part of someone's soul.

"That vial was hot to the touch as well," Strange continues. "I used to wear it as a necklace, but it's been sitting in my pocket, wrapped up in a handkerchief ever since."

"I don't imagine that the two being what I shall guess is roughly the same temperature is coincidence."

It can't be, not if the glass and the rabbit (or wolf or raven or whatever else these souls have manifested as) are connected. Given time and equipment, Alucard would suggest actually taking both temperatures and comparing them. Confirm the link. As it is, he can only sit and speculate, the heat in the fireplace now a bit too intense. He backs up carefully. Ellis moves with him.

"If they cool at roughly the same time..." then that's the connection confirmed, isn't it? But to say if is cruel.

Event #2: The Long Night

Brooding, welcome back from the dead buddy

thnx my dude, dying sucks

and yet you've gone and done it a second time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduA0TULnow

the lead track for a game-specific Strange playlist

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