Event Frightworld [Open To All]

[Srina Talon]

Onderon has been known for many things:

"Onderon? Nothing on that rock but monsters and beast riders."
―Tallo​

Now?

The most terrifying creature of all. Capitalism.

The story begins with the truly devoted and possibly underpaid employees of Frightworld LLC. A few of them might have gotten a little edgy about the lack of theoretical pay they were promised and may have decided to try and tamper with a few security pylons. The plan to prove that they were an invaluable resource backfired in an explosion that temporarily disturbed some of the "sufficient security measures" that keep the amusement park free of any true terror. Frightworld wants to be Frightworld, after all, not Deadworld.

Deceased consumers don't pay.

The disgruntled completely content employees of the Frightworld family that survived were promptly executed fired for such petty vandalism. The remaining personnel were reassured with the knowledge that they needn't run or panic in the wake of widespread terminations. They were in the hands of a company that trusted them, protected them, and would never utilize immoral practices in retention for a tax write-off. Unless they really, really wanted to.

New Frightworld policies were put into place to legally safeguard the brand from any sort of future liability, however, the damage itself was overlooked in favor of a new executive caf machine. The less than adequate completely competent Frightworld Sorcerers didn't care notice when it seemed that the Frightworld Nexus began to "wake up" from the tampering. The shining lights and strange happenings were viewed as a feature, not a bug. Left unchecked these "features" began to take on a purpose of their own and started randomly opening temporary rifts to different places in the galaxy.

The rifts were like nothing anyone had ever seen, presumably, powered by the fresh and untimely deaths that are in no way the responsibility of Frightworld LLC.

The official statement from the Frightworld CEO included the following sound bites:

"Oooooh. Shiny."

"More customers, more profit!"

And this treasured, forward-thinking audible.

"If you're here, you're paying for admittance."

The swirling green and black rifts that appeared seem not to have any rhyme or reason. There have been reports of them on Naboo, Coruscant, and even Hoth. Who even lives on Hoth? Anyone curious about the creepy echoing laughter and a tingling sense of dread excitement could easily wander through and find themselves at the toll booth where Frightworld will happily accept their credits in exchange for hair-raising terror fun.

The downside of these specialized nether rifts is that they may attract the attention of the Silver Jedi or even the New Jedi Order but this is a sacrifice (and a write-off) that Frightworld LLC is willing to make. Especially, in the wake of an influx of clientele. Prices have been adjusted accordingly (to at least double) to maximize profits during this peak season. Bring your credits by the fistful and prepare to take out a second mortgage on your mud hut to afford an extremely marked-up Cozmic Surge or two.

Frightworld LLC brings you horrifying exhilarating adventure, at a prorated cost, with zero judgment toward background or alignment. All are welcome as Frightworld respects all forms of life, even Ewoks, as long as their credit checks out.

So—What adventures wait for you? What twist of fate can you find amongst one of the many attractions? Will you be brave enough to step through the rift and experience the spooks and scares before the rifts close? Will you try and do the right, however costly thing, and shut down the Nexus? Be bold, be brave, and do remember to look up.

Spawning randomly overhead are Frightworlds newest treats fondly called LOOT PORTALS in which two complimentary items can and likely will drop on your head. Ow. Don't miss your chance to get your hands on one or both of them while not getting seriously injured. It's the only thing free in the park. Literally, the only thing. Fresh air was worked into your ticket price.

Go forth gloriously and remember that there are no discounts for your continued loyalty.

Frightworld thanks you for your patronage!

Loot Portal Rewards: Possess-o-matic and the Gruesome Pumpkin Sword

Ingrid L'lerim and Kal tied for first place in the voting, so, you can be treated with one or both. It's your choice how you find them in the thread. Anyone who participated in the Factory/Codex contest OR anyone who writes in this thread is welcome to claim a copy of these submissions.

Kal Scored the win for Frightworld as the Haunted Destination. ​

Spoiler: Frightworld Locations/Objective Art

 

[Lunara Azure]

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Wearing: This​

Tagging: Open​

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She hadn't expected this.

Swirling energy portals of doom normally lead to mysterious netherworlds, or to villains preparing to unleash powerful and dangerous hordes on the galaxy. They didn't, generally, lead to an amusement park, a turnstile and a man with what could only be described as an idiotic grin on his face as he asked for a ticket. For a moment Lunara considered unleashing the torrent of force power she'd gathered at him, obliterating him and that metallic monstrosity he was waiting by from the face of the galaxy. Some might call it a service to the galaxy, to the force to wipe him from the face of the galaxy but…there was something about him, that look of an employee who hated his job but did it anyway that stayed her hand, releasing her grasp on the force as she slowly lowered her hand.

"Ticket please Ma'am?"

Crystal blue eyes blinked, taking in the park behind him, that sense of anticipation of fear that rolled out through the force like a sweet nectar.

"I…sure…why not."

Why not?

She worked hard, she deserved a chance to relax, and if no monster or villain was going to jump out at her then she was going to take advantage of a chance to unwind. After all, that portal had appeared right in front of her, so it was obviously the force's will and no-one could blame her for indulging just a little. Besides, they even had an opera house and she hadn't had a chance to go to the opera for years. If her only option was a haunted opera, well hopefully those ghosts could sing.

 

[Desric Terassi]

Wearing: Monogrammed Bathrobe and Slippers / Accompanied by Eyebot (w/ Cadence)
[Open to Interactions]​

Yawning lazily, Desric took the cup of tea offered by the servant droid, slipped on a pair of slippers, and stepped through a door as it slid open for him without looking ahead - he caught the briefest hint of swirling energy and a <Stop!> from Cadence and then reality seemed to twist and turn and... suddenly he was in a neatly cultivated forest.

"... what the what?" Only the habitual poise of aristocracy kept him from spilling his tea, but it was clear from the widening of his eyes and the way his gaze flickered back and forth that he was close to panicking.

"Did I just get kidnapped by a wizard, Cadence?"

He was relieved to see that one of her Eyebots had been able to slip in with him.

<I believe the correct term is Sorcerer, Mr. Terassi,> The AI sounded as cheery as usual, if a bit distracted. <That said, it was likely a quasi-natural phenomenon. Uncontrolled, certainly. We seem to be on Onderon, going by telemetry. Neat!>

Desric did not, in fact, consider it neat.

Was that a lit path over there?

 

[Hex]

Location: Ondaron
Objective: Halloween party time!
Tags: OPEN

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• Big Bigby
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

After hearing about this super spooky theme park where she could enjoy the rides and also maybe win a sword that makes lattes, Hex was in. It would be nice to get away from all the Corpos on Denon too and explore another world, likely with its own corpos, but that planet's own freedom fighters could deal with them.

The teen was in her Halloween outfit already when she climbed out of her ship and bounded over to an access portal to be whisked to the Frightworld. She wanted to ride the rollercoaster first, no, the dead drop, no, no, she was going to do the log flume, then that one that looked like a bed that spun around in the air and sprayed you with water! She was very excited at the prospect of some more Halloween fun. She waved her ticket and stepped through the gateway on to the other side.

She was immediately hit by a wave of tension in the air and the feeling that something wasn't altogether not right here. She looked up at the deep coloured sky and the ruins of the old park around her and realised she had misjudged her destination."What happened to the fething rollercoasters!"

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

Tag: Gerwald Lechner

Time was of no consequence.

The sound of pieces of broken glass whirling in the pseudo-atmosphere had long ago become white noise to her. She watched her people go forth and devour the life and memories of others without consequence. The hulking beasts were always envious of the plethora of life in realspace but they made due with the lost souls that fell into the void. Naedira was no longer the loyal contentious Knight Obsidian that had given so much of herself to the cause. Her presence was damned and of one who had been cursed—She brought nothing but brimstone and sulphur.

Every effort to resurrect her after her untimely death had failed.

Every effort to remove her connection to the Knight Obsidian ring she had been bound irrevocably to by The Mountain had failed. It wasn't for a lack of effort. Some part of her mind had simply accepted that this was her new reality. She could scarcely remember those she had once called family and fought so dutifully beside. She had served her purpose to the Confederacy. She had protected her brothers on the Fortressa to the very last, her very last breath, and that left her complete.

She was done. Finished.

At least—That was the thought.

The Mountain and everyone that seemed so hellbent on bringing her back to the realspace didn't seem to think that she deserved to rest. Her soul was fragmented. Broken. The pieces that were left of her were pulled in every direction and the pain of it burned constantly. It scorched her through and through. That let the darkness in. Let the Devourer in—And now she walked among them. Forever entwined.

It was with inquisitive onyx orbs that she watched while a blue-green rift tear itself into existence without the realm of screaming glass and torment. She rose from a seated position on dais of stone and the disgruntled grumbling of the Noćna Mora caused her to reach out and soothe their irritation. They were too large to fit through the opening. But, Naedira could slip through.

Perhaps—Find a way for them to join her.

Naedira chucked softly at the hubris of those who left rifts open to who-knew-where without consequence. It wasn't the first time she had explored such an occurrence. It wouldn't be the last time the razor-sharp claws and teeth of the Devourers burst into the light and slowly drank down all it had to offer. Her gait was deliberate as she crossed the threshold and armor made of the bodies of her beasts to call solidified on her form. It was made of bone and leathered skin—Fitted to her as it was indeed made for her. She had become, them.

The sight of a green forest was almost overwhelming.

She blinked and raised her arm to shield her face from the lights in the distance. Playful screams of younglings filled the air at random and she found herself bemused by the notion that they willingly entered this place to experience terror. What a strange, strange galaxy.

The dark-haired female moved among the shadows. Watching.

For now. ​

 

[Xeno]

Frightworld
Tags: Hex , open...

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"Of course. Why wouldn't this happen to me."

Xeno just couldn't catch a break. One minute he was on Hoth attempting to learn how to regulate his temperature through the force. The next, he had been whisked away by a weird portal, one that radiated with dark energy. And to that end, there was not a more comforting sight than a completely run down amusement park. Xeno slipped his mask back on, not wanting his face to be seen by any who may have been sent to this place. It still didn't belong to him, after all.

"What happened to the fething rollercoasters!"

There was a loud teen with blue hair off in the distance, lamenting the destruction of the park's rollercoaster. Xeno detested loud people. To that end, he turned to walk the other way and begin his own investigation of... whatever this place was.

"Alright," he muttered to himself. "What the hell did I get dragged into?"

Knowing his luck, it wasn't good. It was never good.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Naedira Darcrath

There was not a single forest which could not tempt Gerwald Lechner. The wolf inside him had to explore every new lush wood it came across no matter whether Gerwald be man or beast. For so long he had lived as though they were two separate beings. There was Gerwald the man, and Gerwald the monster. It had been among the Confederacy he learned the truth, he was both of them at once. The wolf did not have a will separate from his own. Gerwald had learned one simple truth.

He was the wolf.

It did not matter if the forest called to him or the beast, Gerwald wanted to walk through it. He wanted to smell the distinct aroma which made the scent of the forest different than others. He was a creature of the woods whether he walked on two legs or four, and it would always be the environment he was the most comfortable in. A deep breath through his nostrils revealed something about the forest, something which the animal in him already knew.

This place was haunted.

Gerwald could feel the ilk of the wood crawling over his skin. It was like a thick sludge which threatened to slow him, and yet at the same time it drew him in. His only real tether to the rest of the world around him was a familiar presence, one that was nearby somewhere. Lunara Azure was wandering somewhere close, and perhaps Gerwald should have turned and found where she was hiding. He did not, for there was another sensation which was familiar. It was a feeling the Force Master feared most, and yet one he was more intimate with than any other.

Darkness.

Cold.

Damp.

Fire.

Heat.

Dry. ​

All of those things existed simultaneously, and only ever in one place. It was the one thing which haunted him every time his eyes closed, the place between asleep and awake. This was the place the beast sought to devour him, consume his sanity. Ever since Naalol, Gerwald had seen the beast, he knew of it, what it was. It had chased him ever since. Now it was in the wood.

“RUN!”​

He could hear the familiar voice inside his mind command him. It was the same voice which had told him to run on Naalol. Gerwald had not listened to her then, and even though he should have heeded the warning he conjured in his own mind now, he moved deeper into the forest. Something, someone, called to him. Lunara was not the only familiar presence he could feel. With each advancing step Gerwald was certain he knew the person which hid within the familiar darkness.

She was here.

It was her, but it was not. Clutching the ring in his hand Gerwald forced himself to remember everything she had said.

“You do not belong here.”

“Why do you keep coming here?”

“You have to let me go.”

“Forgive me.”​

How long had Gerwald wished to see Naedira in the land of the living once more? He had longed to have her back, to hold her once more as they danced in some secluded balcony. Every meeting she was more and more like them. Now it felt as though he could no longer tell where they ended and her presence began. They were one in a way which Gerwald would never truly understand. It was a new sensation, one which Gerwald understood to be the other thing he had feared.

Failure.

Gerwald wandered the woods. To the casual observer it would appear to be aimless, as random as one admiring the scenery, or following along some cobbled path to the next fright. In truth, he was moving with purpose. He was moving toward her, in his own way. She would reveal herself to him if she wished before he could find, and if she did not the wolf would come upon her soon enough.

“I feel you.”
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[Naedira Darcrath]

Tag: Gerwald Lechner​

The many-voiced laugh of the Devourer moved through her and reverberated deep in her chest.

As if it had been hollowed.

"And I smell, you. What of it?"

He reeked of humanity.

The coarse words held the sweet undertone that belonged to Naedira Darcrath and the dry overtone of the thing she had become. In darkness, she thrived. Memory after memory sacrificed to her monstrous jailers so that they might leave some part of her intact. They stripped her mental faculties bare with little more than a flick of a bright red brand. They killed her. Over–And over. For sport. For food—For sheer boredom with their own fate. A macabre reenactment of her first death so that she might never forget it. So that she might never forget the life before.

So that she may never return to it again.

They preferred her as their young mistress, their maiden, to walk and move in the light where they would eventually be expelled. They were Sithspawn that had been cast out by their creator. Not because they had been a failure—But because they were too difficult to control. Too unpredictable. The solution to the quandary was surprisingly simple. To tame the Devourer? One must become a Devourer.

Naedira had warned him many times before. She hard warned this mortal man that she was no longer his responsibility. That his efforts to save her were futile. She had given him every opportunity to see the truth and flee from the inevitability of her awakening, however, he always chose the difficult path. The one that led him to chaos. To ruin. "…You can leave."

"I won't stop you."

Her hand wrapped around a thick tree trunk and the shapely creatures watched in general curiosity while a misting sprit rose from the bark. Everything seemed to be connected. The ground—The sky. As if controlled by one pulsating element. It was a curious effect that most with sense would run away from but onyx eyes could see swaths of people swarming the gates in the distance. Everyone was there clambering for a scare or a scream. In the end?

Naedira wondered which was real. The scare—Or the scream.

"But if you choose to stay…We may kill you."

The words left crimson lips without threat. It was not something she wanted to do. It was what the Noćna urged her to do. They hungered. To complete the cycle—To end her connection with this world so that she may fully pass into the next. The ring that he wore so boldly with her spirit attached to it would have been a silent burden for him. He could have chosen to throw it into the deepest ocean. Into some secret vacuum of space—But he held on.

Foolish, wolf.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Naedira Darcrath

Of course it could smell him. Even as her voice fell upon his ears the unmistakable darkness of the wretched beast which had taken her reverberated through the forest. This was her, but it was not. Even as he still clutched the ring, Gerwald was reminded that he carried a part of who she had once been with him. Even if her memories were gone, the part of her soul the Mountain had bound to her still clung to the band which Gerwald wore on a chain around his neck. It had been for her sake he had not given up hope, and it had been for her sake he refused to now.

She came into view, almost dancing about the tree which seemed to be more of a threshold between her world and his. It was odd to think that she was from another place, and yet Gerwald had grown accustomed to the thought. He was torn between who Naedira had been and who she had become. Seeing her in the land of the living would never be enough to release him from his oath. He had to find a way to make her remember.

If only there was a way to release her from the beasts which had her and reunite her with whatever piece of her soul had remained untouched.

"…You can leave… I won't stop you."

“Curious.”

Gerwald looked at Naedira for a moment before letting his eyes take in her form. Parts of her were the same. Her face remained unchained save for the onyx orbs which had once been a golden amber. The armor was new, obviously whatever twisted things the beast which claimed her had been made of. She was as ethereal as she was physical in this place it seemed.

What would happen if he closed the portals? Would their hold weaken?

A smirk pulled at his lips at her warning, or threat. A chuckle escaped his lips which boasted of being unfazed by her words. They would kill him, as if he had not experienced death before. Yes, perhaps death at their hands would be a more permanent one, but Gerwald had long lost the fear of death. The prospect of it was something he gladly welcomed.

“I have died many times before.”

She would not know of the Mountain, nor would he open his mind to show her. The bond he once shared with Naedira would make it possible for this beast to find if she wanted to, but something of what Naedira had become needed to be guarded against.

“You would spare me and yet feed on others?”

The question had its layers. Were she fully controlled by the beasts she would know their desire to see him destroyed. Gerwald not only held the tether Prazutis had bound the woman to, but he represented her final connection, the memory that refused to go away. Perhaps he would not have been in danger of the Nocna Mora if he would have listened to Naedira and vanished. Gerwald could have abandoned the ring, buried it somewhere. He had not.

Her question gave him hope. Perhaps she remembered more than she would admit. Perhaps her union with the beasts allowed her to regain what they had stolen. Gerwald had never given up hope. It had been foolish of him, yes, but in this instance he was more than happy to play that part if it allowed him to finally keep his promise.

“Why should I not do what you have already done, sacrifice myself so the rest may live?”

Gerwald certainly was a fool, always challenging when it was better to back down.
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[Naedira Darcrath]

Tag: Gerwald Lechner​

"Yes."

The multi-toned voices crashed together in a singular syllable that held the softness of thunder. Naedira didn't offer an explanation and instead turned away from the wolf. He was not the reason she had crossed over. Eyes of liquid darkness bled in a thin latticework around the edges before the ichor seemed to recede. She could see in the glom as well as any Devourer. There were no lights in the world she inhabited. Nothing, but the fire from the Mora.

Her head tilted when she found a scent that intrigued her. Who it belonged to? She didn't know. But the creatures she had become part of seemed to find it enticing. The closer she got to the edge of the forest the brighter the lights became. It hurt her eyes. She scowled and looked the other way—Waiting for her body to adjust. It would. In time. "Death comes in many forms. Clearly, you still breathe air."

"I must assume it didn't take."

Pointing out the obvious, though, with a sense of detachment. It was almost as if she knew or recognized the one that bore her ring, while at the same time, being entirely oblivious of whom they had once been. She knew that he was a prominent figure from her past, a previous life, that haunted her every waking hour. She knew that Naedira had once counseled him, often, on friendly terms. She could see it in glimpses of shredded memories that were full of holes…But she couldn't feel it anymore.

Naedira didn't feel anything anymore.

Just the flame, hunger, and isolation of her Devourer and its kin.

The wolf followed her every move. It had long since been that way. He wanted something from her that hadn't existed in almost a decade. She couldn't give him what he sought. Even, if she'd wanted to. The near-human female had almost swallowed her completely. It wouldn't be much longer, now. Naedira had already lasted longer than the Mountain could have ever expected. Improved.

Become less human.

"Because they do not want, you.", she returned without missing a beat. His idea of sacrifice was too decent for the practitioner of the dark that he claimed to have become. She could sense that. But, ever did he hold the nobility of one who preferred to save. He would not cherish the taste of blood. He would not relish in the capture and death of innocents. "They never wanted you."

At best—The Noćna wanted him gone.

The leathery skin and bone-clad woman stalked the tree line. Impatient. Not because she felt hurried but because she wasn't certain how long the rifts would remain. She had to return. They were waiting for her. Their creation, their daughter, their child. It had been so long since they'd seen anything but darkness and the immaterial. Something real? With flesh, blood, and fears to consume?

They had adapted. So had she.

"Do not test me, wolf. If you wish it—I will end you. They just don't want to eat you."

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Naedira Darcrath

It was a curious thing. Naedira had been short in her answer, matter of fact. She would spare him and feed on the rest. That did not seem to be in the nature of the beast he had encountered before on Naalol. It would have devoured him then, why did it seem to have no taste for the wolf now? Gerwald thought to question it, but he could sense the annoyance his presence seemed to create. Was it him? Was it the ring? Or was Gerwald simply getting in the way of dinner?

She shrank back from the light. This was not a spirit. In whatever form Naedira had existed in death, she seemed to be very much alive now. The woman was tangible. Were it not for her threat, Gerwald was tempted to reach out and touch her. She was not bluffing when she said she would end him.

Her lecture on death amused the wolf. He almost laughed loud enough for her to hear, but did his best to hold his restraint. It was ironic, her statement, especially coming from her. It seemed death did not take her either, but as Gerwald fumbled with the ring once more, he reminded himself why that was. Prazutis had prevented it.

“I am aware of the many forms death can take. There were those who did not wish for it to take.” Gerwald pointed to her armor. “Their maker, the one who bound you to this ring, he gave me quite the education.”

The wolf was certain that would not mean much to her. His Naedira was gone, even if he had been too stubborn to admit it. Even with the changes she had gone through, Gerwald still longed for the woman he loved to return. His promise still remained unfulfilled, and he could not reconcile the fact it may have to remain so. It was the question of sacrifice which may have brought him the closest to it. She did not understand what he suggested.

Naedira would have.

It was not a matter of whether the beasts wanted him to feed on or not. The goal of sacrifice was to ensure the Devourer had no one to feed on. Surely Gerwald could hold her off long enough to ensure the others leave safely. Maybe Gerwald was misunderstanding. Perhaps she was simply telling him that the sacrifice was worthless because the beast did not wish to feed on him. Every scenario of what she could mean ran through his mind as he tried to filter out the noise to find what it was she meant.

None of it mattered. Regardless of their meaning, Nadira would have never let that be a reason to avoid what duty demanded.

The difference was that duty no longer demanded anything of the wolf.

He just nodded.

“If I could prevent the beast from feeding then it would be worth it,” he stated.

Gerwald began to close the distance between them. It was dangerous. This was not the woman he had know, and it would likely end in his own demise, but at least this version of Naedira might finally know the truth.

“At least I would die knowing I did everything in my ability to bring Naedira back, in keeping my promise to her. Perhaps I have given more of myself to this than I should have. Maybe I have held onto this for selfish reasons. I don’t know. What I do know is that your beasts should want me. Because as long as I live they fail to do what they were created to do. As long as I live, there will always be a part of her they will never be able to devour.”

He truly was a stubborn wolf. Naedira would have known that. She also would have known he would test her. She had once tried convincing him it was good that he had not been with the team that invaded the Echani homeworld. There had been much suffering, suffering she had been happy he did not see. In the end Gerwald had pushed until she flooded his mind with what it had been. He had not learned his lesson then, and there was still that part of him that still had much to learn.
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