WELCOME TO THE HIVE

[rysligparasites]

MOD PLOT: HAPPY ASCENSION DAY

It's a long journey to Kulen and you’re paralyzed for all of it. The parasites aren't very delicate about carrying you there and you may get prodded with the odd pincer, but they diligently protect you from any external threats so you arrive relatively unharmed.

They carry you into a series of tunnels and into the belly of the hive where they lay you down on the ground. You lie there, unable to move or speak as more of the parasites converge on you, chittering excitedly and smelling you with their antennae. As the paralysis starts to wear off, they roughly and enthusiastically help you up and guide you through the tunnels, excitedly showing you around.

Eventually, you'll meet a parasite with human features who will give you a stilted, but genuine welcome. Apparently you are a special guest who has been brought here to help celebrate their beloved queen's first ever ascension day! While you're here, they want to learn as much about YOU and your traditions as they can so they can make this the greatest party ever.

The parasites implore you to eat their human cooking which is mostly composed of various things (both edible and not) that they've deep fried. They worked very hard and they will be very offended if you don't finish it. They also invite you to contribute to their cave paintings which are entirely composed of parasites doing parasite things.

During your stay, you'll likely run into other monsters who've been replaced by doppelgangers. Maybe some of them have been here for a while. Maybe others have just turned up.

Your quarters are dark and maybe a little cramped given that you're sharing them with a whole bunch of insectoid creatures and maybe one or two monsters. Other than that, they're relatively comfortable.

Settle in and make yourself at home. You'll be here for a while.

Comments

[hauntpadour]

[Very interesting. He nods sympathetically, touching one of the horns he's so used to by now.]

These hurt the most for me, but I can understand. To be fair, most people will warn you that it hurts no matter what you become.

[scholiast]

(She glances at his horns, and can't help wincing a little at the thought of them coming through. The price of having an overactive imagination.)

Yes, several people did tell me that... and yet, I wasn't quite prepared.

[hauntpadour]

It's always a surprise. I didn't expect to disincorporate into light during my first fog either.

[He bites into something fried and winces, finding a fishing lure inside.]

Have you learned to fly yet?

[scholiast]

You- sorry, what?

Stop eating, explain that a little more. I can't be corporeal in the fog? At all? What happens?

[hauntpadour]

Oh, in the darkness nephilim discorporate into hazy light.

It happened during my first fog, but it aids with the pain.

[scholiast]

Damned if I do and damned if I don't, huh...

(sounds about right honestly)

Do we... come back afterwards?

[hauntpadour]

Yes, we do- would you like me to demonstrate?

[There are plenty of dark halls here, after all.]

[scholiast]

... Yes. If it doesn't hurt you, of course.

[hauntpadour]

No, it doesn't at all- come along.

[He waves politely, leaving the party by a ways until they find a pitch-dark tunnel, unlit by skylights or electricity. It takes a moment to figure how far from the light he has to stray to start fading out.]

[Sure enough, he does. Give it just a moment and the angel is nothing but a cloud of distant pink lights.]

[scholiast]

(Lucretia has no problem with finding where her limit is. She feels a hooking sort of tug from somewhere behind her bellybutton and it jerks her to a flickering halt at the edge of the light. It's a pretty bad feeling. Egon doesn't seem to care, if he registers it at all: he strays into the darkness, and for a wild moment Lucretia almost reaches out to grab his arm, pull him back.

It seems wrong to go out there, that's all. She's not sure why.)

Oh- (She blinks, and he's gone. Or rather, he's new, something else entirely. She squints into the darkness, radiating a little glow in the dim.)

Can... you speak like that? Can you hear me?

[hauntpadour]

[It often sneaks up on Egon, truthfully. But that's mostly his own ineptitude and complete disregard for his own health. The cloud of light doesn't move, shimmering the way a distant carnival does in the rain.]

Yes, I'm fine. I can't touch anything or pass through solid objects, but I'm hardly corporeal.

[scholiast]

Interesting...

(She could try it too, maybe get used to it... but when she leans forward, she gets that awful feeling yanking her back again. Maybe she'll give it a go when she's back safely in her home, and not surrounded by parasites.)

Thank you, for showing me.

[hauntpadour]

[He'll step back into the light, reforming with all his bits and pieces in place.]

Of course. Let me know if there's anything else you're curious about.