short, small, round-cheeked and big-eyed.

[paradisamods]

on myth and legend There have been countless child-snatchers in myth and legend. The Pied Piper, stealing through the streets of Germany’s Hameln, lead all the children to their deaths after the citizens of its city refused to pay him for his work exterminating rats. Kariteimo, the mother of demons, kidnapping babies to feed her own children. Fairies taking infants from their cribs, replacing them with ugly changelings and logs. Striga, the immortal creature that sucks the life-force from children, choosing siblings and immune to any known weapon. Rumplestilzkin tricks elder siblings into revealing the names of their younger siblings, so that he may trap them both. And this is just Earth –– no doubt every culture in the world tells of some story where children are stolen away from those that love them. Perhaps they’re told to explain the loss of a child, or perhaps just to keep children in line. “Don’t do this, say that, or act so, unless you want to be taken away by a child-snatcher.” Paradisa, a world of only four years, has not had time for myths or legends to sink in. There are no stories, save those imported from other worlds, to tell naughty children, to explain away disappearances. Nothing to scare people in line. Nothing to keep them awake at night, checking on their younger companions, ensuring their safety from the boogieman under the bed. Until there is such a story, the "story" will just have to come to them.
summary A strange being has invaded the castle, and has begun to spirit away children, never to be seen again. Worse, the adults can’t see him, but young children can. Those under the age of thirteen, or so. Those young enough to be dismissed as having over-active imaginations, those young enough to still believe in things that go bump in the night. Can they take the kids seriously? Even worse, there's no one here to help them. No handy castle-made tour guide, no voices from beyond to give advice, nothing. They're on their own. Worse yet, there's no knowing where the kids are, and if they're alright. And worst of all, there's no knowing if they'll ever find out. overview This plot is emphasizes research and mystery. Unlike most plots, this one won't feature any battles, or any combat at all, unless the residents choose to create it between themselves. The being is invisible, untouchable, detectable only by children and the changes in the atmosphere. I've created dozens and dozens of pieces of information to be found around the castle, in the form of discoveries, photographs, articles, drawings, old journal entries, etc. The story will unfold as the information is pieced together, leading to two conflicting options to dealing with the being: sacrifice or exorcism. Between the information gathered and the knowledge of the resident supernatural-hunters, the residents will be able choose their course of action. To what consequence remains to be seen. details
dates	tuesday, march 1st - sunday, march 6th
genre	mystery, horror, drama
types in demand	expertise in solving mysteries, experience with [hunting] the supernatural, anti-witchcraft, researchers, information gatherers, avid readers, parental types, psychics.
themes	ethical decision-making, the frailty of innocence, sacrifice, supernatural enemies
tag	!slenderman
contact	Jenn	Email	a great fanfare
schedule
Day One Tuesday, March 1st A few children have dreams. Odd, bizarre dreams, of sticks and black taffy and tar. Fog, grey forests with barren floors. Cold, dark, and alone. A peculiar tree appears at the edge of the woods; a tree that is impervious to damage... a tree stained red around the roots.
Day Two Wednesday, March 2nd The first goes missing, and then the second, and a third, and so on. Dead cows and a horse are found strung up from the other trees, one for each child. The residents need to get to the bottom of this, and though some residents may know much of the child-snatchers of myth, they still need to find out what spirit this is and what it wants from them.
Day Three Thursday, March 3rd More go missing, more hung livestock. Remaining children see things out of the corners of their eyes. Long spindly black things, like a very tall, narrow-limbed spider walking in one’s peripheral vision. When they turn, nothing’s there. Meanwhile, the tree’s red stains are climbing, the wood wet with blood, almost like a gauge filling up... and a trip deeper into the forest suggests things are about to get worse.
Day Four Friday, March 4th More go missing, more hung livestock. It cannot be seen, or felt, or heard, except by young children. Older residents keep their younger companions close at hand, yet it doesn’t help; more go missing regardless. How can a force, a spirit like this, be stopped? The tree is almost red to its tips now...
Day Five Saturday, March 5th Better move fast, as more children are going by the day. What kills the supernatural? What drives them off, bans them? The residents better decide what they're doing, because the tree is to the point of dripping, now.
Day Six Sunday, March 6th A sacrifice, or an exorcism? It’s up to the residents, now, but either way it could be a bloody conclusion.
to look out for As noted above, I've created dozens and dozens of pieces of information to be found around the castle/library, in the form of discoveries, photographs, articles, drawings, old journal entries, etc. These pieces of information will be available by sign-ups; though certain items will be released on certain days, who gets what will be more or less randomized. Some rely on traits -- "character who visits the stables often" -- but most are simply for anyone trying to find information on the being. A separate post will be put up for that. We will be keeping a chart to detail who has what, hopefully including links to where the information is IC. Characters (and their muns) will then have to assemble the information as needed, while dealing with disappearances and strange discoveries, to discover the story and decide how to proceed.
opt-out On the occasion that you don't want to participate –– too busy, characters need a break, too many characters to juggle, etc. –– we do have an opt-out route available. Characters opting out will get sleepy, embroiled in a thick mental fog, before dropping off to sleep. It's a deep sleep, lasting until the end of the plot, and characters will find themselves dreaming of their mundane castle life... as if nothing is happening at all. Characters opting out do not necessarily need to fall asleep on day one, either. At any time, if necessary, you can have them drop off.