victory_road | THE CONTEST SPOOKTACULAR!

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THE CONTEST SPOOKTACULAR!

You arrive before the sun sets over the shining sea, a little before 5 o’clock. A fleet of Corviknight taxis descend near the entrance of the castle, slowly setting their passengers on the ground and allowing them to depart. The golden rays of sunshine illuminate the edges of the castle, casting long shadows and making it take on a rather ominous appearance. Better hop to it–you wouldn’t want to miss the Halloween party, now would you?

WELCOME TO THE HALLOWEEN FRIGHTFEST!

Riegfried and Soy greet you at the entrance of the castle. Riegfried is dressed as a Zubat, toting a blue-and-purple cape, a cute hat with giant ears, and plastic fangs. Soy is dressed as a midnight Lycanroc, wearing a dark red suit and wielding a pair of fuzzy white paw gloves. They welcome you warmly, assuring them that they’ll be well taken care of here. Perhaps you’d like to get something to eat, first? Or maybe you’d like to look around at what games and delights they have to offer! Or, perhaps you’re here to perform in the Contest Spooktacular. The choice is yours!

(If asked about the previous attendants of the castle, Shieldbert and Sordward, Riegfried and Soy will exchange looks and explain that they had been…well, very politely asked to leave and not to come back to Kanto, under threat of legal action.)

EXPLORING THE FESTIVAL
The Ball Room

The old castle ballroom has been outfitted with spooky decorations and all manner of electrical equipment--all the necessary things to put on a good contest! Most of the furniture has been cleared away, save for a central stage for people to perform.

At the beginning of the night, before the actual contest takes place, a costume catwalk will take place! Costumed guests will be encouraged to get up on there and strut their stuff. Don’t have a costume? Don’t worry! The attendants will usher you to a very big walk-in closet for you to pick out an utterly fabulous get-up. All from Riegfried and Soy’s personal collections, of course. They wouldn’t want someone to miss out on a chance to show the crowd what they’re made of! This is also the time for characters to register for the contest.

After a few hours or so, an announcement is made informing people that the contest spooktacular will be taking place shortly, and for people to make their way to the ball room. The lights dim and a distant, pre-recorded bone-chilling cackle is heard. Who knows what sort of spooky scary things you’ll be seeing tonight?

The Outer Courtyard

For those wishing to get a breath of fresh air away from the festivities or to explore the activities the festival has to offer, look no further than the courtyard. Nestled safely within castle walls, a large fountain (certainly too new to have belonged to the original castle) stands at the center of the courtyard, the water gently cascading down over the marble figures of two nondescript and crowned humans, one holding a sword, the other a shield; wide-open doors welcome characters further into the castle.

There are a plethora of spooky carnival games that have been set up along the perimeter of the courtyard. They’re definitely rigged, but maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll win that giant Mareep plush. One booth seems to be garnering quite a bit of attention–Bobbing for Applins. If you manage to grab an Applin with your teeth, you get to keep it! Just be careful you don’t bite too hard….

The Stables

To the west lie the stables, with a sign posted that reads “HAUNTED HAYRIDE!”. The comforting smell of hay and wood hangs in the air. Instead of the Galarian Ponytas and Rapidashes that previously graced this area, there are a bunch of Mudsdales lounging, waiting for their turn to pull the cart. Outside, there is a scrawny bearded man perched on top of a Mudsdale, patting it on the neck and giving it reassuring words. A nearby cart filled with hay bale seats lies vacant, ready to be pulled alone.

Fancy a little ride around the outside of the castle to see the sights? You can watch the sunset over the ocean, and maybe spot a few rare Pokémon! Heck, if it’s dark enough, you could even be so bold as to hold hands with someone else on the ride! Who knows what you’ll find out there?

Of course, you could always just hang out with the horses. Nobody’s gonna stop you.

The Kitchens

To the east lie the kitchens, and what kitchens they are! Characters will be able to smell the delicious aroma of a variety of sumptuous courses being prepared for the festival. Officially, the guests are asked not to enter the kitchen, as to not to disturb the many cooks working there. Unofficially, there are not exactly any guards, so if you really wanted to sneak in, you probably won’t get stopped.

The Dining Room

Adjacent to the kitchens awaits a large dining room. Tables have been set up in long rows with plenty of room for all with some to spare, and once someone sits down, almost as if by magic, they will soon find one of the waitstaff at their side, presenting them with an extensive menu. Order as much (or as little) as you like! The chefs will have it ready for you in a flash.

Many of the menu items seem to be…well, puns. Perhaps you’ll be interested in some Crobat Monsieur, a croque monsieur decorated like a Crobat? Or perhaps a spot of Pumpkaboo Pie? Perhaps a nice cup of Coffee-grigus would do the trick. (Rest assured, no Pokémon have been harmed in the making of any of these delicious selections.)

The Inner Courtyard

The Inner Courtyard looks…well, different. All the plants seem to have been temporarily removed from this area (as evident by the dozens if not hundreds of potted plants along the outside), and it’s quickly obvious as to why. A haunted house has been set up inside of the courtyard, the temporary walls obscuring the horrors that lie within. The door to enter is slightly ajar, and you hear strange and eerie noises inside. Was that howl from a person, or from a Pokémon? And what about that clanking, shuffling sound? The hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand up.

Dare you enter? Fright and fun both await you. Feel free to make up what terrifying attractions are inside the haunted house. At the end, an attendant will present you with a photograph of you and your friends inside the haunted house. Ahhh, treasured memories.

The Library

It looks like the books were removed from the library with the departure of Sordward and Shieldbert. Perhaps they couldn’t be without their personal collection. Nevertheless, it seems that someone else has taken an interest in this room. A woman with frazzled, gray hair and gigantic spectacles stands near the entrance, a slightly unhinged grin on her face as she welcomes you inside. You see, her name is Dr. Espa–she’s a paranormal investigator, and she needs your help to study ghosts! No, no, not Ghost Pokémon–she wants to track down Bill’s great-great-great-uncle, and any other ghosts that live within these halls!

The doctor–if she can even be called that–has a wide variety of pseudo-scientific equipment on hand, including spirit boxes, dot projectors, EMF readers, temperature gauges, and more. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to wander into the deepest, most haunted sections of the castle and report back to her on whatever you find! If you weren’t already motivated by the pursuit of knowledge, she’ll also offer you a reward of 2000P for any evidence that you find. She’ll…accept any evidence, really.

Is she a staff member, or just a regular woman with a keen enthusiasm for ghosts? It’s hard to tell. Riegfried and Soy certainly don’t know who she is.

The Tower

Not all of the towers have undergone restoration, but the grandest, largest of them has. It will take some real stamina to climb all these stairs, but if they do, characters will be rewarded with a stunning sight. From the tower’s high vantage point, it seems the entire Kanto region is on display in the incredible view. The ocean stretches out along the horizon, but closer to home, characters will be able to behold wild forests and cliffs, the green lush routes of Cerulean Cape itself and millions and millions of stars twinkling up overhead.

The Rocky Beach

The main attraction outside of the castle is a small stretch of rocky shoreline accessible just outside the main courtyard and down a surprisingly sturdy set of stone stairs. It looks like a group of people have set up a nice, warm bonfire on what little strip of sand they can find--perfect to stave away the chilly waterfront breeze. Why don’t you help yourself to a cup of warm cider and sit by the fire for a bit?

If you’re done making your clothes smell like smoke, you could also comb the beach for interesting trinkets. Shells, whole or broken, peek out between smooth pebbles and the rare piece of sea glass, and at low tide clumps of seaweed lay draped over the craggy outcroppings. Nothing is stopping you from fishing or poking around in the shallows for Pokemon, but you're more likely to find an interesting souvenir than a new friend...

And all the rest...

Beyond those sparkling rooms and done up corridors lies... the rest of the castle. The parts of the castle not quite done with their renovations are roped off, but nothing is stopping guests from exploring if they so wish - especially if they are interested in finding those rumored lost treasures or traps.

While the rest of the castle shines, these parts of the castle feel almost haunted. Dust and derelict dominates the rooms, old broken furniture covered in dingy white sheets and creaking doors adding to the atmosphere. Did the eyes of that painting just move? Why is there a weird draft coming from that wall? What was that strange ominous creak coming from behind you? Are there any dungeons? Wait, did you just hear someone crying in a far off room?

Jeez, no wonder they say this place is haunted.

AVAILABLE POKEMON
Naturally, this wouldn't be a Pokemon Prom without some Pokemon to catch! All catchable Pokemon range between the levels of 10 to 30. The Pokemon in the castle mostly haunt the unfinished section, but feel free to have the occasional encounter in the renovated sections too!

Castle

Impidimp; Gastly; Haunter; Litwick; Lampent; Duskull; Shuppet; Sinistea; Misdreavus; Yamask; Dreepy; Honedge; Doublade**; Dusclops**; Mimikyu**; Polteageist***; Gengar***;

Courtyard

Venonat; Venomoth; Drifloon; Phantump; Pumpkaboo; Murkrow; Rookidee; Zubat; Hoothoot; Woobat*; Noibat*;

Rocky Shore

Galarian Corsola; Binacle; Staryu; Wimpod; Frillish; Krabby; Relicanth*; Wimpod*; Kingler**; Jellicent**; Slowking***;

TRICK OR TREAT!
Near the entrance of the castle is an old man dressed in dark, heavy wool clothes with a mysterious gleam in his eyes. He holds an oil lamp in his hand, waiting for those to approach. If you get close enough to speak to him, he’ll ask you a question.

”Halloween’s not over ‘til you’ve got yourself a good haul of candy. How do you feel about a little bit of…trick or treat?”

He’ll regale you with an old tale about the castle grounds. You see, the castle was built by a relative of Bill (you know, the Pokemon storage system inventor?), but no one has lived in it for years and years because it is haunted. Though previously only haunted by the ghost of Bill’s great-great-great-uncle, the recent human activity in the area has caused droves of Ghost and Dark-type Pokémon to flock towards the area and take advantage of this newfound source of fun.

Those who attended Prom 2020 would remember that trainers were allowed to search for hidden treasures among the secret passages and strange traps. This year, however, the search will be a…little different! Instead of trying to find treasures, your characters will be exploring the labyrinthian hallways and secret passages to find tricks…or treats.

Feel free to explore those abandoned halls and ruins for these supposed long-lost treasures. Better check for hidden rooms and passages behind old bookcases, trap doors covered by thick dust-riddled carpets, and perhaps even a hidden vault or two in the castle basements. Players are free to go absolutely wild in coming up with secret passages and hidden secrets for their characters to find. Let us know in your comment where your character will be looking!

As characters explore, they will have a 50/50 chance of encountering either tricks or treats!

A character that rolls a treat will have a generally positive encounter with a Pokémon, who will likely lead you to great treasure and sweets! Conversely, a character that rolls a trick will probably be pranked by a Pokémon. Characters will not be able to catch the Pokémon they encounter, unfortunately–they’ve gotta scare the other guests, too!

In both cases, characters will stumble upon a random assortment of sweets and ghost-related items, including but not limited to rare candies, Alcremie pastries, poffins, and other consumables! Characters may also find a rare, unique item that may be sold for about 5000-6000P or kept as a memento.

In order to allow for an element of surprise, every character that wants to participate in trick or treating is allowed to comment once to a special RNG comment to find out exactly what they will encounter. Each treasure will consist of somewhere between two and four items, the exact number of which will be left up to chance.

For any questions, please refer back to the previous OOC post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Like, to receive post right here on the Pokégear? That would be most convenient!

[Lucius holds out the Pokégear.]

[Marik nods and takes the offered pokégear, fussing with it for a moment.]

I'll count down on my fingers from three to one. When I get to one, just say your name, okay? I figure this is easier than you coming up with a unique message.

[He holds up his hand and three fingers. When Lucius shows he's ready he slowly begins lowering them until he reaches one, then presses something on the gear.]

[As Marik counts down Lucius readies himself, wetting his lips and clearing his throat. Once he hits zero he proclaims his name in a clear voice.]

Lucius Modestus.

[He waits a moment until it's clear Marik is done, and then continues.]

Was that good?

Perfect. Thank you.

[A bit more typing and pressing buttons.]

There. Now you've got an inbox. Any time you receive a message, you'll get a notification and it'll take you to this app.

[He hands the device back to Lucius.]

If you need me to set up anything else, just let me know.

Huh.

[Lucius looks over the Pokégear, comprehending where the inbox is before looking back up and giving a confirmatory nod.]

I see. Thank you for setting that up for me. This level of connection is incredible, and I don't doubt that it will be quite helpful to me in future travels. I imagine this would be quite the boon for the visitors here to connect to one another as well, given that travel seems to be a central part of our collective experience.

Yeah, no problem. That's exactly what it's for. It also keeps things a bit more private as it's not just out in the public for anyone to see.

You remember how to post to the network, yes? Besides your own posts, you can access other people's posts and talk with them too.

You're referring to when I was talking to everyone on the Pokégear correct? I'm not really sure how I accessed that before, but I've found places on the device where people seem to be taking to one another in writing.

[Lucius scratches at his hair as if admitting something embarrassing before continuing.]

I never understand much of what they're saying I'm afraid, so I've just been avoiding it. People always seem to be discussing things that are either very far away from me or that make little sense to me. Either way, it wasn't something I felt comfortable diving into.

[He nods.]

Yes, exactly that. You can post a video, voice, or text on there.

[At Lucius's sheepish gesture, Marik raises an eyebrow.]

Hn? Oh.

[Technology as a whole is already overwhelming. Dealing with a bunch of strangers on said technology must be even more daunting for people like Lucius and Atem.]

That's fine. It's not for everyone. I'm not exactly social on there either unless something specifically catches my interest. Most of the time I just message personally if I feel like talking.

Everyone here is pretty friendly and understanding given we're all kind of dealing with the same situation, in case you do ever feel like venturing out a little. No pressure though.

I suppose I just don't have much to contribute to many of the conversations.

[Lucius shrugs.]

With most of the people here from much closer to your time that's not too surprising though. I'll get get settled well enough I'm sure, but I doubt there will ever be much in the way of common ground between myself and folks from a millennium in the future.

Mn. I get it.

[He frowns.]

I'm sure there's other people here who'd be interested in hearing about your experiences and what life was like back then.

[A pause.]

... You've got me interested, honestly.

Oh. I wasn't saying I required people to be interested in what I had to say. That would be needy of me, and unbecoming of a Roman. Rather, it's just that what's being discussed doesn't seem to be anything that I can speak to.

[Lucius shrugs as he finishes his statement.]

I'm no fool to bark about topics of which I know nothing, so I keep to my work and try to make heads-or-tails of the parts of this land that do make sense. I was pleased to see such a magnificent bath as I did here in this castle, as it renews my faith in why I was brought here. I will have to take-down what I saw once these festivities are concluded so that I can analyze it for my own designs.

I know. I'm saying people might be more interested in the topics you know of more than you think but I understand not wanting to force a subject if no one's discussing it.

[Of course he found a bath. Just like Marik and Ryou were given games by the ghosts. How fitting.]

Really? I'm surprised they have one but not surprised you managed to stumble across it. Was it nice? Did they actually let you use it?

It was lovely. A bit small in scale and more tightly-enclosed than I would personally build it, but it had a very interesting feature that I'd never previously considered. It seemed that it serves as a shared private bath for the human and Pokémon residents of the castle, and it was connected to what I can only presume to be their quarters by a myriad of tunnels and passageways.

[Lucius pulls a pencil and paper from his pack as he talks, automatically beginning to put-down what he was describing onto the paper in-detail.]

Having private passageways to and from the bath would allow several people to have a private bath of a larger scale than the ones they'd have if it were constrained only to their personal quarters, but still let them to keep both the bath and their access to it restricted to only those who they want accessing it.

[He holds up a drawing with an intricate recreation of the bath he saw for Marik to see.]

It's an admittedly complicated, but fascinating, solution to the problem of privacy. It was mostly purple fellows like him down there though... [He points to Usi.] ...so I'm not sure if humans normally use it or if I they simply made an exception for me since I was a guest.

[Marik tilts his head, not thinking about the fact that he hates when someone looks over his shoulder as he's doing something and does the same to Lucius, trying to see what he's drawing.

Thankfully the man holds it up once he's done.

... What the hell. He's really good. Of course he is. He'd have to be to be an architect. Lucius really is a master at everything, isn't he?]

It looks lovely. And you're really good. Sheesh...

[Upon being mentioned Usi points to himself. There were more of him? They've got good taste! The teen glances back at him for a second.]

He's a Gengar. You said it was hidden though so I wonder if it is just meant for ghost pokémon to enjoy. That's neat that they let you take part of it though! I bumped into a group of ghosts as well that were playing a betting game.

[Oh...! Lucius might know what the dice say... Marik reaches into one of the massive pockets in his kigurumi and pulls out some bone dice with mysterious symbols on them instead of numbers.]

They gave me these after I won.

[Lucius stares down at the pair of dice. Nothing seems unusual about them asides from the symbols adorning them but then again, depending on the game they're for, that could be completely normal.]

Those are Tali. "Knucklebones" used for games and, more commonly, gambling. Given all the festivities around here it doesn't surprise me there's some of those knocking around. Did you get them for a particular game?

[He looks around to see if anything in the area fit the bill.]

I'm curious what kind of games from this land would use something so specific to Rome.

Edited (added additional blurb at bottom) 2022-12-02 23:52 (UTC)

[So he does know what they are!]

Yeah, whenever the dice had that symbol facing up, you lost. When it was this one-

[Marik flips the dice to another symbol.]

You'd win the betting pot.

[... He needs to ask. Again. Once Lucius says that last tidbit.]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say Rome invented dice as well?

To my understanding they were invented by the Greeks during their war with our ancestors. They're very widely used by pretty much everyone in the Empire now though, for everything from games and gambling to determining random outcomes.

[Lucius looks at the symbols on Marik's dice more closely.]

This one doesn't seem to bear symbols that are familiar to me, but that doesn't mean that it isn't just in a language that's unfamiliar to me.

Were they? Hmm. Dice are still used today for all sorts of things.

[Greek, Rome. They're practically the same thing, right? Two sides of the same coin? Marik gets the feeling he'd probably offend Lucius if he said that outloud though so. Uh. He'll keep that comment to himself.]

I wonder then if it's in a language from this world then? Because it's certainly not any I recognize either. I know of the Unown alphabet but this doesn't look like it at all...

[But then what Ryou was given...]

Another person I know ended up getting an entire boardgame. It looked vaguely familiar to me but... eh... ancient artifacts are more of my sister's specialty.

[He pockets the dice.]

Not a big deal though. I was just curious.

[A pause and a slightly awkward smile.]

I guess I should stop dragging you around for the night. .. Thanks again for winning all of those prizes for me. That was... a lot of fun.

[Lucius gives him a pat on the shoulder.]

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Make sure to guard your spoils of war though eh?

[He winks at him jokingly.]

Enjoy the rest of your festivities then, and may the Gods watch over you.

[He's a bit less tense getting the pat to his back than usual. He's making progress!]

I will. And you too, Mr. Lucius. I'll talk to you on the pokégear!

[Chen bows his head and Usi waves his hand as Marik turns and heads off. He'll need to share some of his spoils with Min's Noibat.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

THE CONTEST SPOOKTACULAR!

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