We recently wrapped up our first trade of the 2024 season, and we’re gearing up for our March event (tickets on sale here). Whether you missed our virtual event and want a quick rundown or you’d like to relive the tales you were part of, keep reading for a blow-by-blow recap of WYCKED WONDERLAND.
Travelers and locals, brought together by a desperate plea from the Hopeless Dreamers (minders of the Grave in Barker) and All-Faiths, ventured into the Necropolis of Barker Meadow Reservoir. They sought to rescue the town from its deathly state brought about by the Weapons of Mortis Destruction made of Cracked Psionic Crystal used in defeating the terrifying Graverobber Flesher Calonyction before the winter swept over Lorado, and to return Barker to its former glory.
Upon arriving, they found the Necropolis, a warped Cracked Crystal-laden place of Mortis influence and unreality, permeating through almost all of Barker. They became aware of perils in the Necropolis, such as the psionic brain-inflaming disease Grave Brain and how quickly they would sink as the Necropolis hungered for them, among other dangers. Several among their ranks were deemed “Prophets,” harried by strange dreams and visions involving and from the Workers. Survivors got quick to work tackling issues head-on.
A group confronted the Young and Doomed apocalypse cult of KQC prominent in the town, specifically a splinter group under the radical Pyre’s influence. They rescued a hostage from the splinter group’s ritual attempt to summon the powerful faith Undead, the Broken Angels (which the Necropolis was preventing from emerging), amid an attack by Profane Wolves targeting the KQC. With the looming threat of the Broken Angel apocalypse on their mind, they went back to town to report their findings — as many studiously did throughout the trade.
Another group faced the Angler in a harrowing encounter, needing to escape back to town from Barker’s signature nighttime threat. The Angler followed them into town later that night and was put down by a different group of Survivors, who fought tooth and nail to destroy the awful monstrosity of an Undead.
Meanwhile, the Hopeless Dreamers led an expedition deep into the Necropolis, uncovering secrets at the cost of most everyone on the expedition suffering from Death Sick – the disease discovered in Barker last year where one’s own Infection rejects and fears the Mortis – and needing to pull back and return to town with the knowledge they’d gained. The night took a somber turn as a traveler from Leeds named Weston made a fatal stand against a Worker on the Prominent Path — the first death of the trade — haunted in the Grave by the visions that the Prophets like him were experiencing.
A significant event unfolded in the morning as Ashe became a TV Saint. Throughout the morning, a nest of Magpies was explored. This led to the recovery of stolen items and revealed plainly the Necropolis's bizarre habit of ejecting warped scrap objects, a distorted echo of their original forms.
As the sun rose higher on Saturday, the efforts to rejuvenate the Necropolis gained momentum. The Survivors made significant strides in exploring the Necropolis, rehabilitating the land and clearing out Cracked Crystal Clusters that spread across the Necropolis as blight. As well, they pulled recreated Cracked Crystal Shells being spat out by the distorted recreation of the LUMP of Flesher’s final graven form, and communed with said LUMP to understand more about the Mortis in Barker and the Necropolis. The discovery of the Shard of Blessed Oblivion, a potential weapon against the Heart made out of those Shells, a WMD against the Necropolis made from a WMD that made the Necropolis, sparked a glimmer of hope.
A medical-combat team showcased their prowess by managing a surge of Death Sick patients, a zed horde, and a Charnel Carrion aptly. The day also saw Ex-Taleholders Nightjar and Aleph leading a dive into the agonized LUMP. Participants endured a harrowing loss of self, experiencing a retelling of Taleholder brainwashing in the Mortis. Yet, through willpower, they managed to survive this black-bagging of the soul, retain a fragment of their identity, and break the cycle of the Videbit scenes, quelling the LUMP and setting it up for future destruction.
The latter part of the afternoon was marked by Murder Inc.'s delve into the Grave, where they manipulated memories both critical and dangerous to the Organization and the Wastes at large. The serial killer The Ghost, who had plagued Barker Meadow for years, was found and captured. The Ghost turned out to be suffering multiple fractures, and was captured and left in the care of the 7x7s, to possibly one day either rehabilitate back into society and/or pay for her crimes.
The full communion with the LUMP and the debate over the creation of the Shard of Oblivion – hey kids, wanna make a WMD? – were prominent in the day's events. As the day continued, the Prophets sought to complete the Work by walking the Prominent Path and sharing their dreams to piece together meaning from their differences and overlaps, while others purified the All-Faiths artifacts distorted by the Heart that was once the ruins of their Chapel, among many strides. The day culminated in a dramatic confrontation with a Worker, who, after imparting agonizing visions upon the Prophets, claimed the life of Doc Lazarus as he attempted an intense telepathic maneuver on it, disappearing with him into the Mortis.
The evening was the climax of dealing with the Necropolis. A group engaged in a battle against Necropolis Grave mass tumors, clearing them out with skill in the hallucinatory winter horrorland of the Necropolis. Tackling matters on several fronts, with the help of several technosavants and gearheads, a group took 3 powerful rides to run over and kill hordes of zed, burning down the cabins in the process and leaving lines of scorched earth that would continue to smolder long as they left. Others went to stab the Heart – with the Heart weakened by previous events including a ritual where many gave up their faith to purify the artifacts inside and a Shard of Blessed Oblivion was thrust into its core. Inside, the Survivors faced zed and Sin-Augur, while others dove into the Heart itself, uncovering a tragic scene from a failed All-Faiths ritual that they needed to blaspheme, recreate the tragedy of, and finish out by executing the Mortis visions of the dying All-Faiths members. Their escape left the Heart in its former state of rubble and ruins, the consequences of their use of the Shard as-yet-unknown. Finally, Leslie Stareyes of the Fisken Cosmia Darwins guided Spade Heartman and allies into the Mortis Amaranthine to mend the issues within. Their journey through the overlapping memories of the deceased restored the Mortis. Together, this caused the Necropolis to begin to pull back and dissipate.
The night brought a chapter in the story of the Prophets to a close as a group, primarily composed of Prophets, was drawn to a nearly completed Cairn. Pushing themselves to the limit, risking mind and Infection, they gained visions which pieced together the fragmented dreams of the Prophets, restoring the lost memory of the Prominent Path to the Workers. They assisted in the completion of the Cairn, which unleashed a profound vision that brought fear to all who experienced it, signaling the completion of A Work, if not The Work.
Finally, Sunday began with a concerted effort to cleanse the Necropolis of remaining zed, led by Shift and Tracks of the Rail Crew Lorado DJs, including fighting off a Sin-Augur in the process with a group of able combatants. The day's defining moment came as the LUMP was finally laid to rest. Covered in Blood Sap and set aflame, it was vanquished through a work of faithful will by Tenacity, closing a dark chapter in Lorado's history with a vow: All This Has Happened Before, All This Will Never Happen Again.
As the Necropolis receded, the travelers and locals departed, having succeeded in conquering death, or at least its Necropolis hold over Barker Meadow, and with the threat of the Broken Angels looming large in the mind of those who know the history of the town.
What’s in store for next time, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to find out at our upcoming virtual event on Discord March 29th-31st, APOCALYPSE. And if you haven’t filled out your EVENT FEEDBACK SURVEY, please do so!