Something is coming to Twilight Isle …
… Are you ready?
… Are you ready?
Darkness Has Begun to Settle Over the Isle
At midnight on October 1st a new and unwelcome darkness began to creep across Twilight Isle. The beloved gloaming that has given the Isle its name has deepened with each passing day until it is scarcely indistinguishable from night. More troubling are the other signs that have begun to appear.
Those who walk the wooded, wilder parts of the Isle have begun to notice strange runes carved into the trunks of trees. The baleful light that shines from these marks gives off no heat, but does give one the impression of being watched. Are these marks mere signs placed to help travelers navigate the darkness, or are they windows into another world?
Adding to the eeriness and paranoia is the sound of hoofbeats, swift and strong. Many a traveler has been startled by the sound of mounted pursuit and quickly vacated their path to avoid being trampled only to find that no one is there to ride down upon them. It seems the sound rides the breeze, and there is no way to predict exactly when it will occur.
Stranger still, the shadows themselves have begun to misbehave, sometimes appearing to move of their own accord — or worse, of someone else’s accord. There have been stories of shadowy figures appearing and picking pockets in the Twilight Markets and Duskside, or leading travelers astray in the forests, steering them toward some unknown fate out in the Dead Scar. There have even been stories of some individuals’ shadows shearing off from them to take on lives of their own, and it is too soon to say what will happen if they are not reunited.
The wildlife of the Isle is not immune to the effects of the darkness or the threat of having their shadows torn from them, either. There have been reports of cherry blossom deer dropping their budding antlers far ahead of schedule. Pond squirrels and willow foxes have been spotted running from unseen predators. The young otters at the Duel of Magic offices have taken to hiding within their enclosure, afraid of the dark, and the dolphins in the lagoon have strayed far from shore, giving the sands a wide berth. They and many more creatures have begun to display signs of fear, aggression, and even lethargy.
Amidst the building chaos, the Isle’s newest wardens, the Duel of Magic team, have met with the Celestial Druids to seek their wisdom concerning this matter. And what they have learned is truly concerning.
Something is coming. Or rather, someone.
The Druids call the inbound entity the Dark Hunter, and according to the Codex of Shadows, they are due to arrive with the rise of the full moon. The Dark Hunter’s motives for coming to the Isle are yet unclear, but they are said to be a hunter of light, and joy, and all things that ignite a spark in people’s souls.
The Druids are hastily preparing a spell to attempt to ward off this Dark Hunter, and they need your help!
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The Dark Hunter Has Arrived!
The Celestial Druids and Twilight Isle’s Keepers managed to stave off the Dark Hunter’s arrival for a few days, allowing the full moon to rise and begin waning again without being entirely snuffed out! ! But despite their best efforts, the Dark Hunter would not be denied for very long. With the Tower of Fire falling dark and its ember wolves ceasing their patrol of the Isle’s wooded areas, the darkness became too great to be denied and a doorway was ripped open in the Dead Scar, allowing the Dark Hunter to find her way onto the Isle!
She now haunts the Isle, hunting its wildlife and citizens throughout the seemingly endless night. Beware her sharp-footed mount and her spirit arrows!
(( More lore to come for this part of the story! But I wanted to get some bones out for everyone to be able to play with! Please DM me at hiraeth_xo if you have any questions! ))
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Update Log
10/8/24 - Images added, tasks/ways to participate made clearer, scoreboard added
10/23/24 - Events list and scoreboard updated
10/24/24 - More lore added, as well as new spell components and new tasks to be completed
10/8/24 - Images added, tasks/ways to participate made clearer, scoreboard added
10/23/24 - Events list and scoreboard updated
10/24/24 - More lore added, as well as new spell components and new tasks to be completed
(( There is more to come! I will continue to update this thread as the month progresses, adding new information for folks to play with, and will bump with the updates marked so nothing gets missed.
(( This event is open to everyone who wishes to participate, whether or not they are a Magic duelist.
(( If you wish to participate and help the Magic Team and Celestial Druids, please reply to this thread with records of Magic duels fought on Twilight Isle, story snippets, links to longer or collaborative stories posted elsewhere on the forum, and anything else you might like to include. And please feel free to refer to this event in live play, or even write out scenes with your friends on our Discord server.
(( If you have any questions, or want to hash something out with me, please contact me via forum PM or on Discord at hiraeth_xo.
(( Happy Halloween, y’all! ))
