For those interested, here is the whole condensed version of the Halloween Metaplot 2011. A lot of details were omitted for the sake of preserving a certain admin's sanity, apologies ahead of time.
The Story So Far
The Haunted House meta started out in two directions. During the events of Floresctival, Caelius had already begun suspecting that Red was indeed Aria. At the same time, another hint that there was something wrong with Red was dropped when students followed Red and Arel arguing over... whether or not she has the right to organize to the Haunted House field trip. It is hinted that Red has become untrustworthy.
Red planned the field trip a while back, but waited for two reasons: the first was to lure the Hunters in. As Aria, she dropped hints that the Halloween students were on a field trip to visit an Ancient that slept within the Haunted House. Ancients are creatures of Fear so powerful, they cannot become useable weapons but instead can be unleashed for other purposes. Red disguised as Aria was confident that she could lure the Hunters in, and defeat both Hunter expedition leaders that came along by trapping them in the Haunted House. Her thinking was already unstable.
Thus the two groups began their separate ways, the Halloween students wary of being bait again (though they were not wrong in thinking so), and the Hunters ready to capture the Ancient. The Hunters set up the camp with a weapons conversion apparatus. They captured the thirteen guardians of the Soul Harvester and imprisoned them, torturing and then converting each one into a weapon per day in order to lure the Ancient out. Meanwhile, students and trainees wandered the Haunted House, students simply being told to "grow stronger", while Hunters scoured for the Soul Harvester's presence. Dr. H was also delighted to get new Fear samples in the form of students and boos, these were quickly caged in the tent as well.
At last the Soul Harvester could not wait any longer. She recruited students to help her, as she alone was too large a target, and raided the Hunter's base camp. However, she was captured by the Hunter's traps, and many students suffered injuries, although they did manage to free their fellow students who got captured. The biggest problem with her plan was they could not get out, and she had trapped herself to the Hunter's mercy.
What Hunters did not realise was that the Haunted House actually had two Ancients. The Soul Harvester of the domain of space and Clockwork, the ghost of time. The Soul Harvester asked for Clockwork's help: though the two entities acted separately, he agreed on the one condition that it was a one time deal. He would save the students and grant her one last wish: to redo the Gauntlet so that the students would both be saved and that she would perish, not falling to the hands of the Hunters. She agreed and bet her life, the life of an Ancient, on it.
Thus the entire Gauntlet event was redone. Clockwork fulfilled her wish and rewrote only that very specific moment in time: as per the conditions of the Soul Harvester's wish. He brought the Ancient of Space's students into the area, and placed them in that severed pocket of time. But like any time rewrite, events went quite differently than before. Not only did the Soul Harvester get captured, Dr. H managed to unleash several of his experiments and test subjects on the students. However, with the sheer numbers of students this time, and the awareness that some had of the original Gauntlet timeline, they were able to overpower the Life Hunter and his team. In addition, they managed to find the generator and stop, thus effectively forcing Dr. H to make his move too: retreating, destroying their own base, and then reprogramming the Hunter pendants to return to the Island. Thus the Hunters lost that side of the battle, and the Soul Harvester as well, who fulfilled her part of the bargain and disappeared from time and space.
However, that was only half the battle. Though the Hunters had suffered in terms of numbers being split, in the domain of Space, Caelius was still waiting to trap the Halloween students that Aria had given him a tip on. His group successfully pulled off the mission: Aria came and congratulated them. However, Caelius was after a larger sort of bait: Aria/Red herself. Ironically, it had been Red's plan all along to trap HIM, but the fight did not go as planned. Red's weapon, which she had stolen from the Hunters, backfired, instead of her using the weapon, the weapon used her, until it absorbed her entirely.
In its place a new creature was created, one that combined the Fears of both Red's Hunter weapon and Red herself. Unfortunately, since Hunter weapons were only meant for Hunters to wield, the side effect was Insanity as well. Red lashed out at the students who tried to help her, and the Hunters who fought against her. Her weapon whispered to her and urged her to destroy everyone. As the battle continued, Red realised she could never free herself from the monstrosity she had merged into, her only freedom was destroying herself - and the weapon and Insanity with it - and so she did, turning into stone, though her attacks and the efforts of the students managed to fight off all the Hunters, at least for this round. The Hunters retreated, and the weary Amityville students readied themselves home. Red was dead, but the gym instructor would have been proud to know that they did indeed, learn to grow stronger.
Meanwhile as the Hunters returned to home base, it was reported that Aria was a double agent. It turns out that Aria's weapon is actually a twin weapon, which means that Red somehow was able to procure her sets on the other twin, making the timing and disguise absolutely perfect.
On the Halloween side, the students go to recover from injuries and pay their respects to Red. The Boogeymen however, seem to be intent on keeping the Hunters situation as well as Red's death a secret, and are willing to put the school under suspension if anyone so breathes a word to the public...
Red planned the field trip a while back, but waited for two reasons: the first was to lure the Hunters in. As Aria, she dropped hints that the Halloween students were on a field trip to visit an Ancient that slept within the Haunted House. Ancients are creatures of Fear so powerful, they cannot become useable weapons but instead can be unleashed for other purposes. Red disguised as Aria was confident that she could lure the Hunters in, and defeat both Hunter expedition leaders that came along by trapping them in the Haunted House. Her thinking was already unstable.
Thus the two groups began their separate ways, the Halloween students wary of being bait again (though they were not wrong in thinking so), and the Hunters ready to capture the Ancient. The Hunters set up the camp with a weapons conversion apparatus. They captured the thirteen guardians of the Soul Harvester and imprisoned them, torturing and then converting each one into a weapon per day in order to lure the Ancient out. Meanwhile, students and trainees wandered the Haunted House, students simply being told to "grow stronger", while Hunters scoured for the Soul Harvester's presence. Dr. H was also delighted to get new Fear samples in the form of students and boos, these were quickly caged in the tent as well.
At last the Soul Harvester could not wait any longer. She recruited students to help her, as she alone was too large a target, and raided the Hunter's base camp. However, she was captured by the Hunter's traps, and many students suffered injuries, although they did manage to free their fellow students who got captured. The biggest problem with her plan was they could not get out, and she had trapped herself to the Hunter's mercy.
What Hunters did not realise was that the Haunted House actually had two Ancients. The Soul Harvester of the domain of space and Clockwork, the ghost of time. The Soul Harvester asked for Clockwork's help: though the two entities acted separately, he agreed on the one condition that it was a one time deal. He would save the students and grant her one last wish: to redo the Gauntlet so that the students would both be saved and that she would perish, not falling to the hands of the Hunters. She agreed and bet her life, the life of an Ancient, on it.
Thus the entire Gauntlet event was redone. Clockwork fulfilled her wish and rewrote only that very specific moment in time: as per the conditions of the Soul Harvester's wish. He brought the Ancient of Space's students into the area, and placed them in that severed pocket of time. But like any time rewrite, events went quite differently than before. Not only did the Soul Harvester get captured, Dr. H managed to unleash several of his experiments and test subjects on the students. However, with the sheer numbers of students this time, and the awareness that some had of the original Gauntlet timeline, they were able to overpower the Life Hunter and his team. In addition, they managed to find the generator and stop, thus effectively forcing Dr. H to make his move too: retreating, destroying their own base, and then reprogramming the Hunter pendants to return to the Island. Thus the Hunters lost that side of the battle, and the Soul Harvester as well, who fulfilled her part of the bargain and disappeared from time and space.
However, that was only half the battle. Though the Hunters had suffered in terms of numbers being split, in the domain of Space, Caelius was still waiting to trap the Halloween students that Aria had given him a tip on. His group successfully pulled off the mission: Aria came and congratulated them. However, Caelius was after a larger sort of bait: Aria/Red herself. Ironically, it had been Red's plan all along to trap HIM, but the fight did not go as planned. Red's weapon, which she had stolen from the Hunters, backfired, instead of her using the weapon, the weapon used her, until it absorbed her entirely.
In its place a new creature was created, one that combined the Fears of both Red's Hunter weapon and Red herself. Unfortunately, since Hunter weapons were only meant for Hunters to wield, the side effect was Insanity as well. Red lashed out at the students who tried to help her, and the Hunters who fought against her. Her weapon whispered to her and urged her to destroy everyone. As the battle continued, Red realised she could never free herself from the monstrosity she had merged into, her only freedom was destroying herself - and the weapon and Insanity with it - and so she did, turning into stone, though her attacks and the efforts of the students managed to fight off all the Hunters, at least for this round. The Hunters retreated, and the weary Amityville students readied themselves home. Red was dead, but the gym instructor would have been proud to know that they did indeed, learn to grow stronger.
Meanwhile as the Hunters returned to home base, it was reported that Aria was a double agent. It turns out that Aria's weapon is actually a twin weapon, which means that Red somehow was able to procure her sets on the other twin, making the timing and disguise absolutely perfect.
On the Halloween side, the students go to recover from injuries and pay their respects to Red. The Boogeymen however, seem to be intent on keeping the Hunters situation as well as Red's death a secret, and are willing to put the school under suspension if anyone so breathes a word to the public...
October Metaplot Growth Points
The OOC:
The October Meta has finally come to an end. Both Amityville Students and Hunters alike gained valuble information and experience on this expedition. But at what cost? Research was lost, a professor was killed... And that is just the start of it.
Those that participated with enrolled characters are eligible for growth points. If you won a character during the course of the event, then you are NOT eligible for growth points to be put towards your new character. But on the flip side, you did manage to score some sweet Halloween minipets!
The staff wishes to thank you again for participating and playing in the shop's one year anniversary! Here's to another year!
The Growth Point Break Down:
If your student...
Posted in either Halloween or Hunter intro ORP: 3 points
Made at least three posts in their group room: 3 points
Fought a Boo: 2 points
Participated in any of the Finale Threads: 3 points
Fought against one of the Finale Bosses (Gauntlet/Boo Buster/Red): 2 points
The maximum points your student can get is 13!
The least is 2!
