It's the spoopiest time of the year, and that means... It's time to Scare The Storytellers!
We're tweaking the contest a little this year, so new and veteran spacers alike should read the following very carefully!
WHAT WE WANT:
The legend of a *creature* so haunting, so terrifying, and so certainly misunderstood that it has a storied place around spooky campfires and in the whispered nightmare hearts of the Sector's inhabitants. But then we also want the truth.
Think of... the Loch Nes Monster. Is it truly a ravenous beast of the depths the destroys ships and ends the lives of men, or is it a hunk of floating wood mid-identified by an easily spooked crew member? Many common folklore can be explained away by an overly rational skeptic, but their mystery remains!
We're looking for you to pick an actual area in Starmourn, consider its existing mobs and denizens, and draft a campfire legend born of shadows and shifting sight.
Along with this new contest format, a new NPC named Genti Milto will linger at the great Bonfire of Paperweight each October. After this kickoff, Genti will give players the chance to choose a hunt every year, and will spin YOUR tales of woe and intrigue before sending you off. This will be a new opportunity to include your ideas in lore AND earn new Honors lines!
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
- Character Name: [Name]
- The In-Game Creature: [Mob Name]
- The In-Game Area: [Area Name]
- The Legendary Creature: [Your Legend's Name]
- The Legend: [The tale told about your Legend]
- The Truth: [Where the legend comes from / What's actually the cause ]
- Extra Flair (Optional) - This can be used to cue players in that they've found the Nightmare (like a unique sound or movement), or may inform us about the Nightmare's attacks, etc.
CONTEST RULES:
- Your entry must include ALL required information detailed above.
- One entry per player.
- Collaboration is ok, but only the person who submits the entry can win.
- No stories or creepypastas lifted directly from current Earth culture. Taking inspiration is fine, but the final product should be unique and wholly yours.
- Goes without saying, but no AI generated content. We're on the honor code here - This should come from you.
SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY:
Entries should be sent as a Pastebin, Notepad file, or Google Doc link to Argus via in game message and will be shared among game staff for judging, crying, and screaming in terror! (Not necessarily in that order.) Your deadline is 11:59pm EST on October 31st. We'll take a couple days to decide, then announce the winner!
You are welcome, though not required, to use this entry form: https://pastebin.com/4Qz19kSg
JUDGING CRITERIA:
We will be reviewing the submissions with a focus on how well built out the legend is, how appropriate the Nightmare mob is for the Area, and how truly SCARY the concept is! Feed us a campfire tale that sends shivers down our spines, spacers!
WINNING PRIZE:
The top three creatures will be created in-game as NIGHTMARES, a new seasonal mob that will be huntable for years to come in their respective areas. Once killed, the creature's true form will be revealed once you turn in its corpse to Genti and learn the truth of the legend.
As always, details about the creature will also be added to our public wiki and the main website, solidifying the fruits of your depraved imagination into game canon forever.
In addition, *everyone* who submits an entry will receive:
- 25 credits
- A special mask only available through this contest
We'll see you in the Rapadruk shadows...
Your Starmourn Admin Team
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To check out entries from previous years, you can check out the website https://www.starmourn.com/scare_the_storytellers/ or go right to the wiki https://wiki.starmourn.com/Scare_The_Storytellers!
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Example submission for the new contest format -
- Character Name: Argus, the fluffiest feracht
- The In-Game Creature: a pack of sharp-toothed reptiles
- The In-Game Area: The Saksar Jungle
- The Legendary Creature: The Consumer
- The Legend: This legend tells the tale of the Consumer, a rippling wave of teeth and fangs that devours anything it touches. Weary travelers are often lost to this being as they venture too far into the night, never to return. If you stumble across a random shoe, crunched goggles, or other lost items in your travels through Saksar, odds are that you've actually walked across all that remains of the Consumer's latest victim.
- The Truth: These dinosaurs are scavengers and travel in packs. At night amongst the foliage and ground cover of the Saksar Jungle, their scratching claws and yapping maws make a truly unnerving sound. They do attack and consume anything that crosses their path, though they often leave behind the inorganic items and stick to feasting on flesh. If seen from a distance or distorted in a hololens or campfire, the pack's undulating shadows might be misinterpreted as something like The Consumer.
- Extra Flair (Optional): The Consumer screeches as it moves and grinds against the ground. Its shadow should look like clawed fingers slicing the air in rippling waves.
