Throughout the middle of the month, from August 11th through the 25th, a number of thefts are happening around town. It's an ongoing problem despite efforts to stop them and catch the thieves, especially when their actions are even more confusing.

A. Carnival Fun. Available during the weekend only (first few days of arrivals), the carnival is open and hosting a special Date Auction event, allowing people to bid on others. While "sign-ups" for the auction are closed, guests are still free to look and enjoy the rides. Beware the handcuffs! (Refer to the log for full prompts. You can use them for your toplevels here.)

B. Stolen Goods. Whether it's from a house, an office, on the street, or even on their person, personal items are somehow being stolen. These are items that hold strong emotional ties to the owner, and these "items" can even be people or animals! We will be asking what was stolen during AC.

🏃‍♂️Catch that thief!! While most of the thieves are quick and sly, some miss their mark and can be spotted before they get away. They appear to be small fairies of different races and species, so it's no wonder they are able to get around so quickly. Try and chase after them before they escape! Note: it is possible to catch the thieves and interrogate them. Answers will be doled out for those who signed up! We will be asking for who caught the thieves during AC.
🔎 Searching High and Low. Sometimes the thief ends up dumping the goods to escape, but they do so in the most annoying ways—dropping them down into the sewage system, thrown on top of some building's roof, deep into the bushes. It sucks, but there is only one way to get it back.

C. Bubblegum Fountain. The fountain found in the Plaza is malfunctioning, the water turning into multicolored bubblegum, and at some point there's a loud explosion before it completely overflows. It's spilling out all over, causing a sticky mess, but that's not all—this seems to be the ultimate dumping grounds for the stolen items. Whether the thefts were a prank or not, that remains to be seen.

💥 Break up the gum. Needless to say, trying to walk onto the gum will result in anyone getting stuck with everyone else that got caught in it. But if it could be hardened up somehow, it could be broken apart to help free those and create a path—before it fills up again. Dreamotion will be key here.
🎈 Bubble Up! Large bubbles are blowing up from the top of the fountain, absorbing anything in its path. It's so sticky and bouncy that anything caught inside could actually bounce around in it, but can't break out. Even their dreamotion won't work. Only those on the outside will be able to catch and pop them, once again needing dreamotion as all other items will either be absorbed or bounce right off. Try not to get caught!

D. Library Security Malfunction. Turns out, various books from the library were also being taken, and it triggered the security system. However, the entire thing has malfunctioned and there is a bit of a mess there now, too.

📖 Flying Books. It's been a while, but anyone in the library will have to deal with the books flying off their shelves and attacking anyone near them. It's clearly the books are frightened, so spreading some calm dreamotion while catching them will help calm them down.
🦉 Owl Security. The Tree of Stories' security team consists of large owls, but they've recently deployed some golems in response to the recent noctaere attacks. Unfortunately, those golems are malfunctioning and destroying everything, tossing bookshelves and throwing tables. The only way to stop them is beat them down, even destroy them if needed.
🏃‍♀️ Getting In and Out. Another issue is that all entrances—doors and windows—are locked and sealed tight. No one can get in and out, and brute force won't cut it. One of the owl librarians manages to get out through the aid of a special flower pollen that allows those doused in it to shrink and traverse through the cracks. It will dust anyone who is brave enough, and fortunate the path is straightforward. Just beware of any bugs that might follow along…they are quite big at this size after all.

If stealing physical objects (and people) wasn't enough, on the night of the 25th, everyone will experience a strange phenomenon with their dreams. Regardless of what they are dreaming, a strange, cloaked figure will appear and seem to pluck something in the air that transforms into some kind of object—a piece of their dream. Immediately the dreamer will feel a strange emptiness, as if some part of them was taken, and soon after the mysterious figure will disappear through an opening that appears in the dream. This will prompt the dreamer to chase after it, desperate to get back what was taken, but when they go through the opening, they find themselves in an entirely new dreamscape made of dark woods. We'll be taking note of lost dreams during AC.

A. Forest Labyrinth. The woods turn out to be more than that, as the further they go the more it is revealed to be a strange mishmash of forest settings and is filled with various obstacles that need to get past. Perhaps some familiar "set pieces" can be seen. Sometimes the figures can be seen going through these obstacles, or the dreamer's stolen "dream" may have been caught and left there. Dreamers will be drawn to go through it and will need some assistance—and some dreamwalking manipulation.

🏰 Tower. Somewhere in the giant forest is a tall tower with no obvious door, but there is a window at the very top. Peeking through that window may be the dreamer's missing "object," or perhaps the thief itself. But how do they get up there? (And then back down—)
🌹 Maze of Thorns. Some may run into a large maze of thorns that runs from one end to the other and rises high up into the sky. There are a few places that are clear entrances, and those who dare—or must—to enter will find it wide enough to walk through. However it's dark, and the thorny vines seem to move and shift, changing the path. Time to create some light and find a way through. Cutting through is possible, but manipulating the vines is also doable. Just mind the thorns…they are sharp and one's dream may be stuck on one.
🌲 The Black Forest. Another area is dark and ominous. No amount of light manifested seems to be enough, but those with brighter dispositions and dreams can become beacons themselves. The thieves who rush through here use the stolen dreams as lights so they are easy to spot, and those that are dropped can be found high in the trees. Just beware the big, bad wolf that lurks, for it is actually a shadow formed by the nightmares of those traversing through this dreamscape. It can be dispersed by and destroyed, but it will appear again. (This prompt could be used to either have a dream setup for characters to enter, or it could be characters entering an unknown NPC dream together and players can create a random dream setting to work with.)

B. Tikbalang. Though hidden beneath their shrouds at first, perceptive dreamers might be able to catch a flash masking the thief's face from view. During the chase, it's easy to notice that the thief is fast, faster than one would anticipate, running at the speed of a horse. And did their body just elongate suddenly? Little do they know that these thieves are actually Tikbalang, a half-human, half-horse humanoid creature, with a horse head, hooved feet, and disproportionately long limbs. They seem to be making their way towards a portal within the woods where another Tikbalang lies in wait, guarding the entrance.

🐴 Turned Around. While giving chase, the Tikbalang will try to lead dreamers astray in an attempt to shake them off their tails. Didn't you just pass by that tree a moment ago? While it may be hard to keep track of them because of their speed, their large figure may help give them away as they hide behind the foliage and canopies above. Should one be able to corner it, the Tikbalang transforms into an inconspicuous human of fey, pretending to be lost in the woods as well. Hoof prints on the ground may serve as a giveaway that the creature is still in the area.
🏇 Taming the Beast. Once a Tikbalang is caught, it will attempt to get away towards the portal. However, there are a few ways to try to turn them on your side to tame them. One could test their endurance by attempting to ride the horse creature as it tries to buck the dreamer off their backs. If they are able to stay on long enough, they will admit defeat and return the item that was stolen. Otherwise, dreamers may try to find the elusive banana tree in the forest, uproot it, and attempt to use it as a mace against the Tikbalang. If the creature is knocked out by the banana tree, the item may be plucked off its body. We'll be asking who were able to tame the Tikbalang during AC.

C. Saving Dreams. Those within the dreamscape may try to help prevent others from becoming victims, and they have the chance to stop a thief attempting to enter a dream. The cloaked figures will have a knife that tears into space, creating an opening that would allow them to enter the dream. Either people can try and stop the thief before they enter, or jump into the opening to stop them. Of course, this means they are now dreamwalking into someone's dream, and the unaware dreamer may either recognize what's going on, or still be immersed in the dream and be confused.