EVENT #21: SPECTER - IC LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #21 - Specter

OOC Event Log ⦁ Nocwich

In light of the odd happenings throughout September, it might take a few days or longer for you to notice that yet more is going on. Perhaps you catch your neighbor walking out of their house in a daze at midnight, or the bartender tells you his wife went missing two days ago. Maybe the fisherman claims he found his friend staring into the lake in horror before wading into the water and nearly drowning.

Whether you investigate further or dismiss the stories, you soon find yourself confronting some hauntings of your own.

Participating in the hauntings is optional! For players who wish to opt-out, characters can help others or attend the Eifstide festivities. You may also play with the onset aspects only. The hauntings do not need to escalate beyond the onset stage.

Haunting Echoes

For some of you, the incidents don't stop with your neighbors. They begin to impact you, as well. Indeed, after the eerie effects of the Heralds, you might even think they've returned. However, you realize this appears to go beyond Gods or spells. Instead, it's as if the land itself is crying out...the echoes of which you are absorbing.

How affected you are depends on how vulnerable you might be to such specters, the number of regrets or fears you have, and how much of your past follows you into the world of Abraxas.

Onset

Whether it begins while you're awake or asleep, or both, the effects are subtle at the start. You might shake it off as a lack of sleep or a trick of the light before you understand what's truly going on.

◎ Waking Visions

If awake, you'll notice it first in shadows and reflections. Mirrors and windows are common sources, but it can be anything where you might glimpse yourself in its surface: the blade of your sword, a polished dinner plate, or the side of some steel machinery.

What do you see? Is it the face of a terrible monster? Your own corrupted features? Someone you lost who's returned? It might not be a person at all. You might catch a splatter of blood across the sawblade you're using that isn't there. You may see your eyes bleeding when brushing your hair in the mirror or spiders crawling from the ceiling.

Alternatively, your glimpses might be surprisingly pleasing rather than frightening. As you apply your makeup, you find it looks incredibly nice - a surprise when you normally struggle to like how you appear. Of course, as you walk by a shop window later, you realize, to your confusion, that your lipstick is smeared, as though applied wrong. How could that happen? What's your real image? You may need to ask someone to discern the reality.

None of these tricks will last long. They could be accompanied by whispers or be solely visual.

◎ Lucid Dreams

While dark and frightening imagery can occur in your dreams, other aspects may be involved. For instance:

If you often have trouble sleeping, you'll notice that while you've more easily started falling asleep, you also dream immediately. You may find it difficult to tell when you're awake or not. You "dream" of sitting down to read a book...then discover that the pages are bleeding or the ghost of someone you lost appears over your shoulder. When you jolt awake, you're right where you dozed off on the same couch, book in hand. Everything is normal once more.

If you're prone to nightmares, you might experience something unusual: your dreams begin to take on some oddly cheerful aspects. Bright flowers bloom where you usually dream of corpses, or your stormy skies become sunny. The incongruous images might cause the scene to feel more unsettling. They can either overtake the dream or appear in subtler ways.

Most significantly, regardless of your experiences when asleep, they are strangely vivid. Further, you have to wonder, are you seeing glimpses of someone else's dreams overlapping with yours? Like ink bleeding through a page, the imagery creeping into your dreams could belong to another Summoned and vice versa. As the days continue, you might even see that person for brief periods.

Escalation

As the hauntings grow stronger, the effects equally increase in frequency and intensity.

◎ Whether they're visions or dreams, the brief and unusual flashes grow more frequent, last longer, or increase in intensity. Soon, you begin to see things that aren't there. You start to question reality. You find yourself in places you don't remember traveling to. Perhaps you end up at the market stalls with no memory of how you got there...or somewhere more dangerous, like the ocean or the forest. It may be that you're sleepwalking, or you could simply be following a nonexistent figure without realizing it.

◎ Other Summoned begin to see what you do. Eventually, they become drawn into your visions or dreams - or you into theirs. Your visions start to blend into a surrealist experience and you become trapped in the scene. You realize that danger lurks nearby, but your ability to affect or control your environment is limited. After all, you don't know that this is a dream. It feels so very real, though you may recognize that some of what's happening shouldn't be possible. You'll have to rely on each other and your wits to make it.

When inside a waking vision or lucid dream, characters will not know that it's an illusion regardless of how impossible the scenario or events might be. They'll behave as if the stakes are real.

Players can write the dreams and visions however they wish. The danger can be genuinely serious or something lighthearted that characters treat solemnly. For example, characters could be attacked by a monster or they could be fleeing from a giant chihuahua that's a manifestation of somebody's fear of dogs. The atmosphere of the thread is entirely up to you!

Dispelling

As you navigate the illusion you're trapped in, you eventually stumble across an Arcana sign. By now, you're familiar with the symbols. The one you see depends on what choice you made during the previous event: it may belong to you, it may belong to the person you're with, or it might be that of Justice - the Arcanum of Zorne, the Herald of Last Blood.

It'll appear anywhere: floating in the air, hidden in a vault that needs to be cracked, or held in the mouth of a dangerous animal. Regardless, you understand instinctively that you must retrieve it and that it's the only thing that'll help you. There could be multiple Arcana signs if the others with you manifest their own, but only you can activate yours.

There won't be any doubt which one is yours, either. The symbol's shape will carry an identifying mark somewhere on it or around it that you know inherently belongs to you, such as runes in your native tongue, your family crest, or equivalent.

The moment you reach for it, it begins to heat up until you can hardly stand it. Then it shatters, leaving behind the very thing you need to break free of this vision or dream once and for all.

See the Plotting Post for an OOC explanation of how the dispelling mechanic works and the impact of previous choices.

Eifstide

Although the incidents can be disturbing, the majority of Abraxas is either unaffected or only mildly affected. Most are preoccupied with the upcoming Eifstide celebration. Additionally, Nocwich has opened its doors for the Summoned to enjoy their version of Eifstide. They intend to provide a brief haven for any who want to get away from the troubles of war for a bit.

Of course, this doesn't mean everyone's safe. If you catch your neighbor walking off in a daze, you should probably try to help. You might also hear about a child who's run off and gone missing or somebody operating dangerous magical equipment at the lumber mill.

For aiding locals, players are free to come up with scenarios on their own. Situations may occur in the major three territories or Nocwich. If you have any questions or require further details, just ask!

Eifstide in the Major Territories

Thorne

Throughout THORNE, the cities and towns turn red and orange with decorations befitting the season, with garlands hanging between lampposts and awnings. Carved gourds are placed on windowsills and in entranceways of homes and businesses alike, with the gentle flickering of magical flames inviting family and friends to come in and enjoy a cup of warm cider. Eifstide is a happy fare, a time to gather and share in the company of the people you care about the most and share what you have with strangers.

Children run around in cobbled-together costumes of old clothing and hats, mimicking the university students of Hayle or the scarecrows that now stand as décor throughout the town. This year, though, they may ask for something from you to add to their costume: your trusty hammer, a feathered hat, or your scarf. They'll also Roam from house to shop to market, asking for Blessings in the form of treats and toys from anyone they see. The most popular blessing is the dolls, whose outfits and designs change year to year. Possessing the prettiest or best-made doll is a sure status symbol in the following months.

The spirit of the season peaks during the street fair on the final night. A plethora of seasonal goods like pastries and sugared nuts, jars of preserves and pickled vegetables, and crafts made from natural materials are sold for cheap so that patrons of all classes can enjoy them. Shop to your heart's content! The night concludes with the releasing of the lanterns into the sky, a symbol of carrying the light of summer into the darkness of the incoming winter.

In Nott and Borrel, the festivities are nearly the same as that by Castle Thorne, if with a more nautical flair. There's far more seafood available, and popular costumes include sailors and mermaids. They send their lanterns over the sea, and it's common to give little strands of unsellable pearls as a blessing.

Additionally, Queen Lia is rumored to be visiting Nott this year, but without the usual royal fanfare or her husband. She can be spotted in town, dressed plainly and giving Blessings to the children or encouraging her own children to explore the sights. Nonetheless, as the Queen of Thorne, she's followed by a few guards wherever she goes. While they do their best not to intrude, they're not difficult to pick out.

The Free Cities

In THE FREE CITIES, the weeks leading up to Eifstide provide a boost in local trade and commerce. Even with the unprecedented inflation due to recent conflicts, the markets are full and lively as citizens of every standing buy up all the party supplies that they can. Dark costumes depicting older periods in history are always popular while the grim decorations often contain a touch of humor like smiling skulls or signs that cheekily say "wish you were here" over a tombstone. Despite the dark and mysterious energy, Eifstide is undeniably a celebratory affair in the Free Cities. Locals may ask for assistance in hanging decorations or carrying supplies from the markets and storehouses. Just don't be surprised if a few good-natured pranks happen along the way. Usually, this involves children jumping out of bushes in "frightening" costumes or making scary noises from behind the trees.

Recent incidents aside, local museums continue with their plans to host macabre exhibits and art walks. If you have your own pieces to contribute, donations are highly encouraged. This year also includes a ghost tour in each city. The tour in Cadens follows the final path of a platoon defending the outskirts, Aquila's tour follows the exploits of a charming con man who met his end fleeing from authorities, and the tour in Libertas follows the sad story of a starving artist who famously cut off their drawing hand to force themselves to paint in a new way. Tours are scheduled regularly and can be joined at any time with only a small donation!

Parties held in individual homes are also popular. They frequently spill out into the streets and strangers are usually invited inside - including the Summoned. Laughter can be heard from dusk until dawn. Seances and spirit boards are common. Ironically, the spirit boards are twice as popular this year due to the eerie phenomenon that occurred last month. It seems all the frights and rumors have only made people more eager than ever to try their luck, hoping that it means they'll be able to contact a real ghost for once. You might be asked to join as an observer or direct participant.

Solvunn

In SOLVUNN, Eifstide is a somber occasion. In contrast to the festivities of Thorne and The Free Cities, the end of the harvest is when death walks amongst the living. The lighthearted attitude about getting the work done before noon is almost gone, its residents working harder and longer hours as if a fire was being lit under their feet. Children may take time from lessons to help and any volunteers from the Summoned are welcome and almost expected. Whether it be harvesting crops, turning the earth, delivering goods, or tending to livestock, everyone must do their part before proper preparations can begin.

In the days leading into Eifstide, wreaths of branches and bone are carefully crafted and hung upon the doors and walkways about houses and any buildings where animals sleep. Lines of salt or soot are placed in front of the door and the hearth. The work can be done by any family member or friend but a Summoned's hand is considered blessed, so your involvement would be pivotal to the particularly pious.

Daylight hours are spent in small groups with family and neighbors in quiet contemplation and reverence. The elders ask for Summoned volunteers to assist with warding rituals. You can decline if you wish, but locals will doubtlessly feel more secure seeing you smudge with sage around the Settlements. At night, all stay indoors and don the masks they created the days prior. This is to confuse any gods and spirits should they not be deterred by the wards on the doorways.

On the night of Eifstide, all gather at the center of the Primary Settlement where the Council members perform sacrifices of small animals born the week prior, each doing their ritual for the safety and prosperity of their settlement as well as for those who reside there.

Eifstide in Nocwich

Eifstide isn't as large of a celebration in Nocwich as Wintertide, but the Lunae and Ikorrans still observe a few traditions. For the werewolves of Luna, Eifstide is about hunting, while for the vampires of Ikorr, Eifstide is about memories.

Oleuni Square

Traditions in Oleuni Square are tailored for visitors rather than the culture of either Luna or Ikorr. As a result, you'll find a wide array of treats, drinks, and decorations not unlike what's available in your home territory with the usual Nocwich twist: glowing flowers, decorative bottles of blood wine, and appropriately spooky "dolls" knit from yarn spun using werewolf fur.

Tattoo artists will also offer discount prices for their unique glowing tattoos with set designs themed for the holiday season. If you pass by one of their booths, you'll be coaxed to take a look and consider getting a piece!

Taverns, inns, and gambling dens will also offer themed specially themed cocktails, including a delicious apple cider and spiced wine. All in all, the Square is bustling with tourists eager to leave behind the troubles of war and spend a few days enjoying themselves.

Luna

To prepare for the upcoming winter, hunting is an important part of fall. Thus, Eifstide in Luna has been structured around this need. The werewolves demonstrate their connection to Solvunn by also donning masks made of bone and antler during this period. However, rather than for any ceremonial reason, the masks are worn by hunting parties instead. They're seen as a symbol of good luck.

If you're interested in joining a hunting party, the Lunae will be happy to have you along. You'll be warned that it can be dangerous and that they won't slow down or stop if you fall behind. If you can keep up, though, you'll get the chance to hunt a variety of beasts in several forests around Luna. The most popular animal to hunt is the Fisceime. Wildly populous and destructive to the environment in large numbers, hunting them is an important aspect of maintaining the ecosystem.

Should you not be the hunting type, you can instead visit the Trail of Unseen Eyes. Here, masks from previous hunting parties over the years are displayed along a path that winds around all of Luna. Following this trail will take you to some beautiful views and popular spots in which you can dine or shop.

If you're the collector type, you can obtain a small booklet containing lovely sketches of specific masks and a small hint as to where they might be. Participating shops and inns will stamp your booklet if you can locate the shop displaying the mask matching the one in your booklet. Earn enough stamps and you'll receive a modest gift basket filled with cured meats, cheeses, and jams!

Ikorr

Due to the long-lived nature of vampires, typical concepts of spirits and the dead are not a part of Eifstide. Instead, Ikorrans revisit the past by sharing old memories. Many will use the opportunity to visit a friend they haven't seen recently or recreate an important event in their history. Couples might dine at a restaurant where they had their first date or a group of friends might dress in the same outfits they wore to a memorable party years ago.

Though your memories may not be as from long ago, you're invited to do the same. Why not recreate a fond memory with a friend?

You can also honor old memories by weaving a wreath of flowers using the unique glowing blooms that grow in Ikorr. Use colors and florals that remind you of someone or something important. You're encouraged to describe what you're making. It's considered not only polite to provide an answer when asked, but it's also courteous to ask others in return about what they're making.

Once your wreath is complete, you can take it home or gift it to someone. Those who carry a wreath in Ikorr will receive tokens from shops and stalls they visit. The tokens consist of small samples of desserts, miniature bottles of wine, beautiful colored crystals, and scented candles.

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Comments

CLOSED ⚝ yennefer

[thoughts]

[ adjusting to life in nott hasn't been terribly difficult for river, given that she's already accepted a life on the lam back in her own sphere and it's easy enough to find things to occupy her time. especially now that she can finally leave the house freely without worrying quite as much about being caught by the guards ( although she's still careful, of course, even if only to continue practicing her stealth skills with thancred ), she's plenty content to explore the town and find her own misadventures every day.

it's hard, being away from istredd and wilhelm and her other friends in the castle. life certainly isn't as comfortable or extravagant, and she's still getting used to the hustle and bustle, the noise and the smell of living seaside. but generally speaking, things are okay.

at least, they are at first. living in close quarters with yennefer, sharing a room and sleeping together, she'll see the worst of it as things rapidly decline. river has a hard enough time sleeping already, often making pathetic whimpering sounds or jerking awake very suddenly with a scream caught in her throat. but the dreams get worse and her waking hours find her slipping deeper into paranoia and schizophrenia, startling at things that aren't there or arguing with no one, screaming and crying and breaking things in the worst of her fits.

she's always apologetic on the other side of it, lost and confused as she feels the fraying threads of her mind loosen even further. she hates being this way and she's afraid - afraid of everything around her and afraid of what's inside too, what it means for her health to deteriorate this way and what terrible things she might do if she loses all control. she's probably soaked yennefer's pillows and shoulders a dozen times by now as she weeps about it, trying and failing to explain something she doesn't understand herself.

but today has been quiet, for the most part. they've been working together on some potions and tidying up a bit, packaging things to be delivered over the next few days, when river disappears around the time the sun starts going down. if yennefer goes looking, she'll find her in the bedroom, along with a third of her closet strewn about the room as river seems to be rifling through yennefer's clothes. she's halfway into one of her older dresses, something that's less ornate and a bit worn down that makes it perfect for the purposes of a costume, struggling to get everything buttoned or laced in the back.

there's a large hat sitting at the head of the bed, the only other piece of this impromptu costume that may hint at whatever is happening here. river probably notices yennefer enter the room but doesn't say anything or stop shuffling around as she tries to finish putting on the dress. ]

[vixening]

[ the settling of cassian and river into yennefer's life was simultaneously effortless and monumental. river, especially, fits into yennefer's life like a well-worn cloak, a pattern that they build together and yennefer is used to living in. which is not to say that ciri and river are anything alike, but yennefer finds the pillars of it, the comparisons, which allows her a starting place when it comes to their lives. the nightmares, the visions, the immeasurable power - yennefer know how it feels to nearly drown under the weight of it, how vulnerable they can be while asleep.

river may or may not have noticed, but yennefer is quick to respond - quick to pull the girl to her chest, to hum soft lullabies, to sing spells of peace, of sleep, of settled minds. it does not escape yennefer's notice how, as the days have gone on, the magic is less efficient, less useful. river's screams get louder, more desperate, and there is less and less that yennefer's able to do to ease them.

she refuses river's apologies, writing off any kind of blame or worry the girl might carry on the other side, and they continue on their way. instead, she puts them both to work - gives river physical, tangible things to put her mind to. they're all tired, yes, but that is hardly reason to let the work go undone.

yennefer notices it herself - the depth of her own dreams, the nightmares that cling to her even when woken. her mind immediately turns to some illusionary magic, to find some way to ward their house more fully against it, but if they are singularity-born there will be very little else they can do. instead, yennefer finds herself sleeping less - the calm moments fewer and far between, but not altogether gone. she spells away the tearstains, greets river like she would any other morning, and lets her own mind spin through possible solutions.

it had been a good day, really. yennefer and river took over most of the house - various potions and fires and mixtures and components moving around the space in a sort of organized chaos. river was talented when it came to the experimentation of it, and coupled with yennefer's magic and extra, invisible hands, usually these days ended with more product that they needed.

yennefer is about to say as much - something about if river wants to take some of the potions for herself, with how quick she's become - when she notices the girl's disappeared back into their room. yennefer, curious, finishes the few things she'd been mid-working on, and wanders back to their room. she comes to a stop in the doorway, watches as river shuffles around, mid-into one of yennefer's older dresses that she'd brought with her to nott. it's not until she sees the hat on the bed that she puts together what's happening, her brow only partially raised when she meets river's gaze. ]

You could have asked for help. [ she says after a moment, her mouth turned up into a playful look. she takes a breath, putting on a somewhat put-out air as she steps inside the room, approaching river to get a better view of the dress she chose, the direction she's going in. ] And you can do much better. Here- stand here. [ yennefer takes river's wrist, pulls her to the center of the room and lifts her arms out, like she's showing the old, worn down dress off. ]

You didn't tell me you had plans.

[thoughts]

[ yennefer's efforts to comfort and console her don't go unnoticed, even if they don't always register in the moment of river's distress. it reminds her of what wanda said her brother would do, pulling her to his chest when things got too loud so she could listen to his thoughts first as he sung for her. river tries to focus on that, on yennefer's voice and the warm embrace of her arms and her magic.

it all feels so familiar, from a life that was not theirs, a future river hopes will not come to pass while desperately missing parts of it as things change dramatically in this timeline. the former monarchs were not assassinated, they did not move to nott, and most despairingly, they did not leave istredd behind.

he's been helping her work on her mental defenses for so long that being here without him, not having his guidance and calming presence as an all too familiar madness seems to grip her mind - it seems impossible, almost unfair that yennefer is left to deal with it on her own. river has always felt like a burden on them, on cassian and simon, those foolish enough to love her when she is a walking disaster that will only bring ruin to their lives.

so she keeps her head down. tries to be helpful, tries to clean ( when she isn't the one trashing the place ) and cook to varying degrees of success. practicing magic and brewing potions with yennefer is fun and honestly, life in nott has mostly been good, so she really is trying to make it through these darker days.

the eifstide festivals are an excellent distraction, so river smiles faintly when yennefer comes in to help her get dressed. she's dead exhausted, from the deep shadows on her face to her sluggish movements, but there's still a childlike innocence to the way river looks up to yennefer as she goes stands there; she is dressing up as her for eifstide, after all. ]

It's an unplan. Didn't know it was Halloween until all the other kids showed up to school in costumes.

[ except that it's not halloween and she's not in school, but shh the point stands. ]

I tried to find one you wouldn't miss, but they all miss you. This one has been sulking in the corner for a while.

[vixening]

[ gentle coaxing does not come easily to yennefer - which may be why, even as she comforts river in the worst of her episodes, even as her magic seeps into her with an almost insistent calm, yennefer isn't surprised to know it doesn't solve the problem. magic is never that simple, and more than that, yennefer does not know that sort of softness. not enough to be confident that it is enough, no matter what those false memories might lead her to believe.

yennefer knows what it is to face uncertainty, knows how complicated it can feel, how unsettled the mind can become when all you can do is survive. she can feel the way river misses istredd in the very air, and yennefer also knows there is nothing more can do to help. the lack of istredd feels like a physical force, a weight that follows the two girls around, no matter what they do, and wrapped up in that is a familiar sense of guilt. that somehow yennefer's decisions, however far back they wish to take the source, is what has led them all to this place.

it's not the truth, but that hardly matters when she knows that if istredd were here, river wouldn't be struggling like she is. wouldn't have such a force and power behind that madness. but instead of admitting as much, the ego in her keeps them all moving ahead, keeps her moving forward.

they make a life where they can, make due where they can't, and each day is something new. something domestic and soft and something yennefer is wholly unsuited for, and also a new challenge. yennefer does take great pride in seeing how quickly river takes to the alchemic practices, how easily mixing potions is for her. what had once been yennefer's distraction in the castle, a kind of instruction she spread out across mages and summoned alike, now focused entirely on river.

this, however, is something else entirely - something that yennefer does, actually, feel quite suited for. ]

Ah- well. Let me help with this unplan, then. [ the almost riddles that river leans to have become second nature to yennefer at this point, though she seems particularly receptive to the whole idea of it. she walks around river, eyeing the fit and material, noticing the stains and rips in the seams. yennefer hadn't found need to keep up with these dresses, as of late - her clothes more needed for use and structure, for warmth and comfort - than anything else.

but river says costume and yennefer... well. when yennefer stops, seemingly content with what she has seen, she reaches out and runs her fingers along river's arm - from wrist to shoulder, then across her collar bone and down her other arm. in the wake of her fingertips, the fabric starts to shift, changing from thick wool and linen to silks and satins, intricate patterns weaving themselves into the threads as they watch. ]

This one needed some improvements, and if you're to be in costume, you might as well dress the part.

[ with both hands, yennefer sets her palms on each side of river's ribs and slides her hands down each side, letting the magic - and in its place, the fabric - tumble down and outward. it all takes a matter of twenty, maybe thirty seconds, and when yennefer seems done enough with her handiwork she takes a step back, surveying. where river had moments before been clad in something worn and older, she now stands dressed in something that even yennefer herself hasn't worn in some time. ]

Better.

[thoughts]

[ river can't help but think of her mother as she stands there for yennefer's inspection. she thinks of dance recitals and picture days, important dinners with important people and other such things that required a level of respectability, whatever it took to present themselves as the perfect nuclear family.

she couldn't be further away from that life than she is now. not only on the run from the authorities again, but in another 'verse entirely living with a bunch of virtual strangers in a rickety fishing town that regan tam would never step foot in.

river thinks of her mother but she doesn't think of the word "home." that word lost all meaning and she isn't sure if she'll ever find it again.

but as she watches yennefer work, her eyes going wide and sparkling with awe as the dress begins to change beneath her fingertips, river feels like that spoiled little girl again and wonders if this is the closest she'll ever get. her life with istredd and yennefer in castle thorne was just a dream. river and cassian will leave this house eventually and who knows how long they'll stay in nott to begin with, if they'll find a way out of thorne someday the way istredd believes they should.

perhaps it's only a fleeting moment, but river stands there in yennefer's dress - not the one she put on but the one yennefer made for her in her own image - and she feels all of the kind, gentle things yennefer thinks she isn't capable of as her magic washes over her. when it's all said and done, river holds up her arms and circles around to get a look at the dress in its new form, then beams at yennefer. ]

It's like an old fable. Does this make you the fairy godmother?

[ there's a little bit of a joke or a tease in it, or maybe something akin to the semi-serious way river had asked yennefer if the singularity is their mother that very first time they met what feels like ages ago. they're in a much different place now. river smiles at yennefer, her eyes darkened with exhaustion but full of so much love, and regan tam isn't really the one that comes to mind when she thinks about her mother. ]