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

the bad

[monomachy]

Diana finds herself in an utterly unfamiliar place, but cannot question how she came to be there. As is the nature of dreams, she simply is, and it is enough. But she cannot ignore the crackling calls over the radio, the orange-red fire searing through the globe on the other side of the inexplicable glass. She cannot ignore, when she sees him, the sight of her friend staring out at the impending doom of that world.

Diana is not a star-farer, does not know how it is that she can see this world from the viewpoint of the gods, but none of that matters to her right now. What matters is reaching Garrus, placing her hands on those red cords to try pulling them away, and calling his name:

"Garrus! Garrus!"

[thearchangel]

He doesn't answer at first. Struggling to do something, anything against the red string, the red tape, holding him back. He can still hear the radio, and still see the looming specter of Palaven burning. He throws himself forward. Several times, before Diana's voice sinks in.

That's - not usually how this dream goes.

He whips his head around, as much as he can, given the bindings. "I have to do something," he tells her. And there's desperation in both his voices. "That - the big fire! That's where I'm from!"

Where what's left of his family was.

[monomachy]

Her calls fall on deaf ears, and it only makes the panic and fear in her chest grow. She tears at the cords binding him, but even as she pulls them away, they seem to regrow, restraining him further. When she finally breaks through to him, her heart clenches at his words. Diana has had her home attacked, violated, and knows the pain it brings. Knows that there is still a piece of her, even now, that has yet to heal.

Desperation to match his own crawls into her voice. Everything around her is unfamiliar and strange except Garrus, but she is compelled to do something, too.

"What can I do?" It comes out almost as a plea. She's still pulling fruitlessly at the red bindings. "How do I free you?"

[thearchangel]

Hell if he knows. The dream is always like this. There's always nothing he can do while the sound of his father over the radio just repeats. Sometimes it's the crew. Sometimes it's even Shepard, but more often than not, it's his family. He shakes his head, with a sort of helpless resignation.

"There's nothing," he admits. The fires seem to glow brighter. "We tried - we tried to make them listen. And look what good it did!"

Now there's bitterness. Anger. Overhead, the spindly limbs of Reapers move almost lazily into clusters of toy-sized ships, leaving slaughter and destruction in their wake.

"And even if - they didn't listen to anyone..." He blinks, suddenly, the wheels in his head turning. He'd heard her. He'd answered her, but now it's like he's really seeing her standing there for the first time. "... Diana?"

That's not how these dreams work.

[monomachy]

The anger in his voice, the helplessness--it takes her back to that day on the beach, when she'd watched her sisters go to war for the first time. Even though it was something she'd trained her whole life for, she still wasn't ready for the sight of their lifeless bodies bleeding out in the sand once all was said and done.

She remembers the life draining from Antiope's eyes as she'd held her in her arms, the exact moment she'd died and Diana's heart had cracked in an irrevocable way. Memories, feelings she hasn't let herself really acknowledge in the years since that day choke her.

But then Garrus stops, really looks at her, and she looks up into his eyes as he finally says her name, finally realizes she's there. Her hands stop on the bindings, and a pinprick of relief cuts through the agony in her chest.

"Yes, Garrus, it's me! There has to be something we can do. Just tell me how to free you." She speaks quickly, not wanting to lose this thread of recognition.

[thearchangel]

If she's here... no. It doesn't make sense. She's just one, albeit very strong, woman. Just one individual. What the hell can one person do against all of that?

There has to be something - how many times did he think that? Did all of them think that? That there was time, that planning, any amount of it, could make a difference. His birthplace is gone. The planet is a smoldering wreck. How - ?

He shakes his head, going slack against the bindings. "We're too damn late." The Reapers are here. Everything was in vain.

There's a shotgun in the dirt by his feet. One with a blade attachment. A weapon dropped, the fight given up. If Diana looks at it, so much as glances at it, light crackles over the weapon. It makes for a strange shape.

[monomachy]

It rends her heart to see him give up in that moment; Garrus has always been such a strong presence, and it doesn't feel right for him to be so defeated. It makes her want to scream, to cry, to do something to put the fire back in his eyes.

Her boot scuffs against something on the ground, and she glances down on instinct. In a moment, she sees the sign of The Empress flares across the stock.

Diana has never held a gun except to break it, but the Arcana echoes in her soul and she knows that there is a reason she saw it. For the first time since she arrived, she removes her hands from the cords binding Garrus and scoops up the weapon at her feet into her arms. She holds it awkwardly, not entirely sure where to put her hands, but determination begins to creep back into her voice. The weapon feels warm in her hands.

She notices the blade on the gun, and angles it so she can try cutting at the ropes, speaking as she does."Garrus, if that is your home, then you must fight for it. If you cannot save it now, then fight for its memory every day after."

[thearchangel]

Where hands failed, the weird new Arcana Blade (TM) seems to do much better. It's still difficult work. The ropes, the tape, the bindings, whatever they are, they're fibrous. Almost fleshy. Thankfully, they don't bleed or anything weird like that.

One of them snaps. And his head is able to turn. He's able to see more than just the burning smear of home. It's then the full scope of the fight around them is revealed. All around, other soldiers, all shapes and colors of armor, are waging battles against ugly, warped creatures - some humanoid. Some not. Neither side seems to be winning, but at least the soldiers seem to be holding their ground.

It's something.

He turns his head to fully see Diana, baffled and grateful all in one look. "I want to."

[monomachy]

Despite the resistance from the bindings, Diana feels as if she's making progress on them. When one of them finally gives out, she takes heart, and starts on another cord. Determination pushes down her panic, and she feels as if she can breathe again.

Garrus fully looks at her, and that, too, boosts her conviction.

"I will help you." She continues to saw at the bindings. "Tell me about it. We will figure out something, together."

[thearchangel]

He starts pulling again. Leaning against the ropes. One foot starts to press forward, talons raking in the dirt. For every one she cuts through, he starts to get more mobile. The soldiers fighting monsters start to gain ground.

"We warned them," he says, still straining. "Shepard warned the whole galaxy. And this - they didn't listen. So now my people get to die. Because of politics..."

At least that just seems to make him mad now. Instead of defeated.