October (Lasohm) Plotting Post

[hugtopiamods]

October (Lasohm) Plotting Post
Feel free to use this entry for plotting purposes as you please, and use the Mod Question thread below for any questions. Also, please utilize the General Plotting Comment below for any non-event related plotting for things like open mingles, parties, your own plots, etc. You can also use the Havenwell Status page for original prompt ideas.

A log will be posted on the day the event begins, but characters are welcome to create their own entries as well. This event will run from October 15th to October 31st (see the bottom note!). Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread. Happy plotting!

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❥ PROMPT I: Boos Ex Machina

Spooky Scary Apparitions. On the evening of the 14th, this changes with a drop in temperature, enough to cause an early frost to crystallize at the edges of metal and glass, creeping over the autumn greens, golds, and reds; and as the artificial sun of the barrier sets, a ripple of gold energy moves across the dome to its edges. Twilight, night, and the array of alien constellations usually set upon the barrier never follow the set of the sun, and as locals gather near their windows to watch and anxiously whisper about what this means, the ground trembles as if something taking rattling, frigid breath. The barrier ripples with this quake, then become transparent, revealing the darkness of the world around. Some may worry that it's gone; it's not, for faint, golden shimmers that arc over the city can still be seen, but panic begins to set in as researchers and temple priests are summoned back to their posts in an effort to decipher the cause. For any that wish to leave at this time to Shoremere, the train remains operational.

By morning, the barrier remains clear, the air remains cold enough to see one's breath, and a worried silence settles over the city as the tremors only grow more frequent and powerful by the hour. It's at when dawn- would would be dawn, if the sun was visible- that pale, hazy figures begin to slowly emerge from a tunnel one of the giant worms carved out a year ago, and the only tunnel to be kept closely monitored because of the sealed door it leads to.

Ghostly Invasion.Those who had helped out with creating the corridor of lights months ago may recall the hostile apparitions that wandered outside the barrier. Unlike how the apparitions appearing outside of the barrier could appear animalistic or humanoid and ill-defined, the ones that emerge from this tunnel are distinctly Aellynians as they once appeared. Like the ones encountered beyond the barrier, fending them off can only happen when two engage in some sort of physical contact. Some have feathers, others have feline-like ears, but all bring a chilling, hungry aura with them as they slowly move throughout the city as if searching for something. What that "something" depends on the apparition:

Hostile. These apparitions behave similarly to the ones encountered beyond the barrier, and when they appear close enough to their target, they reach out to attack. Any brush with them will cause the person to forget what they are doing, and prolonged contact with them may result in (temporary) memory loss. Some of these apparitions chant the following words: "Our planet is dying... Our planet is dying." But if you're close enough to hear them say as much, you're not likely to get away unscathed.

Good news! Or maybe, bad news? The apparitions appear to target locals first, and a single pass of their phantom form through their robotic bodies leaves them slumped over on the ground, inert. Stop these apparitions from passing through the locals' bodies, or help bring the ones who have collapsed back to one of the research towers.
Non-Hostile. These apparitions appear even more distinct than their counterparts, and some even bear unique facial features. However, they all appear to be on a set, looped path, migrating from the tunnel to any of the four temples, then back to the fountain with four statues in the middle of the city, where they then kneel and bow their heads. Over and over, they repeat this pilgrimage. Some may occasionally deviate to a particular house or store, but most return to the central plaza, then the tunnel, then temples, then the plaza once again. Like the other apparitions, the same cautions still apply: don't physically touch them unless you want to forget. But if you do happen to engage with them, some might even speak. What are they saying?
"Save us..."
"Don't add too much salt ....or you'll overpower.... the flavor, dear."
"Where is it... my body...."
"Is my wife still alive...? This was her house..."
"I'm not.... ready to move on..."
"I want this to be over..."
"The door…"
All throughout this, the barrier remains translucent, and the world dark. As the city becomes more saturated with these ghosts as they pour out from the tunnels, it becomes increasingly dangerous to venture anywhere without encountering them. But just as some begin to cave into hopelessness, the temple priests come up with a solution: the candles from before. Grab a partner and make a candle with them, or take one of the extras from the temples, and their light appears to attract these ghosts-- perhaps for the nostalgic "scent" from the average-sized candles that evokes memories, or the "sleeping" effect of thinner candles. Whatever the real reason, as soon as the apparition touches the flame, they vanish as if absorbed by the light, and this process turns the flame into colors of silver, pink-purple, blue-gold, and white-red. Once the spirit inhabits the candle, it no longer burns wax, and it will not extinguish. Even so, it might be best to set them somewhere safe.

The Mysterious Door. Once enough of the apparitions are contained to the candles, the question now becomes what do we do with them? Or better yet, where did they come from? The leaders of Havenwell request volunteers to brave the tunnels that lead to the sealed door. Providing you with enough candles to attract and contain the apparitions, the only other potential adversary is the occasional earthworm; but don't worry, they are smaller in size than the ones from before, and they can be outrun.
At the end of the labyrinth of tunnels is the sealed door, now unexpectedly open, which cannot be closed, and cannot be entered by any off-worlder. What can one see through the door? Vast, endless darkness, with mist that moves in slow, swirling currents. Be careful: apparitions can leave at any time through this portal, but apparently, they cannot renter on their own. Once it's safe enough, make the pilgrimage to carry their candle back down through the tunnels to this gate. Off-worlders will be able to extend their hand through the threshold of the door to place the candle in the darkness, setting the souls back through the mysterious entrance. Watch closely enough, and one might see how the candles are carried through the void. Unfortunately, setting a candle back in through this portal comes with a price: lethargy, malaise, illness, and exhaustion… not unlike the symptoms one experiences when venturing outside the barrier without an exosuit.

❥ PROMPT II: Trick or Treat Yourself

Despite the haunted goings-on, there are as ever attempts to keep Havenwell in high spirits, especially now with their established fledgling relationship with Shoremere. Naturally, the spirit of the season is coming into full swing with decorations and candles available just about everywhere one thinks to look. And while most are largely ordinary, one can happen across some with a little extra 'festivity' to them.

There are all sorts of provided decorations for the season--leaf garlands, synthetic jack o'lanterns, fake cobwebs, scented candles, just about anything one could want to make themselves as festive a display as they should ever want or need. However, in some cases the decorative efforts might just go noticed by some less-than-ordinary force, and any number of things might come along with the new fall atmosphere.

Maybe everywhere you go, sudden unpredictable showers of leaves follow you. Or your hair color continually changes to any number of warm fall colors to match the decor. Does the inexplicable smell of pumpkin spice or apple follow you everywhere you go? Or perhaps you come home one day to a gathering of small plastic skeletons having a dance party on your lawn, and abruptly find yourself in a silly costume befitting the seasons. Any number of things in the nature of the Halloween season could happen, with no clear connection between specific decorations and their unexpected side effects.

❥ PROMPT III: We Put a Spell on You

It starts with a comically large nearly 8 foot tall candle in the city square one day that appears overnight around the mid-month mark. Then on random days at dawn, the candle shoots out a bright blue holographic flame along with some (thankfully) biodegradable glitter, and a doorway opens in the candle to reveal three colorfully dressed natives, cackling with delighted glee. The three natives emerge saying, “It is our time, Sisters!” or “Brothers, it is upon us!” depending on the day, and boast colorful, eclectic outfits in either green, burgundy, or pink. Once released, they link arms and start marching through the city, looking to cause mischief in any way they can.

Most of the natives don’t seem entirely bothered by this trio of weirdos now haunting their city, and even stop to take pictures with them on occasion, or ask them to sign autographs (which they will happily do), but offworlders may find them a little more…annoying.

Flash Mob: You may be shopping, eating, reading a book, strolling through the Botanical Gardens, anything - when suddenly you hear music start up out of nowhere. The Trio emerge, jumping up in a splash of glitter and confetti and begin singing an undeniably catchy tune, including call outs to the audience and somehow? A light show? Natives in the crowd will begin dancing as if they’re being compelled (“Oh nooooo, I can’t stop mooooving!”) and will call on anyone in the area to do the same. If you refuse to dance, natives will start trying to goad you into it, offering their hands to pull you up out of your seats, doing increasingly embarrassing dance moves like throwing a fishing line and trying to reel you in, etc. Whatever it takes to get you up and moving to the beat! Those who staunchly refuse to partake will be summarily booed by the singers and dancers alike, but those who decide to get into the mood and dance along will be applauded and - once the song ends - will find a particularly delicious candy thrown in their direction as the Trio cackle and disappear into the city once again.

Calming Circle: If you’re out and about, you may find yourself suddenly surrounded by the Trio as they link hands and dance a circle around you. “We’ve caught you! We’ve caught you! Now we’re going to eat them up! Oh, they’ll never break our circle, because they don’t know we’re so weak to love and tenderness! Oh ho!” they chant as they spin around you, skipping and cackling away. Of course, you’re free to push past them and run, but they will continue to hound you if they spot you again.

But the easiest solution is probably just to listen to them when they so negligently give away their darkest secret. Any prolonged affection shared between you and another person will have them crying dramatically, clawing at their faces like they’re being burned. “Noooo!! How could they have known! Affection! Our greatest weakness!!” they’ll scream as they scurry away to find their next “victim,” leaving a small but delectable candy treat for you behind.

Bewitchery!: Glitter bomb to the face! You’re probably minding your own business, chatting with a friend, having a nice meal, praying at a temple, whatever it is that people do, when an absolutely obscene amount of biodegradable glitter gets sprayed all over you and your companion. The culprits are, of course, the trio of tricksters and they wiggle their metal fingers at you, waggling electronic eyebrows as they declare you’re now under a truth spell. You have to confess a truth to your friend or they’ll gobble you up right then and there! If you refuse, they’ll just throw more glitter at you and stare uncomfortably until you finally relent, so you may as well. It doesn’t have to be a big truth or even anything all that shocking, but once a truth has been told, the lead “spellcaster” will toss some candy into your hands and then the three of them will slink away, vowing to get you another day….

However annoying you find their antics throughout the day, it seems darkness is the Trio’s greatest enemy, for as soon as the sun starts to set, they screech and run back to their candle. They dramatically shake fists at the sky as they retreat, crying as they go, “We’ll get you next time, my pretties!!!!” before the doors close and the blue flame turns off.

Anyone who sticks around long enough after will see three regular-looking natives sneak out the back of the candle later, returning to their normal lives until the next time they decide to bring their strange act to the city. If asked about the “trio,” however, they’ll feign complete ignorance and shock that they could miss such colorful people running around. What a shame! Maybe next time!

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This event will run from October 15th to October 31st. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread. You can also use the Havenwell Status page or the General Plotting Comment to give you other ideas for original prompts!

Comments

Mod Questions

[hugtopiamods]

[relictus]

Is there anything stopping those who can from magically floating the candles through the spooky ghost door without physically reaching into it, and/or would it have the same effects on the candle-bearer regardless?

And also because I just remembered magic does too many things and he's likely to try a few things, 1. if Faust were to cast any sort of magic meant to calm/soothe the dead (usually with the intent of making angered spirits go back to resting peacefully or whatnot), would it have any effect on the spirits? and 2. would purification spells (such as for purifying cursed things) have any effect?

[hugtopiamods]

Hello!

Magic can be used to deliver the candles through the portal, where they will then float off into the distance. Unlike those that physically place the candle through the portal, those that use magic (or other means) to do so will not experience effects as those that simply place their arm through the portal.

1. Psionic magic, or magic similar to it, can be used to calm the dead to some extent (for example, they will be tamer and not be as hostile), but this magic will need to be cast while the caster is engaging in some form of touch with another person for it to work. The ghosts can be directed by the magic back to the portal themselves, but it will need to be recast more often than usual to have a continuous effect.

2. Purification spells on the apparitions will appear to harm them to the extent that it will delay a ghost within their tracks, but it will not turn a hostile apparition into a calm one. Again, for anything to affect these apparitions, whether magical or physical for an attack, the person must be engaged in some sort of touch with another.

General Plotting

[hugtopiamods]

Post your non-event related plotting threads and ideas here! If you're having a personal mingle or party, or have an open log you'd like to draw attention to, or if you have an idea and are looking for people to participate, please comment here! Suggested optional header text for visibility can be things like: Open Log, Looking for OOO, Planning a Party, Idea for a Log, etc.