thenearshore | 018 | Season Spirits

018 | Season Spirits

Who: Everyone!
What: Season spirits and spooky things
When: IC August 1-15
Where: The Near Shore and Far Shore
Summary: It's the time for spirits to get a bit more 'lively'.

August is a spiritual season in Japan with many people preparing for the Obon festival but many others get into the spirit in another way. All across Japan, people have begun to share their favorite summer ghost stories. Movie theaters advertise the hottest horror flick of the season, teenagers challenge each other to do trials of courage, haunted houses begin to pop up, and it feels like you can't change the channel without switching to some ghost hunting urban legend special. All of this talk about spirits comes at a cost, though.

July comes and passes easily enough but it's almost as if as soon as August begins, so do the incidents. There's an increase in spiritual activity and shenanigans on both shores. Some of them are harmless spooks but others are much more sinister. Arm yourselves with all of the ofuda and omamori you can find and get out there and restore peace!

Possessed Possessions

Inhabitants of the Far Shore may awaken to find their sheets trying to strangle them and shoes stomping on the floor around them. Others may go about their day and find out their teapots suddenly only serve lukewarm tea or their weapons are trying to take swings at them. They're just playful spirits that will abandon their hosts if you shove any ofuda/omamori at them or yell loudly enough. They aren't malicious spirits... they were only just trying to have some fun.

Spirited Festivals

There's a festival every weekend and some of them have set up haunted houses for patrons to visit. You have your standard haunted house thrills... costume make up, jump scares, special effects smoke, the usual! But it looks like some real ghosts have made themselves at home here. Visitors are going in and emerging hours later absolutely traumatized. It looks like once you enter, the real spirits walk you around in circles and give you real scares. There are some spirits here just to have fun thrills and these are spirits that can be chased away with regular ofuda. But it looks like the more violent ones are actually ayakashi out for vengeance. Be careful in there!

Cursed Charms

There sure are some weird trends out there, huh? The latest one is buying cursed trinkets off the internet and passing them off as gifts to unsuspecting victims whether it be to prank a friend or get revenge on an enemy. Cursed mirrors, dolls, fake ofuda, VHS tapes, and so on are being passed around the Near Shore and spreading all sorts of curses.

Bad luck. As long as you're in possession of the cursed item, you'll be followed by bad luck to varying degrees depending on the quality of the charm.
Fear. Holding onto this charm results in intense, crippling fear. The fear can manifest as an intense paranoia at all times or being frozen with fear in the face of danger. Some say you can even die of fright...
Sickness. This charm is pretty straightforward. Having this charm just makes you feel incredibly under the weather and your health will worsen the longer you have the charm.
Evil. Holding onto this charm results in you being followed attracting evil instead of warding it. Suddenly, you feel as though you are always being followed, as if something is stalking you and clearly out to get you. You begin to run into smaller ayakashi at first but they keep growing in strength and number until you can't fight anymore.
Bad romance. Someone's meddled with a romance charm so it ends relationships instead of making them! People stuck with this charm are suddenly hyper aware of the faults of others. Everything gets on your nerves and you can't stand being around that person because they're just that annoying. It doesn't just work on couples! It also works on friends and relatives too.
Bears? An oddly specific curse. It looks like someone has taken a protection from bears charm and made it so now you attract bears where ever you go. Some of them are nice but others...

You can try to destroy the charms but you will find that unless you have purification powers or rend it, the effects last. It looks like most people have been able to shake off the effects by simply disposing of them at temples and buying another charm to counter the effects.

Haunting Hour

There are reports of violent attacks at night-- people being pulled into alleys and attacked, school children being chased by slashers while walking home from school, homes being broken into-- and all of it is done without a single clue left behind to explain who did it. People are warned to be careful at night and as the sun begins to set, something happens. The hour between sunset and dark is supposed to be the scariest hour them all. At this time, the shadows are suspiciously bigger and darker and you constantly see things just out of the corner of your eye. Suddenly, the wind blows cold and there's a rotten smell in the air like blood. It's Oumagatoki, the hour evil spirits meet. Small time ayakashi and spirits on the verge of becoming ayakashi spill into the streets and begin to terrorize others. Protect the people of the Near Shore and watch your own backs.*

* These are just generic ayakashi! Nothing special, nothing specific. Feel free to make up and NPC your own two-bit ayakashi.

THEN WHO WAS PHONE?

In the evening, everyone will receive a set of coordinates and a message from an Anonymous sender,

I want to talk about the
mysterious things that have been happening
lately.
OF course, i
NEED
EVERYONE to come. so don't be
late! see
yoU.
:)

Everyone receives it and there is no way to track where the message came from. If you follow the directions, you'll arrive at a small temple on the outskirts of a city. A sacred fire is lit on the grounds for people to dispose of any cursed or old charms they may have collected. Hang around a bit and it'll become obvious that no one knows who has gathered all of you here tonight. The only ones around are gods and shinki. It doesn't look like any evil spirits are around so other than being invited to the middle of no where at night... there's nothing to worry about. If you wait around, nothing will happen. So while you're here, you might as well discuss the strange happenings! Or tell ghost stories around the fire.

Wildcard

Choose your own adventure! Feel free to make up your own prompts. Ronald Knox's player (

diehardreaper) has offered up their temple as a test of courage in the Far Shore for those who want to try their luck. Check out their description under the Baron's manor.

In Summary:

Beat the heat by feeling a scary chill
Deal with cursed and spirit-imbued items
Keep the Near Shore people safe
Chat about your scary encounters
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think I should probably go back to my temple. I can give directions if you can help....

[He releases her wrist, and takes his glasses, sliding them on. It doesn't help the fact that his vision's a little fuzzy as a result of the fever and headache, but they do make him feel a little less helpless. Slightly more put together, even.

It'll do.

Cautiously, he adds:]

Sling me over what, exactly?

...

[ She holds a hand out to the side, letting the oar manifest with little more than a poof. Don't make fun, she has a lot of pride in what it can do. ]

This.

[He stares. He pushes his glasses up, rubs his eye, re-settles them on his nose, and stares again.

Look: he's not at his best right now. He'll be smooth once his fever has broken, he promises.]

Ah... I'm not sure I can keep my balance on that.

Although I should be able to walk. If you don't mind me leaning on you. A bit.

Maybe... Horizontally over, instead of vertically?

[ Yes, like a filled sack of whatever. At least she sounds nice about it, instead of being snarky. Though don't be mistaken, if asked, she will confirm that it'd be like a sack filled with some kind of produce.

But whether she agrees to that other idea depends on the answer to her following question. ]

How far are you expecting to walk...?

[Potatoes. The mental image is clear and vivid, and there's really no reason to be polite about it. A sack of potatoes, and he's already nauseous. Air-sickness and an oar to the gut are not going to help.

He manages a polite smile, only a very little bit pale at the thought.]

I'm afraid I hadn't gotten far. My temple is just a few minutes that way.

[He points. It's not one of the towering temples that's easily visible from a distance; it's two stories of humble brick, and even the trees aren't much taller than that, which means it's not really visible from the path now that he's been around a few corners. It's still not far.

(Embarrassingly, he really hadn't walked very far before his weakness got the better of him.)]

[ It'd definitely be potatoes if she were more familiar with the phrase, or if Hakkai were lumpier. One of the two.

Looking back, it seemed that there were a few temples within sight, so it could've been any of them. Though she doesn't realize that the temple he meant wasn't actually in sight, so she was thinking it was one of the grander structures. ]

Well, if it's just a couple of minutes... I'd feel better giving you a bit more of a boost before we try, though.

If I feel I can't make it, I'll let you know, and you can help then -- is that fair?

[It's not exactly a bargain, considering he's simply rephrasing what will inevitably happen if he can't make it all the way back to his temple, but he doesn't want her to waste energy.]

Your healing seems similar to mine. It must exhaust you.

[No one can give away their own energy without penalty, not even a god, he thinks.]

Except that'll mean you probably collapsing. Probably on me.

[ For some reason, she could imagine this person being so stubborn, Hakkai would try to fight her on this, even if he was unconscious. Then again, while not knowing about it, Botan has worked for some dangerously stubborn people. ]

I'll have you know, I have quite the energy capacity. Theoretically I could heal you completely, even against these charms that might be behind it all, and still have energy to get around. Though it's certain I could only accomplish it once, given how much it was fighting me.

[ She would just be in bed tomorrow, sleeping all day. Because there are more places that her energy is constantly going. ]

I will say something before I collapse.

[His tone is weary, and he judges her distance from him, shifting to try to get one knee under himself before he attempts to stand.

He's not going to be dragged home like a sack of potatoes, and he's not going to exhaust a helpful stranger in the promise. First, he owes her enough already. Second: he has his pride.]

Just so you know, if you don't say anything and try to tough it out, I will know.

[ But she gets back up to offer a couple of stabilizing hands so that he stood a chance at getting up. In a way, this was the real test to see if he could walk all the way back to his temple, or at all in general.

But she'll let him interpret that warning as he wished. Whether it was a power, something connected to the healing, or a bluffed warning, it was up to his imagination. ]

I do recognize that I'm treating you a little unfairly, as if you're more stubborn than you might really be. It's just more natural to assume things that way.

Mm.

[He takes one of her hands, takes a deep breath, and forces himself upright in a smooth movement that almost sends him pitching forward onto his face again. His hand closes around hers with abrupt force as he catches his balance. There. Good.

He's fine.]

I am a stubborn person, but I like to think I'm not stupid. Botan, wasn't it?

[He turns his head with care to glance at her.]

God? Or shinki?

To be fair, you are a stranger.

[ Though she can't explain why she associates stubbornness with levels that could be dangerous to one's health. She couldn't even question it.

All Botan knows is that first 'step' didn't really instill confidence in the man. With her being a good bit smaller than him, and without some unusual amount of strength, Botan wasn't sure she could catch and keep him upright with any sudden collapses. ]

Shinki, and you remembered correctly. I arrived in the last 'wave,' if my understanding of how this goes is correct.

Every nine or ten days, yes. You're very new, then.

[He smiles faintly, and starts walking.

It's easier to keep walking once he's started, and his strides grow more confident. He suspects he'd better stay lying down once he stops -- but that's a problem for later.

For now, he's fine.]

I've been here... hm. A few weeks as a god. Months before that as a shinki.

[ It does seem like he's able to get into a rhythm now that they were moving, so Botan keeps pace. ]

I don't think I've heard a lot about shinki turning into gods. That sounds like it could be... awkward.

[ To say the least. Going from knowing nothing, save for the fact that you died, to being a god with knowing everything? Then in charge of someone else that was in the situation you had been. ]

It answers... some questions I've had.

[He's silent for another few steps, and then admits, eyebrows flicking up in a brief sarcastic accent:]

And it makes others much worse, of course.

[ In other words, incredibly awkward. ]

I can imagine so. What kind of god did you end up being assigned as?

[ How fitting is it for someone like you, Hakkai? ]

Li Tieguai. God of medicine, caretaker of the sick and downtrodden....

[His tone is openly ironic now.]

I'm afraid I must've caught something from a worshipper.

[He's been making the rounds enough. It's strange how many people seem to need their illnesses looked after lately. Still -- they seem pleased with his work.]

[ Really? That kind of god, and this is the situation you've ended up in? Botan isn't even sure this is all the charms' fault, either. ]

You really have unfortunate luck, Hakkai. Even more unfortunate, I'm pretty sure that my healing can't fix that.

[ Even if her abilities can purify, though Botan isn't completely aware of this past an inkling, she can't make the Fates go easy on the guy. So he gets Botan's brand of humor. ]

But I'm sure we can figure something out for whatever it is you've caught.

I have medicine at my temple. It's been helping.

[More or less. The odd thing is that the effects of the medicine seem to be temporary; it won't cure his illness, or, maybe, the illness keeps coming back worse than before. But it feels like nothing more than a bout of 'flu. Particularly unpleasant 'flu, but that shouldn't resist his medicines or his youkai constitution quite this fiercely....]

I'll just have to wait it out.

[His nose wrinkles with brief displeasure.] I skipped this afternoon's dose -- my fault.

[ She's still pretty sure that medicine can't help your fortune, but at least he's able to work around and past that. ]

I'm pretty sure there's no waiting this out if those charms are really to blame for all of this.

[ In fact, Botan wouldn't be surprised if he was better relatively soon after they've been handled. ]

After all, did you skip the dose on purpose, or because your fever had gotten so bad that it slipped your mind? If it's the latter, than you probably were only prolonging everything.

[Nothing helps his luck... but he's used to it by now. He sighs. That question leads to an unfortunate admission:]

It seems I need to take it more often today.

[So it's not so much a matter of deliberately skipping a dose as it is of needing more. And -- this part was deliberate, unfortunately -- thinking he would be fine since it hadn't been long since the last one.

He shakes his head, and points at a two-story brick building ahead of them. A high garden wall surrounds the lot, but the front of the building and its big wooden doors are right up against the path.]

That's my temple. You may be right about the charms.

... At what point is taking this medicine going to end up having the opposite effect?

[ That's a thing, right? Where too much of a medicine can be just as deadly as a poison? She's sure people have died from that before. Probably.

At least they were in sight of- Oh, good, it wasn't one of those larger temples that seemed even further out. This is far more reasonable. It also seems like it could blend in the other Shore, though maybe her perception of what could blend in is a little skewed. ]

Do you have any idea of how to deal with them? I can help, if you'd walk me through it.

[ You know, instead of trying to do it yourself and smacking your head on a countertop or table edge, because you passed out. ]

A few of the ingredients are toxic, but only in quite large quantities.

[So he's safe until he needs to take a handful of them with breakfast.

Probably. But he's not going to push his stubbornness that far, because there comes a point where even he has to admit that stubbornness becomes sheer stupidity. Attempting to dispose of the charms seems like a much better plan.

Sadly, he doesn't know how.]

I thought I might bring them by a shrine and ask advice of the attendants.

[He sighs wearily.] I have a reasonably sized one on the Near Shore, so I thought -- I'd just go there...

[Oh, that's the headache hitting again, like a knife to the head as he glances up at his temple and the sun glares off its plain tiled roof into his eye. He winces and looks back at the safer dust path under his feet. Just a few more steps.]

But if you don't mind coming with me, I'd appreciate the help.

[ For a moment, Botan's about to pause when she sees that wince. She'd been looking back up at the man relatively often, just to make sure he looked capable of making the trip. Just to make sure he didn't collapse on himself (and thus her as a result.) ]

I can certainly help, yes. It'd be more responsible than letting you do whatever you wanted while in this state.

[ Hakkai seemed to be the type that did their best when there was a babysitter of some kind around. Maybe that was different when he was healthy, but when you first see someone after they've passed out, it leaves an impression. ]

Of course, we'll be focusing on you being well enough to at least travel.

A dose should hold me for an hour or two even in this state, I promise.

[He chuckles, wearily. The front door of his temple isn't too far; it's set conveniently right up against the street, with the temple wall stretching away to either side to surround the back garden instead, and as long as he keeps looking at the road the light isn't too bad. It's fine, it really is. He'll manage just a bit further.

And if she insists, he doesn't mind the blow to his pride too badly, he thinks, and pulls away just enough to push open the unlocked door.]

The second door on the left.

[Behind that one is a large workroom, full of jars and vials of carefully-labeled dried herbs and stranger ingredients. There's a stool by the counter, and several little jars and boxes there labeled in different handwriting. One reads, For fever.]

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