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

Ah, hold on...

[She hadn't had the opportunity to take it home yet, so Maria does have it with her, and she feels about herself for a moment before pulling it out of the pocket in the back of her shorts.

Turning it over in her hand, Maria shows it to him, but makes sure it's not too close, just in case it is the mirror causing it. It's a decorative hand mirror, simple and made from some kind of silver metal not substantial enough to be actual silver, with patterns engraved in the back.]

It's made to look like an antique, but it's a cheap replica. I thought it looked nice anyway, so I kept it.

[Tsuzuki leans in, one hand half-raised, and -- oh. Yeah. Wow. No question. The negative energy is absolutely rolling off that thing. He jolts back, and tries not to look too rattled. She's already scared!]

Um... yeah.

I think that's it. You might want to get it purified, or, or exorcised or something.

[Try as he might, he can't stop himself from shuddering.]

[Maria's hand twitches once he says that even so, as if she's tempted to just hurl it away on the spot, but she stops herself. There's no guarantee that would actually work, and it might just make it harder to get rid of the effects.]

I don't suppose you know how to do that, do you? There's a few things I could try, but I'd rather not keep it that long if I don't have to.

[Despite trying to keep a lid on it, she sounds rather leery of the mirror now.]

[He can't blame her. He's not getting any closer to touching that thing than he has to; its aura is awful.

He considers the question as he eyes it nervously.]

... You could try taking it to somebody's shrine. I think priests get trained in that kind of thing.

Alright. I'll see if there's any major ones nearby, since mine isn't big enough for that...

[Already, she sounds a little uncertain about it. Going to an unknown shrine? What if the god in residence gets angry? What if the curse is somehow passed on to them, or worse, an innocent person? So many concerns and what-ifs crowd her mind at once that she looks almost dazed by the input.]

...Um, your god wouldn't happen to have a shrine nearby, would they?

Hers is over by Mt. Fuji. It's kind of a long way.

[He admits, visibly embarrassed:] Uh, I've been using Inari's to go back and forth, and I don't think anybody minds....

But there's usually at least one priest at his?

No, that's quite far. [Unfortunate, but it's not like he can help it. The mention of another shrine with a priest that might be closer gets her looking more hopeful again soon enough, though.]

If nobody minds, then it's worth trying, I think.

It can't hurt, right?

[If they can't figure out how to deactivate a curse they'll say so, and if they can they'll take care of it! Simple.

Okay, so maybe if they take the mirror and then try to figure it out and fail, Inari might get kind of ticked off about the temple cursed with fear, but that probably won't happen. Tsuzuki grins, a bit nervously, and points down the street.]

The temple I came by is back that way.

Well, no, it can't... [But she sounds unsure of that now, all of a sudden. What if there is something wrong with doing that? If she distracts the priest from ridding an ordinary person of a cursed object, or--?

She shakes the thought away as best she can. It's not something she can afford to assume right now, and when Tsuzuki points out the way they should be heading, she almost immediately starts walking in that direction.]

Then we should hurry, if there's more items like this around. [They might get busy.]

[It definitely can't, or at least that's what Tsuzuki's going to cling to for now. He nods, and falls in just a step behind her, hooking one thumb into his pocket absently as he glances around.]

I guess Obon's the season for weird things to be happening, huh? Maybe your charm's just possessed by something.

It seems so, though it's a shame people are having their fun ruined by malicious spirits. I'm not really sure what the problem with this is, though.

[By now, her hand is clenched on the mirror handle, as if to make sure she doesn't give in to the temptation to toss it away. It takes constantly reminding herself that might just mean someone else could pick it up to stop the urge.]

Me either.

["Weird stuff" covers it, as far as Tsuzuki's concerned -- but the temple's not far. He points as the red gate comes into view, darting a worried look her way. Her knuckles are going white around the mirror handle, like terror is taking over again.

He can keep her from doing anything dangerous like dashing away, but there's no way he's going to be able to cheer her up until they get the mirror properly disposed of. At least no way he can think of. He tries a nervous little smile anyway.]

It's right up there. C'mon, let's ditch this thing.

[It's half helping and half not helping to have company. On one hand, it's keeping her a bit more level-headed, but the slightest sound seems to have her on edge, and even the motion of him moving his hand gets a sharp turn of the head before she realises it's just him.

Letting out a breath to try and wind herself down a little, she nods.] I hope whatever it is works. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

[Being scared of everything is exhausting.]

I'm sure it'll work!

[If nothing else, it won't be her problem anymore. It'll be fine. He picks up the pace, hurrying through the torii and glancing anxiously around. One young priest is sweeping fallen leaves up in the corner of the courtyard, and Tsuzuki heads for him, waving.]

Hey! Hey, excuse me, sir! We have a problem -- can you help my friend with something...?

[The priest stares, bewildered, at him, unaware of Maria's presence. Tsuzuki points at her, and the priest starts violently. Of course, he says, I'm so sorry. I must have been distracted, how can I help?]

[Maria lags behind a bit, suddenly concerned that going too fast is going to make her trip or drop the mirror, and just make this even harder for everyone. At least she's close enough by the time Tsuzuki points her out to the priest to be noticed easily, and despite the pit of fear eating at her gut, she hitches on a smile, and waves politely.]

Yes, sorry, I've picked up something that seems to be causing me some trouble. I don't want to say it's a curse, but...if there's something to counteract that sort of thing...?

[Her confidence is shrinking with every word, replaced with fear of ridicule, and eventually she just trails off entirely, holding the mirror forward in a somewhat uncertain way.]

It might be a curse, but we're not sure!

[Tsuzuki rubs the back of his neck, essaying his best charming-but-helpless grin. The young priest looks genuinely concerned, and hurries over to take the mirror from Maria, turning it over in his hands.

"What makes you think that?" he asks, looking up from it to her at last. Tsuzuki watches her, looking for any signs that her panic might be ebbing. It's been taken away from her, so maybe it will? Possibly? Right?]

Ah-- [Maria doesn't react in time to stop the priest taking the mirror, though she's very reluctant to let it leave her hand. What if it does the same thing to him...?

Still, they're not going to establish that unless he gets a look at it, so she does ultimately relent. It doesn't seem like just removing the mirror from her possession has done anything, though - she still looks as hesitant and panicky as she did with it in her hand.]

Well, I picked it up earlier, and since then I've been...feeling very strange. As if I was being watched, and everything was out to get me...

[It sounds stupid to her, but hopefully he's seen cases like this before.]

[The priest looks wide-eyed and surprised, glancing down at the mirror in his hand and then, with new suspicion, at the two people standing in front of him.

Tsuzuki nods vigorously.]

Exactly. I think there's something going on with that mirror. It could really use a purification.

[The priest's nod is slow, and he's glancing down at the mirror again, uncertain. Tsuzuki bows deeply.]

Thanks very much for your help!

[The priest's return bow is reflexive, but he at least tucks away the mirror.

"Certainly," he says, and folds his arms. "What else can I do for you?"]

[Maria shifts a little uncomfortably at the look - it makes her feel like her suspicions about it sounding ridiculous have been confirmed. She does ease down a bit once he finally pockets the mirror, though, even if she doesn't look any more comfortable about it.

It also means she starts a bit at that question, and without any more about this to go on herself, she turns her head to Tsuzuki.]

Is there anything else about this we should be asking about, or is that it?

[This isn't the kind of magic Maria has experience with.]

I think that'll be enough.

[He's not exactly sure, but a proper purification of the mirror should wipe out any lingering effects. Right?

Probably... he smiles a bit uncertainly at the priest and offers a bow. The man returns it, and looks between them.

"I'll take care of it," he promises.]

[Still a little shaky, but overall relieved, Maria bows to the priest as well.]

Thank you. It would put my mind at ease. [In more ways than one. Having the mirror fall into the hands of other unfortunates is the last thing she'd want to hear about.]

[The priest nods, turning to head away, and doesn't look back as he strides off. Tsuzuki wonders how long he's going to remember they were there.

Hopefully he remembers that the mirror needs to be properly disposed of.

With a reassuring smile at Maria, Tsuzuki waves a hand back towards the shrine's front gate.]

How're you feeling? It might be better to get far away from that thing.

[Maria presses her lips together briefly. It's nice to know the mirror is away from her, but it doesn't seem to have done much.]

Still a bit off. I hope he gets rid of that thing before anything else happens. [She glances back in the direction he headed as they start to leave. It's hard to be sure, but there's also not really much else they could have done.]

Do the shrines here usually dispose of those kinds of objects?

[A bit off is better than panicky, but that might just be because she's done something, not because the effects are wearing off yet. Tsuzuki rubs the back of his neck, glancing over his shoulder a moment after she does, off in the direction the priest had headed.

It'll probably be fine.]

Yeah, they can do purifications and dispose of old charms and that kind of thing. I guess if you had a really serious problem you might need to find an exorcist instead.

...Are there any exorcists around here? I could have used something like that this morning, but I couldn't exactly go looking on the Near Shore for anyone.

[Given that was when her clothes were getting possessed and hurling themselves around everywhere. Bringing a Near Shore exorcist to the Far Shore is an impossibility, and she isn't aware of any gods or shinki with that power.]

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