018 | Season Spirits

[godsoffortune]

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~

Comments

[nopixiedust]

[Bugger. Wendy jolts at the sound of Hibiki's voice, no matter how far in the distance, and frowns.]

[That's it. Time to take drastic measures.]

[Wrapping a wire around the handle, Wendy glowers at the teapot.]

No more playing nice. We're done here.

[And with that, she lets go- and it only lasts a meter before whistling desperately. But that's why she has the wire, quickly dropping down to put her weight on the other end of it while the wire itself digs into the branches. A quick climb, teapot retrieval, and she's hastily making her way down the tree.]

Hibiki! Is that you!?

[priforprince]

Wendy!

[ This is not an "I'm angry at you, get over here!" call. No, this is an "I'm in the process of being eaten by goats but instead of being concerned about my personal safety, I'm concerned about my aesthetic" call. As one does. ]

Where have you been??

[ While you were gone, she started getting eaten by goats! See what happens when the tea is late?!

The goats, placid and unflappable, munch on. Their teeth are aiming for the straw but one does snag some jacket and trousers as well. ]

[nopixiedust]

There was a teapot problem, it's fine now- hey!

[Holding the teapot up to Hibiki- well more like forcing her to hold it- Wendy grabs a hold of one horn and shouts.]

Quit that!

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki holds onto this (possessed?) teapot as Wendy works. There is no way this assignment of props could ever go wrong in the slightest. ]

A teapot problem?

[ In the yard?

The goat in question does, in fact, quit, but it turns around and bleats loudly in Wendy's face instead. Do you have anything tasty on you? ]

[nopixiedust]

It's solved, it's fine now.

[It's probably still possessed, but so help her if it acts up and doesn't heat tea properly...]

[Huffing, she settles on the back of the goat now that it's not trying to eat Hibiki and nudges it with her feet.]

Giddyup! Mush! Whatever it is- just go, c'mon.

[This is how you deal with goats, right]

[priforprince]

[ Maaaaa.

The goat tips its head back to bray its displeasure. Taking advantage of her newfound liberty, Hibiki sidesteps away, which turns into a twirl automatically, which turns into shedding a few stray purple sparkles. This is the sort of thing that happens when one as elegant and gorgeous as Shikyoin Hibiki executes movements.

She sighs. ]

[nopixiedust]

Don't you bleat at me!

[Gosh darn goats- Wendy glances over to Hibiki's melodramatic move away.]

You didn't get hurt or anything right?

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki sniffs. ] It disrespected my person.

[ She's fine. ]

[nopixiedust]

[So completely fine, got it.]

You'll want to have a talk with the teapot, too, because it disrespected you first.

[priforprince]

The teapot?

[ You lost her. The "teapot problem" you were fixing was...disrespect?

She looks at the offending object with slight suspicion. ]

[nopixiedust]

It wouldn't work like it's always done in the past! I did everything right, but it still wouldn't work.

And then it started making weird noises and moving on its own...

[She slumps over the displeased goat.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki sniffs. ] A change to the current into the temple, perhaps. Pay it no mind.

[ Because the other option is that it's a possessed teapot, and, well, you didn't just hand her a possessed teapot

right ]

[nopixiedust]

[.....]

Where do you want this goat? I'll put it away and take care of the tea now that the problem is fixed!

[Or it better be fixed. Don't make her come over there, teapot.]

[priforprince]

The back field is fine.

[ It can wander as it wills from there. She doesn't care where her goats go as long as they don't, you know, attempt to eat her.

Hibiki is now looking this teapot over suspiciously, turning it around in her hands. This was...acting...of its own accord....? ]

[nopixiedust]

Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes.

[And don't mind if she's just looking over her shoulder as she guides the goat along. This should.... probably be fine, right?? Just leaving Hibiki with it?]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki continues her inspection of the teapot, more out of confusion than anything. Wendy usually has such a good head on her shoulders. What, then....?

So...is the possession really gone? ]

[nopixiedust]

[The possession is quiet is what it is, and, once the sound of hooves and upset bleating is far enough away...]

[...It gives a little whistle.]

[priforprince]

There you are.

[ Hibiki squints at the teapot, holding it close enough that she can see her reflection in it. Why, this is a remarkably reflective surface, and the sunlight is illuminating her hair -

No, not right now! ]

Why have you taken up habitation here? Explain yourself.

[ After all, you're making her shinki - HER shinki! - do, and say, stupid things.

There will be no truck with stupid things in this household. Castlehold.

Temple. ]

[nopixiedust]

[....Hibiki, you are attempting to argue with a teapot.]

[Although considering that Wendy not that long ago was threatening it from in a tree, you aren't alone, at least.]

[While it is hard to tell the, uh, tone of a teapot, its next whistle sounds almost indignant.]

[priforprince]

You aren't in a position to take that tone with me!

[ - which is when Hibiki catches herself re: the whole "arguing with a teapot" thing. She sighs and lowers the offending item. A headache. Just what she needed.

She touches her fingertips to her forehead. She should have told Wendy to fetch medicine while she was off with the goat... ]

Well, move out immediately and I may be swayed to leniency.

[nopixiedust]

[There's an almost considering pause from the teapot.....]

[And then it gives a looooooong high whistle.]

[NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER.]

[priforprince]

[ Success!! Hibiki is forced to lean away, wincing, and holding the side of her head with the hand not holding the teapot!

Well, partial success: she drops the teapot in surprise, too -

Only for it to be caught by something invisible and wind up floating. There is the faintest burbling, like boiling water.

No more shall perish with these guards around. ]

[nopixiedust]

[The teapot had been absolutely screeching in alarm at being dropped, but it trails off in distinct confusion as it notably doesn't hit the ground. there's a few tentative whistles in short succession.]

[Saved???]

[And that's around when Wendy comes back.]

....It wasn't doing that before.

[priforprince]

[ It's evolving?!

Hibiki doesn't want to think about this. It will only weigh heavily on her heart and, more to the point, her head.

She turns away. ] Use a different one for today's tea. I'm heading inside.

[ Whatever's holding the teapot lifts its lid to check inside. Do you have any water, Teapot? If so, what if... ]

[nopixiedust]

Will do.

[That was the plan if it didn't behave anyway, and she guesses that's a no go...]

[But then she realizes what's going on with the teapot, which does indeed have water, and blinks.]

Hey Hibiki...?