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

Odd thing to befriend.

[But certainly not the weirdest.

Toushirou looks back ahead.]

Are you comfortable with fighting vengeful spirits and ayakashi?

[ She just gives him a puzzled look at that. ] Why? He's nice and friendly. I think he's lonely.

[ At his question, however, she straightens, looking concerned. ]

Ahh.... maybe? But I don't have my shinki here. [ She's not sure how much she can do without Homura. Or Shuusei, even if she still has to figure out how to fight with him. ]

It's not odd if he is. It'd be good if we can help him move on properly.

[That answers that as he draws his sword with his other hand.]

Where is your shinki?

Ahh... I don't know? [ She hadn't been back home since breakfast just yet. ] I could... call one of them? Is there ayakashi? Is it a big one?

No, it's not.

[She doesn't have her shinki, and he could feel the little spirit cling onto him tighter.]

If anything, I can just freeze it. What's important is getting her to safety first.

[ Nanako glances up at him curiously. ]

If you freeze it, that means it can't follow us, right? Can you make it stuck?

I can. It's just a temporary solution, at least, until we can help this little one.

Okay! Let's do that, then.

[ She tightens her grip on the little spirit's hand. ]

What do you want me to do?

Take the little one and walk ahead of me. Don't let down your guard.

[And with that, he'll gently coax the spirit to let go of his hand.]

Okay. I'll keep her safe. Don't worry.

[ That's what she'd been practicing for, after all. And she'd already learned that the warm light she could summon was something ayakashi did not like at all.

....Just don't ask her how she'd figured that out, Hitsu.

She gives a tug on the spirits hand and offers her a warm reassuring smile. ]

Come on. Let's go find the park. You'll be safe there.

[He doesn't give the warm light a second glance, but if it wards off the ayakashi, that'll do.

He lingers back as the spirit clings onto Nanako's hand, sensing the ayakashi coming closer.

They seem to be trying to flank them from all sides, prompting Toushirou to wave his sword in a quick motion as ice erupts from its blade to freeze them before it gets too close.]

[ Except one had been smart enough to come at them from the front, dragging itself along the ground with the strength of far too many limbs, hands reaching out to grasp and pull.

Nanako spots it before it reaches them and gives a small cry of alarm before stepping in front of the tiny spirit, who cowers close against her back. ]

No! Go away!

[ Despite her own fear, she yells out the words and holds her hands up, as if that might be enough to ward off the evil spirits.

As she begins to glow, that warm light growing to something brighter and hotter, causing the ayakashi to flinch back with startled gibbering, it looks like it might actually be working. ]

[When the ayakashi flinches, ice swerves around Nanako and the spirit child, freezing it.

Toushirou doesn't look particularly happy about the fact one managed to slip away from him to attack the two in the front, but he's impressed with Nanako's power. Considering the fact it managed to make the ayakashi flinch, he wonders if it's something 'holy', an idea pops into his head.]

How long can you keep up that light?

[ She blinks, both startled that her yell and light had actually worked (again? This had happened before, too. Was this a Thing?) and then in consideration of his question. ]

Ummm... I don't know. A while? It goes away faster if I use it a lot or when I get tired.

[ The six-year-old is still figuring out this whole magic powers gig. ]

[So it is limited.

In that case, Nanako might feel herself slowly growing more energized as Toushirou uses his own god powers of Restoration.]

Try to keep it up until we reach the park.

[ She looks a little surprised for a moment because her fingertips had started to tingle a little and her light actually glows a little brighter for a moment until she figures out he must be doing something.

She nods emphatically, starting forward with a determined expression once more. ]

Okay! I can do that. Come on, it's this way.

[As she moves forward, the spirit girl walking alongside with her, Toushirou follows.

He continues to restore her energy, her powers, while at the same time, he continues to freeze any ayakashi or spirit that tries to come up at them from the back.]

[ Between the pair of them, they manage to reach the park without any more dangerous incidents and Nanako pauses once they've arrived, gesturing ahead of her to the little spirit. ]

Is this the place you wanted to come? Do you see who you're looking for?

[The spirit looks around a bit hesitatingly before she nods. Without saying anything, she releases Nanako's hand and runs over to where a pair of spirits seem to be waiting for her.

Toushirou watches the spirit leave, ready to move in case an ayakashi or evil spirits attack her, but is relieved when none moves closer. He steps up beside Nanako.]

You can relinquish your light now.

[ She watches the little spirit race over to the other pair of spirits and for a moment an expression flits over her face, something like a sad sort of wistfulness as she takes in the sight.

But then Hitsugaya's speaking and she jolts a little as if drawn out of very deep throughs, glancing up at him. ] Oh! Right! [ Sheepishly, she lets the light fade once more, giving him an embarrassed but happy smile. ] Do you think she'll be okay now?

[He looks at her for a moment when she's quiet. His eyes narrow a bit, recognizing the expression even if it's on a different face.

As she jerks and the light fades, Toushirou reins back his own god powers after he's sure that she's recovered enough energy.]

She'll be fine.

[A brief pause.]

Are you okay?

[ Nanako blinks up at him, uncertain what he means. ]

Yeah! I didn't get hurt at all. You froze them all before they got anywhere close!

....

[He wonders if he should mention anything before opting not to.

Instead, he sighs.]

...As long as you're safe. Were you planning on going somewhere else?

[ She's quick to shake her head. ]

No, not really. Although I should probably get home before onii-chan starts to worry. Are you gonna be okay?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

018 | Season Spirits

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