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

[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...?

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki pauses. ] What?

[ Whispering noises can almost be heard surrounding the teapot. That water could be put to a very, very good use! It could be used for Justice!

What do you say, teapot? ]

[nopixiedust]

The teapot is acting weirder.

[Because, you know. That's what they needed today.]

[Of which the teapot would agree non-sarcastically, because of course it's here for Justice!]

[priforprince]

I already told you not to use it.

[ The "this is fine" dog. You're employed by the "this is fine" dog.

Can you heat that water, the voices wonder. Because if you can....there's someone here who doesn't seem to appreciate a container of hot beverage nearly enough. Perhaps being poured upon would change that. ]

[nopixiedust]

I'm not, but it's floating and being weird.

[And being weird means bubbling its water in excitement, because it could maybe do that! And it starts to focus as hard as it can to turn up the heat inside...]

[priforprince]

Let it. Plenty of replacements exist.

[ It'll calm down when it realizes they don't care about its antics. She has no intentions of giving in to such petty pleas for attention.

Or of thinking too seriously about having to worry about a floating teapot. Even if it's boiling water now. ]

[nopixiedust]

If you say so...

[But she'll keep looking back at it as she follows after Hibiki.]

[She has a baaaad feeling about this.]

[priforprince]

Tea time is belated today, anyway.

[ She doesn't blame you, not now that she understands. Circumstances conspired beyond your control. Still, facts are facts, and she requires tea.

The teapot moves closer, but only when Wendy isn't looking. Maybe she won't notice... ]

[nopixiedust]

Okay, I understand.

[And with a sigh, she turns away to go hurry back to set up tea.]

[The perfect chance for Revolution]

[priforprince]

[ Wendy will make it pretty far! And put some distance between herself and Hibiki, since Hibiki walks at a Genius Pace, which is always, without fail, slower than the occasion necessitates.

Then there will be a splashing sound. And a sizzling sound. And a yelp. ]

WHAT?!

[nopixiedust]

[....To turn around or not turn around... Wendy sighs before pausing and calling down the hallway.]

Hibiki, are you okay!?

[priforprince]

THIS APPLIANCE IS IMPERTINENT!

[ She can still yell. Good sign? ]

[nopixiedust]

[Eh, she's probably fine if she can still yell.]

WELL YOU SAID TO IGNORE IT! DO YOU WANT ME TO KEEP MAKING TEA OR COME BACK?

[priforprince]

ANYTHING'S FINE, JUST RESOLVE THIS!

[ Ando never asked questions. It puts Hibiki on the spot.

She may be worse at being in charge than she thinks. ]

[nopixiedust]

[....So get tea. Got it.]

[Going to find a new teapot to make new hot water, Wendy gets all of that set up before she starts the long trot back to where she last left her poor god. She has no idea what could have happened, so she's not sure what to expect.]

[priforprince]

[ Wendy will find a puddle spreading across the floor, and Shikyoin Hibiki squelching around in the middle of it, both pant legs soaked from around the knees down (and steaming faintly). That! That contraption had attempted to pour hot water on her, and when she had dodged, as befits one of her ability - it had manipulated the water somehow to - to -

All of this would be helpful to say. So of course none of it is said. ] It's in the chandelier.

[ Because where else here would an errant and mischievous teapot (now with telekinetic invisible friends) hide? ]

[nopixiedust]

[....She swears. Never a dull day here. And that's putting it nicely.]

I'll bring some clean clothes along with the tea.

[That's really all that can be said here.]

Do you think it's going to stay up there?

[priforprince]

How should I know?

[ Hibiki crosses her arms. She shifts her weight. Her shoes go "squish".

The teapot does look to have made itself at home up between the lights. ]