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

[sweetdeath]

Thanks again.

[He rubs the back of his neck with a grin that's a little cheerier -- at least things are looking up a little! He's met someone nice. And losing one pair of pants isn't so bad. He can wash the canal water smell out of his shirt...

He wipes soaked bangs back off his forehead, and points down the path before he starts walking.]

This way! So -- I'm Konohanasakuya-hime's shinki. There's probably a formal way to introduce myself, but I'm not sure what it is... Anyway, what about you? God or shinki?

[redmare]

No problem, Tsuzuki-san.

[Chinatsu returns the smile. Her eyes follow to where he's pointing at.]

Oh! So you're a shinki too. I'm Oo-- Eris's shinki.

Are you a new shinki as well, or have you been around a while?

[sweetdeath]

[He smiles brightly at her, starting down the path.]

I'm pretty new. I've only been here a month. Or so?

[Don't mind him: he's looking up at the sky, counting under his breath. There's been so much going on that he hasn't exactly kept track.]

... Yeah, just about a month. What about you?

[redmare]

[That smile doesn't like one who's had such a crappy day would make. He sure cheers up fast.]

Oh, about the same for me. Maybe it's been two now?

[Chinatsu hadn't really been paying attention. Wow, time sure flies.]

How have you been adjusting, Tsuzuki-san?

[sweetdeath]

[He does cheer up fast. After all, it's been a crappy day, but it's been a petty crappy day: nothing really bad happened, just embarrassing, and occasionally kind of painful, and inconvenient.

Admittedly, there was a lot of inconvenient, embarrassing and painful crap. But he's met somebody nice, so things'll be okay. Once he gets a shower and trousers that aren't shredded.]

Well, you know. It's weird, but it's not like I have anything to compare it to. And my goddess is nice!

[redmare]

Good point.

[She had nothing to compare it too either. Chinatsu was more bothered by the fact that they knew so little about themselves.]

That's good... Have you um, had to fight any ayakashi yet?

[sweetdeath]

[That question sends the smile slipping a little at the corners, and he shakes his head.]

Not big ones. I've had to hold some off with borderlines, though.

[And that memory's a little shaky: he'd been very drunk by the time they realized some of the fireflies weren't fireflies.]

[redmare]

[Chinatsu nods at his response.]

I see. That's a good thing, I think. I haven't had to face them with my god yet either.


[Which she's glad for, but at the same time, she feels useless when dealing with them on her own.]

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki nods vigorously.] Definitely a good thing! I've heard more scary stuff about those --

Apparently there's a borderline spell you can use to protect yourself, though. Cutting borderlines? Somebody told me to ask that Yukine kid about them.

[redmare]

...Wait, there's more than one borderline spell?

[This was news to her.]

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, I don't know how it works yet.

[He spreads his hands in a helpless gesture.] I've been working on the regular borderlines, but that's all.

[redmare]

[She should find that Yukine person some time. Simple borderlines just weren't enough.]

Argh, I hate being this useless...

[Chinatsu grumbled, kicking at a small stone in her path.]

[sweetdeath]

Me, too.

[His shoulders sag. It's one thing not knowing how to fight. It's another thing wondering if he's going to be able to help anyone at all, with anything that means more than keeping their cats fed while they're away.

Which is important, sure, but....]

I guess we've just got to do our best, right?

[redmare]

Yeah.

[He's right. No point brooding about it. Speaking of, she notices those sagging shoulders...

She nudges his arm with her elbow.]

Hey, buck up. We gotta at least look like we know what we're doing.

[sweetdeath]

Right, sorry...

... I'd look more like I knew what I was doing if I hadn't just mooned half the Heavens, though.

[Also if he knew what he was doing, but, look: those are just details!]

[redmare]

PFFF--

[Chinatsu quickly covers her mouth. She's able to laugh about it now, but for his sake she tries not to. Surely he's been through enough.]

Maybe--pffft..no body...noticed..

[sweetdeath]

Uh huh.

... Like my luck's that good today.

[He's doomed. Doomed.]

-- Oh hey, that's Sakura's temple up there.

[He points: it's a very traditional Japanese temple, with roofed white walls at the edge and well-groomed pine trees just visible at the entrance.]

I can get you this jacket back in just a second.

[redmare]

Wow, nice place you got.

[She looks towards it, impressed at the sight.]

Ah, no rush! Maybe grab some pants first.

[sweetdeath]

Um! Right. I'm, uh, definitely planning to do that first.

[Until he does, her jacket is staying just where it is. He laughs nervously, waving her along after him as he steps through the gate into Sakura's front garden. It's a lovely traditional garden, with clear signs of recent work. A few bushes have been clipped, and several flowerbeds are freshly planted. Tsuzuki waves a hand casually at the main building, ahead of them along a pleasant winding stone path.]

I'm gonna go change! If you'd like some tea or anything, I think we've got cookies in the kitchen to go with it, from this great place I found in Shibuya the other day....

[redmare]

[She snickers silently. What a funny guy.]

I'm good, thanks, Tsuzuki-san.

[Chinatsu just continues to admire the temple. She wonders who maintains it.]

[sweetdeath]

Right, well...!

[Tsuzuki hops up onto the walkway of the main building, toeing his shoes off before he slips inside. He'll be back in four or five minutes, with a dry shirt and intact pair of pants, and a towel draped around his neck to catch the drips from his still-soaked hair. He holds her jacket out.]

You sure you don't want a cookie for the road or anything? I really, really appreciate the help.

[redmare]

[Her eyes widen in surprise when he's suddenly back.]

Woah, that was fast.

It's fine, seriously.

[Chinatsu reaches out for her jacket, nodding and giving him a quick thanks.]

Maybe stay home for the rest of the day?

[She suggests good naturedly. With everything that's happened, it was probably the safest place for him.]

[sweetdeath]

[Harsh! Harsh. Tsuzuki presses a hand to his heart, reeling dramatically back a step.]

Okay... okay. You might have a point.

[He drops his hand and straightens back up, grinning at her.]

I could use a day off, anyway.

[redmare]

Pfft--

[Chinatsu brings hand uo but doesnt really put much effort to stiffle her laughter.]

Yeah, I'd say you earned one. Maybe I'll see you around, Tsuzuki-san. With intact pants, I hope.

[sweetdeath]

Same.

[No more pants-related problems. At least for a couple of weeks. Please. He waves her cheerfully off.]

See you around, Chinatsu!