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abraxasooc2024-10-11 09:53 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxasooc2024-10-11 09:53 am
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EVENT #21: SPECTER - OOC POST
Event #21 - OOC Plotting
Last month, eerie occurrences began to surface across the territories. While unsettling, they were primarily harmless. As October arrives, however, the hauntings grow more dangerous, especially as the days lead to Eifstide.
Beginning OCTOBER 18 the whispers start to infect other aspects of the world: machines, tarot decks, mirrors...even within the fog. In smaller villages or outskirt towns, reports of sleepwalking arise - people who wander off towards the sea, the forest, or the desert. Some are barefoot while others are found in nightclothes as if in a daze.
The incidents are uncommon enough that they can be dismissed by most folks, especially as some of those affected might have a known history that could explain the strange behavior, such as a drinking habit or poor sleep. However, the Summoned will sense that something is genuinely off - since they, too, will have their own experiences.
Beginning OCTOBER 18 the whispers start to infect other aspects of the world: machines, tarot decks, mirrors...even within the fog. In smaller villages or outskirt towns, reports of sleepwalking arise - people who wander off towards the sea, the forest, or the desert. Some are barefoot while others are found in nightclothes as if in a daze.
The incidents are uncommon enough that they can be dismissed by most folks, especially as some of those affected might have a known history that could explain the strange behavior, such as a drinking habit or poor sleep. However, the Summoned will sense that something is genuinely off - since they, too, will have their own experiences.
Details as to how Eifstide is celebrated in each territory can be found under Autumn Festivals on the LORE page. Furthermore, Nocwich will be OPEN for this event.
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Hauntings
The impact on the native population is low, as noted. There are certainly concerns and rumors, but characters won't find any mass deaths or large groups of people missing. Indeed, many of the troubles might be lost in the chaos of everything else going on including Eifstide festivities, high rates of crime, bandit attacks, and soldiers on patrol.
Nonetheless, it's undeniable that something's a bit odd and officials won't stop characters from looking into it if they have time. Territory leaders just won't have the time or resources to dedicate to a formal investigation.
Nonetheless, it's undeniable that something's a bit odd and officials won't stop characters from looking into it if they have time. Territory leaders just won't have the time or resources to dedicate to a formal investigation.
Sharing Visions and/or Dreams
This event will be based on the concept of dreamsharing or vision sharing. It will be referred to collectively as hauntings for simplicity.
Hauntings will feel real. Characters will not be able to consciously dismiss what's happening as illusory or fake once they've escalated into full visions or nightmares. They can involve a scenario, a person, or fear, or a combination. Examples could be a harsh parent or a singular incident involving said parent. It could also be a failure to act during an important moment, a specific source of stress, or anything along those lines. You could also select something that troubles your character but isn't quite so world-endingly serious, such as a time they were late to an important meeting or were lost in a big store as a child.
Hauntings can manifest as:
Additionally, hauntings:
Hauntings will feel real. Characters will not be able to consciously dismiss what's happening as illusory or fake once they've escalated into full visions or nightmares. They can involve a scenario, a person, or fear, or a combination. Examples could be a harsh parent or a singular incident involving said parent. It could also be a failure to act during an important moment, a specific source of stress, or anything along those lines. You could also select something that troubles your character but isn't quite so world-endingly serious, such as a time they were late to an important meeting or were lost in a big store as a child.
Hauntings can manifest as:
◎ A waking vision. Characters may hear whispers while going about their day or see flashes of visions in reflective surfaces like mirrors, water, or glass. The haunting may remain relatively mild or it may result in a full-blown hallucination that can envelope other characters nearby and draw them in. This can only take place in person. Nocwich is available if you wish to do something cross-territory.As players, you can describe the dream or vision however you want. Unlike a true memory share, a haunting does not need to refer to events precisely as they happened in canon, although it can if you like. Instead, you can use canon memories or fears to shape what your character sees and experiences. However, a haunting should be something that troubles your character - perhaps an event that they've been reluctant to acknowledge or face. The purpose is to confront this haunting, ideally with the help of someone else.
◎ A lucid dream. Characters may have dreams that are disrupted by strangely vivid images or memories. The haunting may remain relatively mild or it may result in a full-blown lucid dream that can envelope other characters who are asleep and draw them in. This can take place cross-territory regardless of where characters are located.
Additionally, hauntings:
◎ Can merge with each other. If one character enters another's hallucination or dream, aspects of each other's manifestations may blend together. This can be detrimental or helpful depending on how you decide to approach the scenario. The merge doesn't need to happen. A character may exist in another character's scenario exclusively.
◎ Be oddly pleasant to start with, almost like a lure. This may be the case in particular for characters who are normally prone to frightening dreams and wouldn't think twice if they continued to have nightmares. The pleasantness will slowly start to take on an uncanny aspect.
◎ Are not required to be explicitly terrifying or traumatizing. If your character has a common fear, such as heights or enclosed spaces, that's an option as well! Your character's worst haunting could simply be getting trapped in an elevator. How it escalates would depend on you. For instance, the elevator might be stuck in place or it might be freefalling endlessly. You could include a menacing mime from your character's childhood in the elevator. In other words, you're encouraged to get creative and do what feels most fun and meaningful.
Hauntings will last at most 1-2 hours and may be as brief as 10 minutes. Physically, characters will not be trapped for an extreme length of time. However, like many dreams or visions, it can feel longer than that if you wish.
Dispelling a Haunting
Once trapped, characters must free themselves by confronting the thing haunting them or their friend. They can do so using the boons received, which are detailed further in the section below. What boon they receive and how they use it is entirely up to you. Players are welcome to decide what best represents their character "freeing" themselves from something that's been weighing them down or holding them back. Some example approaches are:
◎ If your character is haunted by the guilt of getting someone they know killed, they may see that person as a monster that they must kill again with their own hand. Or, they may find a way to save that person and come to understand that the original circumstances were not their fault.
◎ You may also play with unreliable memories, i.e. if a character has often remembered something "incorrectly" due to feelings of inadequacy or guilt. In that case, you can use this event to have their character revisit the memory with another for an enlightening perspective.
Impact of Previous Choices
Last event, characters could counter, enhance, or remain neutral when facing the Heralds' afflictions. Depending on which category they ultimately fell under, their experiences while trapped within a "haunting" may differ.
◎ Characters who chose to counter the Heralds will see a symbol of their own Arcana and will receive a boon of a powerful or hopeful memory that they can either use to strengthen their resolve or share it with another character to strengthen theirs. The essence of this will be more protective.
◎ Characters who chose to enhance the Heralds will see a symbol of Zorne's Arcana (Justice) and will receive a boon of a violent or dark memory that they can either use to weaken the thing which haunts them or share it with another character to weaken what haunts the other person. The essence of this will be more aggressive.
◎ Characters who chose to remain neutral will not see any Arcana or boon on their own but will be able to match the boon their partner receives once it's been accepted. Characters who did not participate in the last event, including new characters, will default to "neutral."
Memories can manifest as: a weapon, a person, a monster, or an important object. It will disappear once used to dispel the vision or dream. Characters will not be able to keep the item.
For example, if a character has a powerful memory from their mother, they may manifest a protective charm that resembles a necklace that belonged to her. Or, they may manifest a "shade" of their mother altogether.
For example, if a character has a powerful memory from their mother, they may manifest a protective charm that resembles a necklace that belonged to her. Or, they may manifest a "shade" of their mother altogether.
Other Events
If you would prefer that your character not undergo such intense experiences, or if you simply want to participate in additional and more lighthearted activities, the following options will be available throughout the event.
Mild Hauntings
Hauntings can remain mild. Mild hauntings would be limited to hearing voices, one or two cases of strange dreams, or seeing unusual flickers out of the corner of their eye.
Characters might equally find themselves reflecting on a particular event or memory that's bothering them and feel compelled to talk about it with another, without having to explicitly share it as above. You can use this to flavor more general interactions as your character explores the city and goes about their day.
Characters might equally find themselves reflecting on a particular event or memory that's bothering them and feel compelled to talk about it with another, without having to explicitly share it as above. You can use this to flavor more general interactions as your character explores the city and goes about their day.
Aiding the Locals
Characters can help locals who are exhibiting other behaviors that might put them in danger. They can retrieve sleepwalkers, patrol the woods to make sure no one's wandering off, or search for missing children. These scenarios will remain open-ended for players to come up with on their own based on the event.
Enjoy Eifstide & Nocwich
Eifstide will be celebrated as usual! Characters can go to parties, attend street festivals, and enjoy the various sweets and camaraderie around them. Since the hauntings are quite mild or easy to overlook where the locals are concerned, the majority of the population will be unaware and are happy to spend a few nights enjoying themselves and forgetting the war that's broken out.
Similarly, the Summoned can dive into the festivities and enjoy themselves, too. Of course, they could do both! If your character has finally freed themselves from a burden, they could certainly be inclined to find a drink and celebrate.
Nocwich will be open during the event! This means characters can go there for cross-territory interactions. Both Ikorr and Luna will be open, with portals in Oleuni Square leading to each city, so characters won't be limited to the Square alone. They'll be free to explore all of Nocwich as they like. Activities in Nocwich include a scavenger hunt and wreath-making. Characters can earn small gifts or tokens by participating.
Similarly, the Summoned can dive into the festivities and enjoy themselves, too. Of course, they could do both! If your character has finally freed themselves from a burden, they could certainly be inclined to find a drink and celebrate.
Nocwich will be open during the event! This means characters can go there for cross-territory interactions. Both Ikorr and Luna will be open, with portals in Oleuni Square leading to each city, so characters won't be limited to the Square alone. They'll be free to explore all of Nocwich as they like. Activities in Nocwich include a scavenger hunt and wreath-making. Characters can earn small gifts or tokens by participating.
Notes
Event Schedule
To allow room for players to get things started, the event post will be going up before the actual in-game date the event occurs.
The IN-GAME EVENT will ICly take place OCTOBER 16 - 31
The EVENT POST will go up OCTOBER 14 for players to participate in.
There is NO WRAP-UP POST. The event will naturally conclude as characters confront their various hauntings. We will be posting a PRELUDE instead in November.
Plotting Form
You can use the plotting form below to make plans.
Questions and Answers
If after reading these you're still unsure about anything, or your question wasn't covered, please feel free to hit up our Questions thread below!
- What if I'm still not sure what category my character falls under?
- Just pick what feels most right for them! You can even decide retroactively, when examining the options above if you're directly on the fence to see what you'd like to play with the most.
- Will NPCs or the natives notice that the Summoned are behaving strangely?
- Somewhat! How much they're noticed depends on the behavior your character exhibits. If they're walking around talking to themselves, that might attract some attention. If they're simply losing sleep, it's unlikely anyone will pay attention.
- How many dreams and visions can my character experience or be drawn into?
- As many as you want! You can do more than one haunting if you desire, though we recommend choosing one key event to address. We also recommend limiting the number of hauntings they're drawn into to avoid a situation where your character becomes effectively incapacitated in-game.
- Can the event be something that happened in Abraxas instead of a canon memory?
- Certainly! If your character has a recent experience that they must confront, which arose during their time in the game, that's perfectly acceptable.
- What's causing this to happen in the first place?
- It's unclear! There is no discernible cause that characters can find or "fix." Characters inclined to research may come upon myths or stories that suggest events of this nature (sleepwalking, hearing voices, frequent nightmares, etc.) occur in the wake of great violence or loss. It is possible the Summoned are experiencing a more powerful version due to their unique status and their shared "connection" together.
- How do the boons really work?
- You can consider the boons to be similar to a temporary magical weapon or a specter that manifests from an important memory, person, or moment for your character. How it looks and where it comes from is entirely up to you. It can also be entirely made up in appearance as a representation of a concept.
- What about the Horizon?
- When inside the Horizon, characters will experience the same thing! They can end up in domains they don't remember traveling to or see strange flickers in somebody's Horizon mirror.