reddosmod: (Default)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2022-06-08 05:26 pm

has the moon lost her memory?

JUNE 2022 EVENT
BRIEF EVENT INFORMATION IF NECESSARY

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

Prompt One
[Image One: A person laying asleep in bed with a black cat watching them. ]
[Image Two: Someone sleeping in a bed with a demonic looking figure crouched over them, a long finger with a sharpened nail pointing towards the sleeper. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: A set of scrolls with gold ink on them bound with a maroon ribbon around the center. ]
[Image Two: A GIF of Rick, Evie, and Jonathan from the movie The Mummy walking into a dark, underground room holding torches to light the way. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A black and white photograph of a long stone hallway. A girl with long hair and a white dress is standing in the center of the image. The girl is see-through, implying she is a ghost. ]
[Image Two: A series of traditional Japanese gates in the woods with steps leading up to an unknown location. There are statues between each gate as you head up. Everything is covered in moss and looks abandoned. The sun is shining through the gates. ]

DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS
WHEN: June
WHERE: Everywhere in Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Living nightmares, violence, possible death


In a place like Trench, nightmares are probably par for the course for many. Whether it's things from home or new fears that have been discovered in new worlds, there's plenty of fodder for the mind to create the scariest dreams off of. Waking from them is easy enough though, isn't it? A shake from a friend or a frightening enough moment and the brain jolts awake. Someone who doesn't have to sleep would never have to worry at all.

At least until this month. Throughout June, Sleepers are finding themselves plagued with nightmares; whether it's when they fall asleep, or nightmarish daydreams when they zone out during the day, their worst fears and memories will play in their heads, and no one can wake them or startle them out of it. A person stuck in a nightmare might look like they're in some kind of trance, only waking when they reach a part of their nightmare that becomes too much and their mind finally startles them awake.

Even if a Sleeper was trying to find rest in traditional sleep, they'll awaken more exhausted than they were before. In fact, people plagued by these nightmares almost look like there is something draining their life force from them entirely. They'll start to show typical signs of weakness: ashen skin, circles under the eyes, clumsiness, etc. As the month wears on, the worse it looks. What's even more strange is they may start to show signs of injury they sustained inside the nightmares. Scrapes, bruises, even awful gashes start to manifest. If one isn't careful, the nightmare might literally kill them.

The worse someone looks, the more it starts to become apparent there's something clinging to them. A usually invisible monster latched onto their back. It's humanoid in shape, but it's skin is black and scaley, and it's fingers seem to be extra long, with razor sharp nails at the tips. It's legs are wrapped tightly around the person suffering from the nightmares, a demon taking a nice piggyback ride from it's victims. Anyone can put two and two together that these demons are likely causing the nightmares.

The demons can be defeated one of two ways: 1) Someone who sees it clinging to another person can attempt to fight it for the sufferer. It's the more challenging option in some ways, as it's almost impossible to fight the demon without injuring or killing the person it's attached to. Every blow seems to make the Sleeper being clung to weaker and there's an obvious risk of hitting them with any spells or weapons. If the fighter can get a quick, clean kill, however, then they can save the Sleeper suffering from nightmares before it can drain them of all their life energy.

2) The next option, and arguably less painful, is found in a clip from an old book on dreamscapes, for those who do their research:
...In order to rid yourself of the demon, you'll need a helping hand. The ritual is simple, but takes time, and more importantly, vulnerability.

In a quiet room, hold hands with another person, hopefully someone you trust deeply. If you close your eyes at the same time, you will find yourselves transported into the nightmare realm that has plagued you for who knows how long. Together, you must explore the nightmare, turning over every metaphorical stone until you find the demon hiding in the realm. It may be at the end of the dream/memory you're living through, or it may be hidden in the parts that frighten you most. Regardless, the demon must be faced, calmed, and eventually released.
What it means by "faced, calmed, and eventually released" is, of course, not entirely clear. This is because it may be unique to each individual. Fighting the demon physically won't work here, though. The Sleeper must discuss their memory/nightmare, facing their fear and opening up about the emotions that have created this nightmare world. Is it guilt over the death of another? Uncertainty in one's past actions? A fear of never being enough? No matter the reason, it must be divulged to the person who has accompanied the Sleeper into their nightmare. Once the emotions have been fully divulged, the demon will glow white, before slowly dissolving into glitter and blowing away.

QUICK FACTS: 1. Regular weapons and magic will work against the demon, but will harm the person the demon is attached to at the same time. If the demon is killed too slowly, the Sleeper will die with them.

2. If a demon is attached to a person for too long, it will eventually kill them. This is up to the player, but should take at minimum a week, and at maximum three weeks.

3. All demons will disappear by the end of June, regardless of whether or not they've been defeated.

4. Characters can figure out the ritual/solution to calming the demons without ever finding the book.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
WHEN: June
WHERE: Various points in the city.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Earthquakes, claustrophobia, insects, body horror, death


Early in June, the ground around the city will start to shake. It will be quiet at first, but slowly grow, until there's a feeling of a full-blown earthquake under people's feet. The structures of the city will not be impacted, but people can still be thrown to their feet, and objects can fall from shelves or furniture may tip over.

When all is settled, while the buildings may be in tact, there will be large holes in the streets, and caved in areas in the woods, and ice caverns exposed under the ground of Shiver. These holes will be hard to see down to judge what's inside of them, but not so deep that they can't be easily climbed into without injury. Those who are brave enough to go inside will find that the noises of the city don't reach underground— and neither does the light. Anyone who wants to explore will need torches or lanterns of some sort to be able to light the way.

The holes lead to tunnels that run under the city streets. These tunnels aren't mapped and they twist and turn in ways that don't always make sense. It seems almost like some sort of maze, clearly meant to trick and confuse people who are trying to look inside of them. Sometimes people will simply run into solid walls that block off their path. Others might lead to actual traps. There are rooms that have flesh eating insects crawling on the wall, ready to pounce no whoever comes inside. Other rooms are filled with gases that will eat away at people from the inside, causing them to cough up blood, eventually killing them if they don't get to clean air quickly.

But some rooms will be filled with old treasures. Shelves lined with old books, covered in dust. Scrolls that are stuffed into chests with ancient objects. Most of these books and scrolls have information that is readily available in the archives, but locked chests that have been undisturbed for who knows how long hold information that may have been lost to time.

One room has a small book on Pthumerians as a race. It does not focus on the Patron Pthumerians, but on the general population of them. It discusses the early history of the Pthumerians and their admiration of humanity. It tells the lore of the Sleepers and how Pthumerians populated the world when much of it was destroyed by Sodder's dream world took over. An excerpt can be read here.

Another room holds a scroll that is tightly sealed. It can be opened peacefully with a drop of Vileblood placed directly onto the wax, causing it to melt away quickly. If it is attempted to open in any other manner, the wax will spray acid into the air, harming anyone near by with deep burns. The scroll itself will remain undamaged. Once opened, the scroll is difficult to read. The ink is faded and it's hard to tell if it was even written in any known language. There will be one passage that can be made out, discussing the history of the world while Sodder dreamed. It can be read here.

The last room holds a small, thin book on a brief history of Maine. It's brief, many pages have been ripped or damaged by time, but it's one of the rarest history books in this world. It seems as though it might have been written for tourists once upon a time, but when the book is brought to the Archives, it will be treated as one of the most highly prized treasures that anyone could have found.

All three of these rooms as well as a handful of other chambers that can be found will have useful items inside the chests and laying on shelves as well. There are various shaped bloodstones that can be used to improve the powers of various weapons, as well as blood gem tools that can help people to start to make their own stones from their blood without having to hire a jeweler in town. These stones would be weaker than those that have been made by people with years of experience, but it's a good starting point for those who want to learn the trade. There are also large, round, glowing white orbs that almost look like the moon: these orbs will help to ease the impact of blood pollution with their glow and can be used to help grow crops or ease corruption. The glow from the orb will become dimmer with use and go out entirely after two weeks. It can be recharged by being left outside for a night under the glowingfull moon.

QUICK FACTS: 1. Each character can only have one orb. Trying to take more than one will cause them to shatter.

2. Characters can get multiple tools, but will only be able to use them one at a time, so it's up to them on whether or not it's worth it to carry them. They're pretty heavy.

3. Feel free to have characters find objects from their worlds hidden among the treasures in each of the rooms. These can be rare items from home as well as every day items.

THAT'S THE SPIRIT
WHEN: June
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Ghosts/supernatural horror


It's not uncommon for people to be haunted by their pasts in Trench. It's something Sleepers have come to warn others about when they first arrived, knowing that this place likes to dig into the memories people least want to explore, and force you to... Well, work on your issues. The nightmares this month have been proof enough of that.

But it's become even more apparent now. At first, Sleeper's might think that they see something out of the corner of their eyes, or they might get the sense of being watched, but when they turn to look, nothing will be there. This feeling becomes more and more persistent, with a certainty that there truly was something there before growing stronger. There will start to be reflections in mirrors and windows that look familiar, but are gone again when someone tries to confirm the reality of the situation.

Then they start to linger. Ghosts from the past. They can't speak, and with some, it's hard to tell if they're really aware they're there at all. Maybe the ghost is going through an old ritual, a daily habit that was performed over and over without end. Or worse, maybe they're reliving their last moments, taking their last breaths, feeling the pain of their death again and again with no way to stop it.

Eventually, these ghosts can start to become aggressive. They'll be more aware of their presence in this world and they won't be happy with it. They'll start to smash objects, tear apart rooms, and even attack the people they're haunting, no matter how much they may have loved them in life. They're trying to free themselves and they've no idea how to go about it. Being trapped has clearly started to drive them insane.

Ghosts can be calmed by hearing stories that they shared with those who are haunted. This won't get rid of them, however, and they will continue to become harder and harder to talk down. Eventually, they have to be sent away. A cleansing blood ritual must be done on the person being haunted: a few drops of their own blood mixed with the blood of another, smeared in a circle on their forehead while in the presence of the ghost that's coming after them. The mixed blood must be of two different types to work (i.e, a Coldblood and a Darkblood would be a successful ritual, but two Coldbloods would not).

The ghosts may fight this ritual while it is happening. They may try to knock the sharp object used to cut the skin out of someone's hands or they might attack the person who is trying to apply the circle. But once the ritual is complete, a sense of peace will overcome the ghost, before they disappear into nothingness.

QUICK FACTS: 1. People who have the ability to see the past when they touch an object, either from canon or from this months blood abilities, will be able to see brief pieces of the past when they try to touch the ghosts.

2. Ghosts do not have to be someone from a characters canon. They can be from another canon so long as permission is given from any CR that may be impacted.

3. Ghosts can kill your character if you want them to, either from a character never undergoing the cleansing ritual and the aggression escalating too severely, or from the ghost trying to stop the ritual itself.

CODING
spiritwalks: (Feel your mother at your side)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-22 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
Sometimes we need a little optimism to get to point B.

[Vyng sinks to the ground in front of Obi-Wan, folding his long legs beneath himself.]
jedies: (Shroud of Darkness)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-22 01:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ hmm. ]

Is that what I need?
spiritwalks: (Boy I want you to be happy)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-28 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Gently:]

I think you need help.
jedies: (Religion or morals)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-28 08:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ that prompts a wry chuckle. ]

Not to be droll, but my situation is a little past help.
spiritwalks: (You'll feel the ghost)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-29 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
What do you mean?

[It's an honest question.]
jedies: (You cannot touch the shadow)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-29 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
. . . Have you ever seen a star explode?
jedies: (Love can ignite the stars)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-30 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
When a star explodes, it takes time for light to travel. So even though that star is gone, if you're far away enough . . . you can still see it there. The absence of light has yet to reach you.
spiritwalks: (You'll feel the ghost)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-30 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
The sheer magnitude of what happened...you're still processing it.
jedies: (Bringing to the galaxy a new age)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-30 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Precisely.

And it's why I don't think a solution exists.
spiritwalks: (Boy I want you to be happy)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-30 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
You're right. There isn't a solution. Not for that.

But look yourself — the life is draining right out of you. This isn't... [He considers his words, before settling on: ] Whatever is happening to you right now, I don't think it's natural.
jedies: (Unfinished Business)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-30 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ obi-wan considers this. ]

You may have a point.
spiritwalks: (You'll feel the ghost)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-30 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
Remember when we met? My repressed memories affected our surroundings.
jedies: (Miles Ahead)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-30 11:37 am (UTC)(link)
I remember.

You believe that's what is happening here?
spiritwalks: (I was gone)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-30 02:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I think something in this place might be acting on your memories.
jedies: (The shadow of greed that is)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-07-31 08:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ hmm. ]

How do we tackle it?
spiritwalks: (Boy I want you to be happy)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-07-31 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Together.

[Vyng offers his hand, palm facing upward — a quiet invitation he's made in the past.]
jedies: (Around you who transform)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-08-01 09:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ obi-wan's gaze flickers down as in caught in a private shame before he places his hand against vyng's. ]
spiritwalks: (Feel your mother at your side)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-08-05 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
[His fingers loosely curl around Obi-Wan's hand. Even if neither of them are quite sure what's going on, Vyng is confident they can help each other navigate it. Without another word, he takes a quiet breath and closes his eyes, intending to commune with the whispers and spirits that surround them.]
jedies: (Zoe)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-08-13 12:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ contact ignites a world under his skin. a world that was once filled with light and stars. luminous beings, scattered across a galaxy, pinpricks of lighthouses and waypoints to guide people home. that was obi-wan's code name once: guiding light. it moves within him like a river, infinite and endless. peaceable, calm.

but something has disrupted it. there's a kernel of blackness, a pebble tossed into the waters, sending out ripples of pain. his memories ache with his whole body. the lights are dimmed, fading away. obi-wan seems to wince. ]
spiritwalks: (Boy I want you to be happy)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-08-14 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[Like a twisted fragment of lead slowly poisoning someone without their knowledge. But matters of the heart and mind are more delicate than that of the body, and the undercurrent of shame he caught from Obi-Wan a moment ago — along with the subtle tremors running through him, and his pain — only reinforces Vyng's decision to tread carefully.

He gently brushes a thumb across Obi-Wan's knuckle. His eyes remain closed as he speaks in a low, even tone.]


Something is attached to your essence, I think. Something harmful. It may be the source of what ails you now.
jedies: (Around you who transform)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-08-15 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ hm. it makes sense. even if obi-wan shies away from it a little. it feels like cheating himself out of the pain. ]

Can you make out the shape of it?
spiritwalks: (You'll feel the ghost)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-08-16 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Vyng softly hums in thought. He shifts his awareness to their immediate surroundings and does a cursory check. His eyes are still closed, but he doesn't need to see the tree branches sheltering them from overhead, the breeze rustling through the leaves, or Francis mowing the grass several feet away. He can sense them all.

And then, something else.

A shadow, clinging to Obi-Wan's essence.]


It's...mannish. Humanoid.
jedies: (The galaxy is full of creatures)

[personal profile] jedies 2022-08-17 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ a creature of trench and nightmares then. nothing natural that obi-wan should saddle himself with. he takes in a quiet breath. ]

Do you know how to uproot it?
spiritwalks: (And maybe you're just a little bit...)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-08-19 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
By confronting it, I think. Sorta like what we did in the tub.

[Vyng isn't 100% sure. He rarely claims to know anything. But he's studied this place, its cadence, the patterns found among Sleeper experiences. He's developed a sense of spiritual matters in Trench, how they ebb and flow based on a person's state of mind.

Softly, he adds:]


Confronting it...may take you back to the fire.

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