An apology and the event

[havenmods]

Hello there, Havenites!

May I first apologize that this is going up 13 hours late, as it should have gone up at 7pm EST last night. Unfortunately, I had complete internet failure last night and was unable to even get on plurk to alert anyone I wouldn't be around. I am truly sorry, and hope you can forgive me, it won't happen again as I have now bought myself a pre-paid internet dongle in the event that my net fails again.

It's event time again, and this event was chosen for you all by Aki (player of Charles Fei-Ong and Gilbert Nightray), as part of the Secret Santa challenge.

It's really shaking things up this time (okay, no more puns). But the event is starting with an excessively big earthquake ripping through Haven West. The foundations of the elementary school will crack open during it, to reveal something horrible underneath...

This month's event will be in three stages, with the middle part of the event taking up the bulk of the time. So here is a run down of what is happening and when. Please note, due to not wanting to spoil event surprises, this is mostly a calendar list of when things will be happening.

Monday 20th January (or now Tuesday 21st am)

There is an IC mingle post here for the characters to react to ICly. The foundations of the elementary school have been ripped open by a strong earthquake, and underneath is a secret classroom that had obviously been sealed with concrete from the outside. There are wooden desks with shackles at the ankles and black sacks on chains at the back of each chair. Sitting at each of the twenty four desks is the skeleton of a child, judging by the size of bones they are all somewhere between ten and thirteen years old.

Some of the bodies have not decomposed enough to be skeletons, and there is the smell of rot and decay strong in the air. Any characters who are sensitive to death or psychic, may be able to hear faint echoes of children screaming and the sound of fingernails against doors and windows that won't open. Empathic characters can sense a deep fear and an even deeper anger, which seems to pulse now that the hidden room has been exposed again.

For the next two days, the sense of that pulsing will grow stronger by the hour, until it can be felt through the whole of the town and not just by empathic characters. It will also draw characters towards the school, weakly at first, until it grows to be nearly irresistible by Wednesday 22nd, 7PM EST.

Wednesday 22nd January

Wednesday will begin the bulk of the event. In order not to spoil the surprise completely, the exact details will be given on Wednesday's post. I can tell you that there will be an OOC Post for the Wednesday section of the plot.

This section of the plot will involve changes which will evolve over the course of the week until Sunday 26th at 7PM EST.. However, these changes will not be mandatory for every character and may manifest differently for some.

Sunday 26th January

An OOC Post and IC Post will be made to bring the events of the week towards a conclusion. This will come together with an IC vote, which will influence the longer running ramifications of the event.

Tuesday 28th January

An OOC Post will close the event. The further ramifications of the event will be explained, along with the results of the IC vote.

If you have any questions at all, please ask them on this post!

Comments

[flyingboar]

Can Toph stay outside of the school, sense stuff and possibly warn people about whatever she senses? She can't go to specifics since she hasn't stepped in yet, but I'm guessing she can get a gist of the cracks and the skeletons with her earthbending. And possibly hear a few stuff too.

[havenmods]

She can sense the skeletons and the layout with her feet, definitely! But the potential sounds of screaming would only be audible if she were psychic or sensitive to death.

[flyingboar]

Sweet! Thanks!

[evocalize]

This is kind of a weird question to ask:

There's no definite indicator of Minato being sensitive to death in his canon, but he has had Death sealed within him for ten years and this in turn amplified his abilities later on. Based on this, could I reasonably say that he would be able to hear the echoes but would have a more difficult time hearing them than naturally sensitive characters?

[havenmods]

Sure, that sounds fine to me.

[evocalize]

Excellent!

[theothersissel]

There's no doubt that Yomiel would hear the children screaming, being as dead as he is, but I had a question: Yomiel can access a sort of "mode" called the "Ghost World" - it's just a sort of plane of vision where he can see the cores of objects/people he can possess, as well as see the presence of other ghosts.

Will he be able to see any ghosts/souls/what have you there, or will it just be empty?

[havenmods]

He may be able to see snatches of children's spirits, but they seem to be warped somehow and tangled together so they no longer have their own sense of identity.

[everwalking]

So Allen's left eye has been cursed explicitly for this particular reason -- to attune him to the suffering of deceased souls that have been trapped inside akuma. When the curse is active, he can see and hear their decaying spirits. They seem to recognize from the curse that this is his reason for existing, and they often beg for him to save them / acknowledge them / love them / free them / live only for helping them, because Allen's life is the worst.

So with the eye activated, will he be able to see or hear anything in particular at this point in time, or just more screaming and nothing visual?

[havenmods]

He would only be able to hear what has already been mentioned above, but he will also be able to see a mess of children's spirits that are not very distinct. They seem to be tangled up together and have lost much of their original identities.

[everwalking]

Thank you~

[oneirism]

So, since Lapis can see spirits that are sometimes even invisible to the human eye, would she be able to see anything? And how would trying to talk to them go?

[havenmods]

She may be able to catch short glimpses of child spirits, but mostly they have lost their individuality and become combined in a mass energy that doesn't really have form. Talking to them would only increase the screaming and feelings of anger.

[oneirism]

Okay, thank you!

[deathtouch]

What would happen potentially, if Tharja tried to summon this mass of spirit into herself?

[havenmods]

She would lose control of her temper, and become murderously violent, before the sheer volume of the spirit would burn her out from the inside and kill her within a day.

[evocalize]

Inquiring minds would like to know! If the skeletons of the children can be removed from where they're sitting, what would happen?

[havenmods]

Nothing, other than the character would then be one proud owner of a child skeleton.

[evocalize]

Interesting. And just to play it safe because one never knows with Haven, would it be safe to bury them?

[havenmods]

Yep!

[evocalize]

Great!

[remainingtwin]

The pictures taken from Mio's camera obscura can sometimes reveal how a place used to look, reveal spirits, or even sometimes show what the spirits looked like when they were alive. If she were to take a couple pictures, what would show up, if anything?

You can also totally just PM/PP me or something if need be!

[havenmods]

The photographs would not reveal the spirits as they are now. However, one single photograph may reveal a scene from how it was when they were alive.

The classroom looks the same as it does now, with the shackles and bags. The children are shackled in and watching a presentation at the front. The presentation is being given by Dr. Kite and he has a fresh cadaver with him - a child their age - which he is dissecting as part of the lesson.

The children are making notes as if this is ordinary.

[priceofmagic]

I see you've mentioned what empathy sponges would feel fear and anger. Is it active (coming from a spirit) or residue (imprinted on the room)?

[havenmods]

It's a mixture of both!

[pedokinesis]

A question from the multipurpose psychic!!

If Hyobu were to try and 'read' the blackboard with psychometry, would he get anything off of it about what the children were being taught or what was last written on it?

ACTUALLY while I'm asking about his most intrusive power; If he were to try and read a skeleton, how much information would he be able to gleam regarding when and how they died?

[havenmods]

The last thing written on the blackboard are the words:

Write out fifty time: "I must not make a fuss as I die."

Reading a skeleton would get him nothing.

[cawtastrophe]

Question! Is there anything inside the bags?

[havenmods]

No, they seem to be there to act as hoods for the children if necessary.

[cawtastrophe]

Thank you! ONE MORE QUESTION... are there any consequences to pulling apart the skeletons / moving them around? i'm so sad i have to ask this

[havenmods]

None whatsoever. Anyone who does that has the punishment of being a weirdo already.

[cawtastrophe]

guilty as charged...

[twiceinhabited]

Since I realised something because of definitions.

Amane's spiritually sensitive (can hear the voices of holy/unholy spirits and all that) instead of psychic, so does that mean she can or can't hear the "faint echoes of children screaming and the sound of fingernails against doors"?

[havenmods]

Sure, I'd be fine with that.

[xtricate]

Question! Laura's sense of smell also gives her the ability to scent emotions based on a person's sweat/pheromones/hormones/etc. Would there be anything for her to notice like that from the room since it's been closed for so long or is it just a smell of death and rotting bodies?

[havenmods]

She would be able to smell anger and terror, on the emotions side, but otherwise nothing other than death and rotting corpses.

[notatool]

Quick question! Would Lambda's sensors be able to pick up how some of the children died based upon the state of their remains and how long they've been dead? And if so, how would some of them have died and how long would they have been dead for?

[havenmods]

The sensors may be able to tell some died of starvation, but beyond that there would be no telling on the time frame.

[notatool]

Alright, thanks!