Possession Event

[lucetimods]

Who: People in Luceti
What: Spiritual possession
When: The 26th to the 1st
Where: Luceti!
Summary: Check out the previous mod post.
Rating: If it gets smutty, move it somewhere private.


Starting at midnight on the 26th, Luceti and its inhabitants will find itself the focus of the Filial spirits, usually quiet and reclusive, now stepping out to deal with one of their own.

As promised, here is some additional information to help figure out how to play around with the spirits and interacting with similarly possessed people.

First off, each spirit has a certain time or place when they are at their most powerful. Consequently, characters possessed by them will enjoy these boosts and this in itself can be a deciding factor in what would otherwise be a stalemate. Here’s a quick run down:

Sona - She’s most powerful around lakes, rivers, and the ocean. Mostly this is concentrated at the southern lake.

Kipinn - He’s most powerful in high places, like mountain tops and the roofs of community buildings.

Faeren - She’s most powerful in the farmlands alongside things that grow.

Tsinku - He’s most powerful in the village itself, where technology thrives.

Eferin - He’s most powerful in the center of the forest where his heat may cause trees to burn. In fact, the upcoming forest fire may cause some trouble if his followers get too rowdy.

Hyt - It’s most powerful during the daytime under a bright sky.

Twila - It’s most powerful during the night time.

Nala- She has no domain and is generally welcome wherever she goes.

How possessed characters will deal with other possessed characters will depend on the interactions of the spirits themselves. A useful spreadsheet sums up these relationships. Those that have a friendly attitude to one another will generally allow ‘trespassers’ into their domain, but those they are not so friendly with may cause conflict.

Finally, to elaborate on Twila-possessed characters. Those with a natural affinity for darkness are likely to be possessed first. Once they have, they can try to recruit others less-compatible candidates to ‘join the cause’. Their goal is numbers. The more who are working with Twila, the better. Once they do, they’ll be inclined to act in their own self interest and if necessary, deal with others who try to get in their way. In the long term, the spirit Twila wants to stay this way, bonded to the Lucetians as hybrids, that way it cannot be imprisoned again. Think of it as pure survival instinct of an animal that’s spent way too long in a cage.

All isn’t lost. The other spirits may not be able to cage it again, but they won’t accept Twila reacting in this manner. Though it’s hard to tell what their beef with Twila is, they have an instinctive familiarity with the dark spirit and seem to act as its jail keepers.

They have the power to free people from Twila, but given their poor communication skills, figuring that out might just be a challenge. After all, the spirits can only communicate in shades of feeling and intentions, but not actually verbalize directions or marching orders. However, there will be a Malnosso post mid-event that will give everyone, possessed or otherwise, the info they need to turn things around.

Comments

[wise_maiden]

[She raises an eyebrow at him for that display, and will give him a slow, dry clap for that performance, though her eyes can't help but be drawn to his infected arm.]

... If you must know, our dear friend John is in the middle of some negotiating. In fact, he was surprised that the Organization hadn't already jumped the gun and ordered our deaths yet again.

It would be much nicer to settle this all peacefully instead, wouldn't it?

[chikaidestroyer]

Perhaps they are not as surprised as they should be by this development. [He lowers his arms.] Not that it matters. It's all just a matter of time before something happens.

[wise_maiden]

And are you more inclined to wait until that happens?

[chikaidestroyer]

I like to wait. [And this time, he gives her a tight little smile.]

[wise_maiden]

As long as you use your waiting time for something useful, like learning more about that spirit inhabiting you. How it can be reasoned with, perhaps.

[Her focus is still on his arm.]

[chikaidestroyer]

I wonder why we are having this conversation then, if it is not really useful? [There is an airy, somewhat flippant tone to his question, as if he already knows the answer to that. He curls the fingers of his left hand deliberately, turning his hand this way and that.]

[wise_maiden]

I found it informative, myself. Of course, you seem to be taking enjoyment from turning my words around. To what end does that benefit you?

[chikaidestroyer]

Benefit? [He turns enough that it's evident he is raising a brow at her.] Why would it have to benefit me? [A pause.] Ah. That's right. You find suspect in my control.

Perhaps you should simply consider that I am finding this conversation somewhat boring.

[wise_maiden]

So you choose to engage in childish behavior to make it more interesting for yourself? What a tactic from our master strategist.

[chikaidestroyer]

Between this entire situation and a conversation that is going nowhere, my arm is rather aggravated. [And his voice dips to a monotone.] My apologies that it comes across to your judgmental, affected self as childish.

1/2

[wise_maiden]

- ! I am not being judgmental. You were being difficult on purpose. And -

[wise_maiden]

[She keeps her eyes closed for a moment, then breathes slowly, opening them again.] ... let me see your arm. That's what I'm here for, after all.

[chikaidestroyer]

[He stands there on the edge of the roof, watching her for a long moment. Then he methodically removes his left glove and tugs at the long sleeve of the shirt he has been wearing since yesterday.

Even under the pale moonlight, it is difficult to see anything resembling normal flesh on the arm. The curse had taken the entirety of his arm and spread off towards his shoulder and clavicle.]

You said as much, but of course a conversation about what we can't alleviate seemed more necessary.

[wise_maiden]

[Raine shakes her head a little and rises, carefully, so she can study his arm properly. There would be no more banter; they had both made their points, and speaking further wouldn't help either of them.

Besides, the magic would work better if she were calmer, the spirit's influence using the opportunity to sink in fuller, as it wanted to do from the moment she had landed on the roof and resisted.

He was wounded. This was her purpose.

Within moments, a soft glow pours forth from her hands, the same color as her wings, spreading gently to cover his arm.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He's silent as he watches Raine work, his eyes trailing over to her wings after a moment. His arm twitches and he reflexively tenses it, causing another flash of burning pain that seems to emanate from the entire infected area.

The alleviation of pain comes faster than anything he could have managed on his own. A small sigh escapes.]

[wise_maiden]

[It's a cursed arm in front of her, and with the spirit using her as the conduit for the magic she can feel it without touching it. It's inhuman, infused with contained pain and rage....

She remains calm as ever on the surface, concentrating still. There were limits to what she could do with even this magic, but it still possessed a great intensity even without the unicorn horn. Bring back the flesh, she thought, stubbornly if uselessly.

The magic continued to flow.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[The longer the healing continues, the more Albert realizes that there's something definitely different about being healed by the Nala-possessed Raine. There was a feeling of smugness; of course it would be different, with Raine's affinity bolstering Nala's power. He allows himself a smile, even as his skin seems to crawl as if pricked by tiny needles. He shivers, bringing his other hand up to rub at his shoulder.]

[wise_maiden]

[There's something dangerously addicting about the way the energy flows through her, struggling against the curse itself. Ease the pain, purify what she could. Wasn't that what they all wanted?

It's easy to lose track of the time in this way, not that it's a factor to her. The first signs of any visible tiredness would reveal itself in her wings, vaguely starting to droop.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He presses more against his shoulder as the healing continues, breathing slow and deep. It was easy to indulge in the lack of pain that he felt under Nala's power, to not say anything even as he sees Raine's wings droop.

Faintly curious just how effective Nala's power has been, he draws his hand over to the collar of his shirt and begins to unbutton it. As he does so, he finally speaks to Raine.]

That's enough. How long have you sustained that power now?

[wise_maiden]

[Even replying in the midst of concentrating is a bit of a mental struggle once Albert's words hit her. The glow remains, though the intensity shifts with the distraction.]

... not long enough. How does it feel?

[chikaidestroyer]

[There's a distinct look of disdain on Albert's face at that answer, and he steps away to dissuade her from continuing to heal him while he unbuttons his shirt. He tugs the shirt back to reveal his clavicle, raising a brow when he has pull his shirt back further to reveal more of the skin closer to his shoulder.

The black, burn-like wound had clearly receded, away from the edge of his clavicle. A little more than a square inch of skin restored to its normal pallor. Considering the slow progression of the curse on a day-to-day basis and Raine's ability to only keep that progression at bay...

He doesn't realize that he had been holding his breath until a breathless little laugh escapes him. Inwardly, that smugness asserts itself even further.]

It's working.

[wise_maiden]

[When he steps away, the glow withdraws and fades, her wings drooping a little further as she observes his careful tugging motions, her own eyes widening a little in surprise - she had seen how bad it had gotten previously, after all.]

Good... it really is working.

[chikaidestroyer]

[He allows his hand to drop, not bothering with buttoning up his shirt for the moment; it's not as if there is anything to worry about with Raine being the only one on the rooftop with him.]

I had expected it would work well considering how well Nala's power healed my throat ... but this is more encouraging than I had thought it would be.

[Now he had to think of just how to take advantage of Nala's power among those possessed.]

[wise_maiden]

Yes... something good can come from this. It's been how many months now? Over six? [She takes a step closer, to take a better look at his clavicle in the moonlight.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[While he thinks on Raine's question, Albert goes about pulling his left sleeve as high as he can manage and further unbuttoning his shirt to look at where the skin had also been blackened, down along his side as if the curse had branched out in every direction upon leaving the confines of his arm. Even the blackness that had spread along the side of his ribcage had visibly receded.]

That's right.