genessia_ooc | There's Something Strange in the Neighborhood (Reply)

At 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8th, a deep, heavy bell sounds three times. It doesn't matter which city you're in, or where you are, or even if you're sleeping (it will wake you up immediately!); everyone will hear it. After the third peal, the dead will rise from their graves, their blood stains, the last place they were ever seen alive, and will soon spread throughout every city. These ghosts will cause trouble everywhere they go, haunting buildings, possessing victims, terrorizing people, and sliming hapless bystanders.

Fortunately, the GSRF (Genessia Science & Research Foundation) is quick to respond, and will provide every character with the tools and means of capturing these ghosts. For everyone who checks in at the GSRF, they will receive the following equipment:

1. A proton pack and particle thrower
2. Up to three (3) ghost traps
3. A P.K.E. meter and electronic copy of Tobin's Spirit Guide uploaded to their comm devices
4. One standard issue jumpsuit that perfectly fits each character (even the large or unusually shaped characters) with a name patch stitched on that reads their last name (or just their first name if they don't have a surname).

In the GSRF, there are eight ghost-hunting missions of extreme importance that will be posted to a large screen. These missions are too dangerous for one person to accomplish on their own, and teams of two to four ghostbusters will be required to sign up for each one. Once signed up, the character's names will be listed below the mission they chose. Should the team succeed in their mission to subdue the ghostly threats, they will receive a hefty monetary reward, and one team will win a set of Fayren charms.

[OOC Notes]

How do I sign up?
Use the form below to choose a scenario. If only one person signs up before the event start date, they will need to sign up for another mission and join a different team. Take the opportunity to plot things out in this post, or make use of Discord or Plurk.

Can my character participate in multiple scenarios?
As a character, yes. As a ghostbuster, no. You'll notice that most of the scenarios have plenty of opportunities for other characters to get involved, such as the romantic interest of the art dealer ghost. Try not to have scenarios overlap wherever possible. To qualify for a charm, only your character's ghostbusting team will be eligible. So if you want to get sick from the plague ghost as a victim, then recover and go after the ghosts in the haunted prison, you certainly could. Make sure to plot things out between your teammates.

When does the event end?
Saturday, October 19th, is the last day the ghosts will be present in Genessia, after which they will vanish with the rising sun. The GSRF will ask to have their equipment returned at that point, but can be purchased with a generous donation toward the GSRF to fund future research. The day after that, a poll will go up where you can vote for the team you thought wrote the most entertaining mission scenario (no voting for a team with your own character). The team with the most popular log will win the charm. Just because the event ends doesn't mean you can't keep playing out the thread, or getting involved with other scenarios. We want people to enjoy the event regardless of charm rewards or tagging speed, since that's the real treasure anyway. So by all means, backtag into infinity and beyond!

Can I make my own scenario?
Absolutely! Feel free to make use of the bestiary below to make your own ghosts, draw inspiration from other ghosts, and take all kinds of creative liberties. Just because it's not a charm-quest-specific thread doesn't mean you can't have your character do anything else, so go right ahead and make open/closed posts to your heart's delight.

[SCENARIOS]

Over the years, there have been four notorious criminals that were held and executed in the Nova City penitentiary. Their spirits have been slowly drawing power from the fear, sorrow, and anger of other criminals held in the prison walls, and at last have the strength to overtake the facility and claim it as their own. The prison will be haunted by a large number of Class I-IV spirits, but in order to fully reclaim the prison, the four primary criminal ghosts will have to be defeated and contained. This mission is classified as urgent since the criminals housed in the prison are in mortal peril (the team is likely to run into at least a few corpses of prisoners who were killed in the initial takeover), with the additional risk that a tardy response could also result in some of the more dangerous criminals escaping back into the city once more.

The Splattermage - The leader of the Notorious Four, imported from Fayren after committing gruesome and heinous crimes. He would often terrorize his victims for days or weeks, painting a letter from their name in fresh blood where the victim would find it. Once the victim's name was fully spelled out, he would murder them gruesomely with his spells. In death he can still cast a large variety of nasty spells, but if he manages to get his hands on the spellbook held in the prison's storage vault, he will be ten times tougher and more dangerous. He will be in the basement attempting to break into the vault, the lower levels of the prison being only accessed by defeating the other three first to weaken the seal.

Murkwater Marauder - A serial killer imported from Everglade. She would often stalk her victims to learn their daily habits and activities before staging elaborate traps. Sometimes these traps were set up to make the death appear as an accident, but in the two years before her capture, the traps were far more cruel and fashioned with the intention of psychologically and physically torturing her victim.

Weeping William - A native of Nova City who flew into a jealous rage when his lover was found with another man, and crushed her skull with a hammer. When he was calm enough to realize what he'd done, he broke down into tears and began assembling the shattered fragments. He was mostly successful, but was unable to find one single shard to complete his grisly project. He stalked the streets, killing people with brutal blows to the head in an ongoing effort to find the one perfect shard to complete his lover's skull and make it whole once more. He will actively try to kill anyone he sees, sobbing the whole while.

Father Charlatan of Cosmo Church - The only one of the four who has never killed anyone directly. This doppelganger spirit was an infamous con-man in his time, able to shapeshift to appear as any number of 'alien' species native to Nova City and pretend to be a spokesperson for their god. Through his actions he was able to incite zealotry to the point of murdering "non-believers" and other heinous acts which would allow him to gain power and wealth. Encountering this spirit is especially dangerous, as he will attempt to possess a member of the group and may spend a great deal of time in that person's body undetected while slowly siphoning away their life energy. He will try to get the members of the group to turn on one another and even kill each other.

The team that pursues this mission is likely to encounter Dr. Seek (the culprit from a previous event who divided characters into a Good Side and a Bad Side), who will likely try to flee the murderous Notorious Four. If your team wants to stop him, kill him, protect him, or do anything else besides let him run for his life, let the mod (Faetan) know, and details will be provided as to the results of the team's actions.

He does exist, though most adults would never guess this to be true. The Boogeyman thrives on fear, especially from children who feel it the most keenly. He dwells in realm all his own with twisting Escher-esque stairs, walkways, and warped doors and gaping pits in the floor that let him move from house to house with ease. Each door leads to a closet in a child's bedroom, and each pit leads to the space beneath a child's bed. The only limitation the Boogeyman has is that he can't leave Attleton. He will attempt to capture or kill a team member in order to steal their pendant. If he does, he will be free to flit to any city he likes. Great intelligence and trickery will likely be required to track down this wicked spirit. Pretending to be a frightened child to lure him out will only work once. He'll wise up after that.

NOTE: This scenario can take place at any character-owned ranch with player permission, but for now defaults to Emerald Falls.

At sundown, a dead and decaying rooster rises from the dusty earth and crows. This call awakens dozens of zombie-like spirits that claw their way up out of the ground to come shambling toward the ranch. Once there, they leave a huge mess in their wake, digging up crops, terrorizing animals, and spreading weeds. They return to their graves at sunrise, only to repeat the process again and again. Though these spirits can be fought and contained in the usual way, and they will retaliate with violence if attacked by swinging shovels and rakes or even biting their attackers, careful observation will reveal that they aren't actively trying to cause any harm to the farm. They're just going about the duties they performed when they were alive. It turns out the spirits all hail from a long-standing family, the McCalls, who used to own the ranch before the last member passed away a few years ago. This information can be discovered by questioning the local townsfolk. It's possible that they can be persuaded to return to their graves and rest for good if a farmer or rancher character pleas with them to realize that their actions are harmful, and that the ranch is in good hands.

Deep within the forest is an ethereal knight in green armor who rides a black horse, named Sir Alocer. His face is always hidden behind the visor of his helmet, and he never speaks. However, all animals obey his command, and will violently attack the living. The escaped circus animals have fallen under his enchantment, and he aims to trample and overrun the town of Fayren along with other fantastical beasts such as unicorns, basilisks, and even dragons. Be forewarned, any character that is an animal or possesses significant animal features that encounters him will fall under his control. That includes a character's Pokemon and summoned creatures! Likely a character won't know this until it actually happens, but if you need to add a twist, this one is highly recommended.

What started out as a common autumn cold has worsened significantly into a deadly and debilitating plague that spreads throughout the city. The most common symptom is a spattering of green measles-like spots that appear on a person's skin, most abundantly on the face and arms. Shortly after this symptom appears, the victim grows weak, has difficulty breathing, grows feverish while shivering with cold, and suffers horrific nightmares every time they try to rest. The demon spirit Asag, the source of the plague, secretly haunts the hospital to feed on the suffering and fear of his victims, and devouring the bodies in the morgue. His victims are highly contagious, and if he touches a character, the green spots will appear within seconds. What's worse, the spirits of the dead victims will return as poltergeists, causing sharp surgery tools and dangerous biological samples and specimens to fly about the room when the haunt is disturbed.

The increase in ghost activity isn't all that unusual in Everglade. Souls now pass freely between the city and Portview via the Phantom Train, and most of them are benevolent. There's one being that is very dangerous, however. Ghash, nicknamed "Mr. Ugly" by the locals, prowls the foggy streets at night in a trenchcoat and top hat. He appears human, up until he crosses the path of another spirit. At this point he opens his trenchcoat to reveal a ghastly mouth in the middle of his body which sucks in the spirit and devours it, keeping it trapped inside his body where he feeds on its energy until nothing more remains. This will affect anyone who has recently visited Portview! If a character or NPC is eaten by Mr. Ugly, the ghostbusting team will have only 24 hours to defeat him and free the devoured spirit, or they will die.

A Class IV spiritus named "KillerWatt" is capable of possessing and manipulating all electrical items and devices. Accompanied by the two Palmer Brothers, lesser spirits but just as ornery, KillerWatt delights in instigating mayhem and chaos wherever he goes. He can travel freely through electrical outlets and wires, as can the brothers, and his favorite thing is to make common household items go haywire and attack their owners. Keep in mind, the human brain also functions via electrical synapses, so while it's more difficult for him to use a human, he certainly can with concentration and effort.

NOTE: This is set for a generic art museum in Everglade, but a player may opt to have this take place in their own art museum or studio if they wish. Wat can also be a male or a female, and may be changed to suit the team's needs.
Not all ghosts are violent terrorizing maniacs. Wat is considerably refined with a taste for art and all things beautiful. He and his ghostly dog, Malokty, have seen fit to haunt a local art museum. Wat can actively possess a painting, drawing characters into limited-range landscapes; or pulling creatures, plants, animals, and other painting subjects to life where they will attack anyone he deems a threat to his rightful ownership of all things beautiful. Malokty can move from painting to painting and emerge through any of them, making it a dangerous ally to Wat. Wat is likely to fall in love with a particularly beautiful or handsome character, and if there are no volunteers to serve as his romantic obsession, he will fall for the NPC museum curator. This person will be abducted by Wat and imprisoned in a painting, where they will slowly weaken and become the painting if they are not freed in time. Wat will make use of the monster exhibit mentioned in the newspaper, dispatching sculptures and painted horrors to attack the ghostbusting team that comes after him.

Apparition: The most common type of spirit encountered when investigating the supernatural. While most apparitions are human-like in appearance, they can also represent the most natural form of the ghost when it was still alive (dog apparitions look like dogs, etc.). People that were generally considered 'good' or 'decent' don't appear all that abnormal, and these types of apparitions aren't all that dangerous. They may try to communicate with the living, but are limited to very basic means such as gestures or limited speech (i.e. "Leave!" or "Rosebud!"). However, if the person had a lot of negativity in their lives, they will become a more shadowy apparition with exaggerated, warped, or monstrous features, and they will absolutely try to harm the living.

Banshee: These shrieking spirits can range from 'annoying' to 'vicious' depending on how many years they've spent since their death. Most are female, and were wronged or murdered by a male when they were alive. If you're going after a banshee, it's a smart idea to bring earplugs.

Booga: Usually the ghost of particularly lazy or corpulent people. Boogas are mischievous, enjoy toying with those who try to capture them, and are infamous for 'sliming' people by slathering them with ectoplasm. Though they're chubby, nasty little ghosts that don't look all that speedy, they're also shockingly fast, and can cover several miles in mere minutes.

Doppelganger: These demonic entities have no form when they first cross over from the ethereal plane, and only take a defined shape when they have an encounter with the living. They can imitate any living person they see or meet. The purpose of a doppelganger is generally unknown, but varies greatly. They may be working for a more powerful spirit, or summoned to fulfill the tasks of someone strong (or foolish) enough to call it to the realm of the living. Psychics and mediums have been found guilty of either bargaining with or enslaving a doppelganger to perform a false seance to deceive those who wish to speak with their dead loved ones.

Dread: A dread often attaches itself to a single person and haunts them for an extended period of time, and brings gloom and depression to its designated victim. Someone haunted by a dread begins to take on the pallor and posture of someone in mourning. They will wear dark and/or monochrome colors, seek out depressing movies and music, and cause vegetation around them to gradually wilt and die (especially roses). A person haunted by a dread can receive help in shaking off the spirit by people who wear brightly colored clothes, the use of peppermint oil, or even modern anti-depressants.

Fright: Very old spirits that are exceptionally cagey at avoiding capture. They siphon away the energy of the living, and often hide or lurk within statues to remain undetected. The more energy they drain, the stronger they become. Frights would prefer to scare away their hunters rather than harm them, but they will become violent if they are denied access to their favorite victims.

Phantasm/Phantom: Vengeful spirits are almost always guaranteed to be phantasms (or phantoms depending on who you ask). A person who was wronged in life and was never able to achieve revenge (or forgive the person who wronged them) is most likely to become a phantasm after death. Phantasms seek to torment the living by any means possible, resenting them for their lives and opportunities that they feel they were denied. A phantasm takes exceptional delight in trying to kill people in the same fashion that they were killed (a person who was pushed out of a window and became a phantasm as a result would try to defenestrate other people).

Poltergeist: These spirits are difficult to identify in that they typically don't manifest in any sort of visible way. Rather, they move objects in their vicinity, such as pushing a table, flinging a stapler, or even pushing someone off their feet. Poltergeists have a very limited range that they can affect and cannot move far from the spot where they died (or, alternatively, a spot that held great value to them in life). An agitated poltergeist can be calmed by fulfilling a specific set of criteria, but discerning what this is can be exceedingly difficult if one doesn't know what the poltergeist wanted or cared about in life. Sometimes the use of a spirit board (such as a Ouija board) or a psychic can help in figuring out how to calm and dispel a poltergeist.

Spiritus: Of all the types of supernatural entities one can encounter, the spiritus is the most dangerous of all. They are violent and prone to nightmarish acts of pure horror and wickedness. They will possess humans to enact their will, infest their dreams with soul-rending nightmares, and psychologically torment anyone who manages to catch their attention (leaving bloody messages smeared on the wall, placing the corpses of dead animals in someone's bed, etc.). Be prepared for a tough fight if you're up against a spiritus, as they excel at getting into someone's head and driving them mad.

Spook: A spook manifests as an orb of glowing energy, and are often difficult to detect in places with lots of light (cities, sunlit places, etc.). If one wants to photograph or videotape them properly, it must be done without lighting or the use of a flash. Spooks are difficult to communicate with as they make no sound and have no appendages with which to gesture. It's difficult to tell if they're benevolent or malicious; a wicked spook may try to lure someone into a dangerous location such as quicksand or a ravine, especially when it's foggy and/or dark.

Sprite: Fairy-like guardians of the forest. They're typically not a threat except to those who trespass in or cause damage to their domain. They will also attempt to kill those who hurt the animals that live in their domain, or even exact revenge on the offender's family members and leave their corpses to be found in a ring of toadstools.

Troll: Because their appearance and mannerisms are so close to their living monster counterparts, they share the same name, though they are technically spirits and will show up on a PKE meter whereas a regular troll would not. A troll spirit originates from humans who were particularly greedy or prone to hoarding/collecting things, and often appear to desperate humans who are willing to sell their souls or commit atrocities in exchange for something they want. What they get in return is usually twisted into a sort of monkey's paw. For example, if someone offers to sell their soul in exchange for the return of a missing loved one, the loved one will be returned to them dead and/or mangled, or possibly as a monstrous version of themselves. A troll can always be trusted to hold up its end of the deal, but never in a way that's favorable or fair.

Vapor: These spirits often ignore the living, haunting places they favored. They rarely communicate via speech, preferring to make their will known through gestures (or hair-raising roars while transforming into a nightmarish shape). Vapors prefer to be left alone, and will try to frighten off anyone who attempts to disturb or dislodge them from the place of their haunting. While this isn't a problem in most cases, it can easily become so if the place they haunt is frequented or lived in by humans.

NOTE: None of the ghosts in the missions will go higher than Class VI. Class VII encounters can only be found in player-constructed missions and are just for fun. Please don't go around destroying the cities and planet!

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There's Something Strange in the Neighborhood

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