☆ For All Embrathi People! ☆ To the curious, the careful, the bold, and the conveniently undefined,  You are cordially invited to step off the straight road for one evening, and into the depths of the Whisperwood, where lanterns behave like stars and time behaves like a rumor. Come as a stranger worth meeting twice. A few small courtesies, so the Wood does not have to teach them to you the hard way: Bring a costume, whether stitched by your own hands or purchased with coin, favor, or cleverness. Bring a mask, whether you carve it, paint it, or pick it out from a shelf that promises nothing except possibility. Bring dancing, whether learned in a lesson, practiced in a kitchen, or memorized by counting until the steps stop arguing with your feet. And for those arriving in pairs: if you choose to match, do it with intent. Not “similar,” not “close enough.” I mean matching in the way a duet matches, in the way a constellation matches, in the way a good lie matches the truth. If you do, I will judge you personally, and the best-matched pair may leave with a prize worth the effort. If you are asked who you are, answer with what you can afford to become for a night. If you are asked to dance, remember: decline is allowed. Panic is not required. (Practice helps.) Cordially never actually yours, The Starfetcher SITE WITE EVENT What’s happening & When A Whisperwood masquerade hosted by Astrid will begin on May 2nd! OPTIONAL BONUS REWARDS! You have two months to complete these two threads before the event opens and earn extra chips for completing [EV] threads: Your characters make or commission their costumes Your characters make or buy their masks Your characters learn to dance or practice (lesson, rehearsal, practice with a friend, etc.) For any of these threads to count toward the optional prize, reply to this thread with links to each thread. And don't forget to claim them as completed threads in your chip tracker! Optional couples prize! If couples show up in matching looks, Astrid will judge them IC, and staff will award a prize to the best-matched pair. TO QUALIFY: at least one of the event threads must be completed with the other half of your couple. This means, whether it's mask making, costume shopping, or dancing, the couple participating must complete at least one of those prompts together. During the event Participate in the sitewide masquerade event thread during the three-week window. For it to count toward getting chips for the SWE, you have to post three times.

code by jaecarys of shadow of the shattered

NOTICE TO THE CITIZENS OF EMBRATHIS Posted by order of the Runic Council — Office of the Councilor of Justice Citizens of Embrathis, In the wake of the violence at the clinic—and in light of the unresolved deaths and disturbances surrounding Determination Day—the Council requires more than rumor and panic. We require facts. If you saw, heard, carried, delivered, repaired, cleaned, treated, guarded, or otherwise touched the edges of what occurred, you may hold a detail that matters: a face remembered, a name overheard, an unusual purchase, a pattern of movement, a symbol, a meeting, a warning dismissed too quickly. Such details are not small. They are threads. Enough threads become a rope. INFORMATION REQUESTED Witness accounts of suspicious persons, gatherings, or disturbances connected to the clinic incident. Knowledge of cult activity: symbols, phrases, recruitment attempts, locations used for meetings, or names. Observations tied to Determination Day that may aid a lawful investigation—unusual behavior, threats made, or patterns noticed before or after the event. Objects or documents you believe relevant (letters, ledgers, receipts, tokens, coded notes, and the like). WHERE TO REPORT All reports are to be made through Sergekeeper channels. If you have information of unusual sensitivity—proof that places you at risk, implicates organized groups, or involves material that must be secured—request a direct meeting with the Councilor of Justice. Do not announce such matters in public. OFFICIAL ROLES IN THE INVESTIGATION A limited number of civilian appointments will be made as sanctioned auxiliaries to this investigation. This is not an invitation to self-styled hunts, nor a place for the curious to insert themselves into violence. The work requires discipline, discretion, and a record clean enough to place under oath. Those seeking an official role must present themselves in person to the Councilor of Justice, and will be considered only if they meet the following: A verifiable reason to be involved (witness status, specialized skill, documented access, a direct connection to relevant locations, trades, or persons, or an otherwise compelling reason you would like to help). Willingness to submit to restrictions on movement and speech where necessary, such as being under guard or sworn to silence for your safety. Your work will not be impeded unless absolutely necessary. Agreement to provide a sworn statement and to accept consequences for falsehood or obstruction. This process exists for a simple reason: the Office of Justice can grant limited authority and defined protections—enough to let a capable person assist without compromising the case, endangering evidence, or placing the city at further risk. FINAL WARNING Do not act on evidence yourself. Do not confront suspects. Do not follow leads alone. Do not test what you’ve found. Bring what you have to the authorities immediately. A single careless action can destroy a case and cost lives, including yours. Signed Councilor of Justice Wulfric Rexanthe Leaders: 1 Eligibility: Anyone Requirements: 1 thread & 1 minor quest Interview the first NPC pulled from the wreckage in the hospital. Contact staff for details. Host a Mini Quest to clean up and investigate the clinic. See the Guidebook for details on Mini Quests. How to Claim: Speak with Wulfric Difficulty: Story mode Risks: None Rewards: Rapport with leadership, free health potion, free animated posting template DISCLAIMER: Leaving a main quest unclaimed or unfinished will lead to in-character consequences on the world around you!

code by jaecarys of shadow of the shattered

Following Caen’s encounter with Enara in [MQ+] how the world works

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[ CW: gore, murder, self harm ]

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She was mad. She was Big Mad. It was so cute!!

She was so mad she nearly threw herself out of a window! Now, that’s what I call commitment. Really, you don’t see that type of commitment to anything these days, so I’m glad she wasn’t successful. Would be such a waste of a perfectly good girlie pop.

Feeling that vase smash against my back…

My eyes roll shut, and I shudder.

“Hold still,” comes the quiet voice from behind me. And just like that, my eyes snap open, locking with hers in the mirror in front of us. She’s a head shorter than I am, but I see her over my shoulder where I’m sitting. Her face pales slightly, avoiding my gaze now. “...sir,” she adds timidly.

Good girl.

I drop my eyes again to the floor. Just as clearly as I can feel the shards being pulled free of my flesh, I can feel it shatter against my back, against my shoulder. I hadn’t been wearing my jacket because of the ‘borrowed’ robes, so there were no layers to protect me. I don’t even care, though. I haven’t felt that alive in too long. Someone had the nerve, had the chutzpah, had the FUCKING BALLS to not only stand up to me, but assault me?

Oh my Loom, I could smooch her right on her thoughtless little forehead, the precious babydoll.

I stopped when the vase hit me. I shouldn’t have stopped, but I had to. I turned around and gave her my best smile, a sign of respect and a challenge. She’s a new challenger, and I can’t wait to see what comes from her games in the future.

“Any scars broken?”

“Sir?”

I roll my eyes. “Are. Any. Scars. Broken?”

She looks down where she works and bites her lip. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“It’s a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, Anna.”

Her dark eyes meet mine in the mirror again, confusion there. “My-my name’s Maren, sir.”

I frown suddenly, brows knitting. “Are you sure?” More confusion. Maybe she isn’t sure. “What happened to Anna?”

“She died,” comes a masculine voice by the door. “Twenty-three years ago next season.”

Looking over my shoulder, I see an older man leaning against the wall as he observes the girl stitching up my shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Huffing, I face the mirror again. Maren shakes her bouncy curls out of her face, shoving them back without smearing my blood in them. I watch, almost hypnotized, narrowing my eyes slightly before returning my focus to the pad in my lap.

Charcoal smudges under my finger, as I darken the shadows around her eyes, bringing out the utter fury with which she glared at me. Beautiful. I only wish I had some color on hand to add. Oh wait…

“Can I borrow these?” I ask, taking the surgical scissors from her hand right after she cuts the thread.

“Oh, sir, I—”

I turn around and stab them into Anna’s jugular. Maren. Goodness! What’s wrong with me?! I stab the blades into Maren’s jugular. I’ll get it right eventually, I swear. Although…

She gurgles and chokes, arterial red spurting and splattering the floor and nearby wall. Terror consumes her wide eyes as she collapses. I don’t get up from my stool, watching with what could almost resemble boredom as her life finally leaves her. It’s fine! I’ll see her later and make sure there are no hard feelings. At least now I don’t have to remember her name.

Maybe I’ll say hi to Anna too, since I apparently missed her funeral by almost twenty-three years.

“She was a new addition from this last Determination Day,” the grumpy wall guy mutters. “Now we need a new physician.”

I scrunch my nose and look at the puddle of blood and body on the floor. “She’s a physician? But she’s like ten!”

“She was thirty-seven.”

“Oh, well, excuuuse me, Mr. Technical. I’m over seven fucking centuries old! All of you creatures might as well be children. Go get someone to clean up this mess. Unless you have something else you want to correct me on?”

There’s a pause as he looks at me. “You’re over eight centuries old, Caen.”

I stare at him for a moment. Two moments. “Go get me my gun, please, for absolutely no reason.” He finally cracks a smirk, then leaves the room.

I like that guy. He’s such a jokester.

I look at the charcoal portrait of Enara in my lap, leaning down and pressing my palm flat into the pool of hot blood, then I slowly drag my thumb to draw a crimson smile across the portrait’s neck. Perfect.

Walking over to the wardrobe, I open one of the doors to reveal the artworks that might as well be wallpapering the interior. A man with dark hair, blindfold over his eyes, chains on his wrists, varying expressions on each one. My favorite toy. I miss him sometimes. I drag a bloody finger down the side of his face, staining it red with sentimentality.

Enara’s portrait is added to my shrine a la Wulfric. Oh, how I love making new friends!

I shut the door and catch sight of the mirror. My heart in my throat, I whip around, seeing the brown curls in the pool of blood. “Fuck fuck—” I choke, shoving off of the door and dropping to my knees beside her. “You stupid bitch. You fucking lied to me. You’re not her.” The words leave me in more of a snarl than I expect. “You’re not fucking her!”

ooc note: slight gore spoiler

Yanking the scissors out of her neck, I straddle her corpse and stab the shears into her open eye. Into her cheek. Into her forehead. I stab and stab and stab, slashing when the small scissors won’t pierce the bones of her skull. Blood splatters across my bare torso, on my arms, my face, my hand, making it difficult to keep a hold on the scissors.

Nothing exists outside of that moment, and by the time I’m done, I’m out of breath and the face of the girl beneath me is unrecognizable. My hand is shaking, but I can’t release the scissors. It feels like my hand has cramped shut.

Various tissue types are everywhere, and I lean forward, silent tears streaking through the blood on my face. My forehead touches what once was hers, and I can see my wife in the mess I’ve created, her curly hair matted with blood with a wave of agonizingly painful familiarity.

ooc note: self harm spoiler

“You keep leaving me,” I whisper, dragging the scissors down my own forearm before finally dropping them.

I’m absolutely breathless, feeling heat flood my body in a tingly rush.

Hm… Dead Spinner in my bedroom—dead and maimed, to be specific. Potentially fatal wound to myself. Brand new playmate in my wardrobe. Admittedly, not my finest moments…

I push myself off of the corpse and flop on my back in the puddle of blood. The black stone of the floor has golden veins threading through it—quite similar to the threads used to pray to the Loom—and I pull a golden thread as if from nowhere, straight from the vein in the floor, wrapping it around my bleeding arm. A powerful glow pulses through the thread, and I feel warm as my flesh knits itself back together well enough that I won’t bleed out.

“I know, I know,” I chuckle to no one in particular, tucking my other arm under my head and crossing my ankles. “Listen, sometimes, you just gotta be a little dramatic for a minute.”

code by jaecarys of shadow of the shattered

code by jaecarys of shadow of the shattered