#And then days pass on and the paranoia seeds are being sown in his mind

[sirenvrse]

Sj2 au where bugs didn't come back for MONTHS

[of-forossa]

@derjaegermond 

Snow crunches beneath his heavy footfalls, leaving behind a clear trail through the otherwise covered street as he crosses over. Snowflakes drift by, settling onto his braids and beard and leaving him similarly dusted with proof of winter’s arrival; an arrival he greets with only a soft hum of approval while ignoring the all too conspicuous stares and whispered words of his fellow Yharmanites in passing. They would mutter and worry amongst themselves as was their custom in the weeks leading up to winter proper, concerned with the sharp increase in beast attacks that came with the weather-- a last attempt to fill their wolfish bellies before retiring to whatever crevices and dens they called home in some form of bastardized hibernation.

Even without the increase of patrols courtesy of the Healing Church hunters and the subsequent reinforcement of the seasonal curfews they had plenty to flap their gums about, but with them... Brom met the stare of an older man who had the gall to curse at him under his breath and spit in his path and took no small pleasure in watching him quail beneath his glare, hurrying off with surprising haste. 

Ingrates. That momentary irritation melted away a moment later, and the sigh he breathed out into the cold air was heavier with weariness more than anything. Between the stiffness in his limbs from the last few nights of hunting and the sleep stolen from him on account of his waking dreams, he could feel himself being weathered down bit by bit as the nights grew longer and the hunter’s moon gleamed ever higher in the sky... something he could hardly afford on these crucial nights, where the monsters they faced were at their most desperate and depraved in their hunger for flesh. Perhaps he would meet with the members of tonight’s party early, get a start on their rounds and follow up on the leads they had been forced to abandon with the onset of the morning...

A treacherous thought gnawed at him nonetheless. That the silence meeting so many of his questions lately weren’t born from uncertainty so much as a desire to keep him ignorant. That the orders to keep to the path and focus on their war against the beasts and their ilk grew more and more harsh, and the conversations silenced from Her Holiness and her advisors upon his approach were the ones he ought to be privy to the most. One treacherous thought begets another, and as a pack of wolves they stalk and circle the dimming conviction that once burned so bright... all resembling a single rogue, a single stranger and her barbed inquiries...

His steps seem to have decided on their own path what with his mind wandering, exchanging the somewhat crowded streets leading into the Cathedral Ward for the more isolated alleyways less trodden by the wary and paranoid. Eventually he found himself slowing to a halt in a more quiet corner of the oftentimes too loud and intrusive city, one he found himself seeking more and more as the days wear on-- a seemingly forgotten cemetery plot tucked away from most prying eyes and the suffocating paranoia, guarded only by a few gnarled old trees and a fence of aged but still sturdy black iron. Many of the headstones have been worn away beneath the creeping frost, the wages of time and a distinct lack of care leaving the memory of their owners just as dead and buried as they were.

Save for one, at least.

“I doubt you’ll find a better time than now to say your piece.” He doesn’t offer his stalker the courtesy of his attention beyond acknowledging her presence, preferring instead to kneel before one of the several headstones. A gloved hand brushes away some of the fresher snowfall with a gentleness that would no doubt seem odd to anyone who had seen him tear bloody swathes through the enemies of his faith. “You had to have known I would have questions. It’s why you’re here, no? To reap the seeds of doubt you’ve sown? To see if I’ll feed your search for the heart of these things in order to sate my own desire for answers?” 

[terrorhqs]

             THE AFTERMATH OF MANMADE TRAGEDIES.

Good Sunday beautiful members !! Here are the results for the tasks each of you completed. Please let us know if you want additional details about what is happening to your characters, in case you need more information. For the sake of easy readability and creative liberty, we did not include many details in these consequences, but you can ask the admins to tell you more in private.

THE JUDAS

>>> For staunchly defending your innocence instead of turning the other cheek, you earn the sympathy and admiration of THE CAPTAIN, THE PURSER, THE DOE-HEARTED, and THE CHAPLAIN and your fellow survivors. however, you have alienated yourself from the common seamen and have attracted the attention of THE CHRONICLER in your outburst.

>>> You can now ask for favors from THE CAPTAIN, THE PURSER, THE DOE-HEARTED, and THE CHAPLAIN. you are more susceptible to THE CHRONICLER’s machinations. 

THE SUNFLOWER 

>>> For righting THE DOCTOR’s knowledge of the mysterious flowers, you gain his respect, though fear only continues to heighten onboard the Promethean at the only other alternative you have left them - the unknown, the nightmare come true waiting for them. 

>>> Tensions rise to a boil as you null the last hope of a scientific explanation. However, you gain the pride of THE JUDAS for speaking the truth, despite how THE STOWAWAY throws glares your way.

THE SHADOW

>>> The ring hums in your possession, vibrating as if it senses a new owner. You pocket it and it does not leave your side. that evening, your sleep is fitful—you dream of ghosts who haunt the seascape—some of them are familiar. some of them are not. 

>>> On your way to an errand on the upper deck, you see THE RAVEN staring wide-eyed at your pocket. Confused, you look down - to realize the ring glows with steady light, visible, but only just. You realize this means that, for the first time, you cannot hide what you stole.

THE PURSER

>>> For choosing to confide in THE CHAPLAIN, your feelings of dread ease during daytime. For a while, you almost dare entertain the hope that this is working. But then an insidious thought burrows into your mind: what if the Chaplain will use your confessions against you?

>>> You feel your stable nature disintegrate. Even as your rational side understands that insomnia can cause paranoia, that you’ve seen it before in starving men, a more powerful feeling urges you on.

THE EMPRESARIO 

>>> For trying to quell the protest in the officer’s mess, you gather the attention of both the skeptical faction, who would benefit from a mutiny of sorts, and the faction that accepts the survivor’s account. This makes it exponentially harder to carry on with your plans. 

>>> You are tasked directly by the superiors of the crew with overseeing any words of rebellion, despite being a guest. You do not mistake it for an honor; this is a direct leash to keep your plans in check, and thus either dim or stunt your influence as neutral party. 

THE COMMANDER

>>> For choosing to tell your Captain the survivors were exaggerating at best, you become the leading figurehead for the skeptical faction onboard. Fellow skeptics understand that you are championing their cause. This garners you the respect of people like THE STOWAWAY, THE MARAUDER, THE EMPRESARIO, THE INTREPID. 

>>> You now have more influence on the ship than before—though from an opposite direction. You lose the ear of the ship’s trifecta: CAPTAIN, VETERAN, PURSER. You lose the faith of the Agathe survivors, including some of them you’ve known before. 

THE CHAPLAIN

>>> For nipping the sailors’ suspicions in the bud, you draw the hostility of THE INTREPID, who saw your apparent gullible nature as fertile ground for an alliance. You cannot understand how rampant fear would serve their cause, but you are inclined to think the worst.

>>> You hear that they are trying to find out more about your past. Above all, they have been seen tailing THE EMPRESARIO with an underlining of promises and veiled threats in their wake. You are left counting your last options.

THE INTREPID

>>> For encouraging the prospect, you have successfully sown the seeds of discord among some of the senior officers. Your machinations do not go unnoticed by those who oppose them.   

>>> You have earned the express approval of those who debate THE CAPTAIN’s command, and those who stand to benefit from doubting him: THE COMMANDER, THE LOVER, THE EMPRESARIO, and THE CHRONICLER, etc. You also earned the ire of those who are loyal to him: THE VETERAN, THE PURSER, etc.

THE DOE-HEARTED 

>>> For agreeing to give them an in to your uncle, you have now earned the goodwill of THE INTREPID. You can now go to them for advice or information. This will increase proportionally to your ability to deliver a one on one meeting between them and the CAPTAIN. 

>>> You can now ask favors from them, as well as from their immediate allies: THE LOVER, THE COMMANDER. However, if you do not deliver, you are at risk of finding yourself in an enmity instead.

THE VOLCANIC

>>> For choosing to remain silent about your ailments, you maintain what fragile standing you have with the crew of the Promethean, gritting your teeth to the chills that grip your neck and working through it. 

>>> Time escapes you more and more, especially in the late hours of the evening - you are unable to sleep, and restlessness plagues you more than ever before. You may have survived Le Silencieux, but one could hardly call this living. 

THE DEVOTED

>>> For taking the note to the Captain, you are delegated to keep an eye on everyone as they enter the common mess on even days, and as they enter the officer’s mess on the odd days.

>>> Your schedule is altered, but what’s far worse, the entirety of your behavior is forced to change. You are meant to be unobtrusive but determined, to keep an eye out for people’s palms - but how can this happen without unnerving them? It feels against everything you are.

THE APOSTATE

>>> For confessing your fear to the COMMANDER, you can rest assured knowing they are well informed of what lurks in promise. But if they choose to ignore your words, you can no longer save them.

>>> You see that the Commander still insists to paint the Agathe as scared, scarred prey. Weavers of tales. He pities your lot, but he does not respect it. You lose faith. You lose calm. You lose patience. 

THE VETERAN

>>> For choosing to go look for the boatswain, you are the first to find their body. You are there just in time to see life flowing out of their face. It’s a physical sight: like smoke pipe, it pours out of their eyes and mouth. You’ve seen men die, but never like this.

>>> You incur severe emotional damage, and your composure cracks with each passing day. You can share what you witnessed, or you can keep it hidden. You do not know what would make it worse.

THE ROMANTIC

>>> For gifting the compass to THE JUDAS, you strike an affinity with them. You begin to spend more and more time with the Agathe crew, writing their account of what happened, hearing their stories out. 

>>> Your fellow crew members cold-shoulder you. You no longer have a place at the common mess table, and on several nights you find your hammock cut with a knife, your belongings smeared with trash. You can only wonder how long it will be before someone tears you apart.

THE IDOL

>>> For ignoring whatever mirage you might have seen, you spare any further sparking of fear among your crew, though unease is not quick to let go of you. Your excuses are feeble, even to yourself - but they are enough to stave off any unwanted questions. 

>>> You grow more and more wary of THE VOLCANIC, perhaps for how they sense the turmoil brewing within you. Your fellow crew can provide no comfort, and you develop a habit of looking over your shoulder one too many times that THE SCION and THE WILDCARD do not miss. 

THE MARKED

>>> Your shot rings true and pierces James in the heart - his likeness dissipates without so much as a whisper - elsewhere you hear a faint roar, otherworldly. Not a thing wounded, but enraged. 

>>> You have angered The Silent One, and you feel an impending sense of dread in the pit of your stomach. Somehow you know you’ve provoked something terrible. Unless you confide in another who is willing to believe you, you suffer this knowledge alone. 

THE DOCTOR

>>> For speaking the truth of the unknown cause of death, a fear settles upon the ship, soft as snow, heavy as guilt. You know you will have to send the boatswain’s body home to their family without an explanation for their death, and that perhaps haunts you more than the mystery of their body. 

>>> You are forced to perform your own examination when the next morning, several long claw marks adorn the side of your body, bleeding profusely and sending sharp pangs of pain with the slightest movement. Once again you are left without an explanation, your new wounds mocking you. 

THE HARUSPEX 

>>> For remaining silent, the voices increase. Their strength doubles like a river poorly dammed: they���re in your room, now, they’re on deck when you keep watch. They come from outside, not within: from the sea, the storm. They say warnings. Sometimes, they say worse things.

>>> You incur severe damage, and sleep and food begin to elude you. Your duties begin to be seen to less and less, but with everything going on, how can you draw even more attention to yourself? 

THE CLAIRVOYANT 

>>> For allowing yourself to be noticed, you invite the attention of believers and skeptics alike. Even if it is by your will, it cuts like a double-edged blade. 

>>> The former mark you as an omen, bad luck, a message from The Silent One itself. Possessed by it. The skeptics believe you are fabricating your marks for attention, as a means to your own gain. Exploitative of tragedy.

THE WILDCARD

>>> For laying the explosives in hopes of wounding the beast, you are throw against the ice and incur significant physical damage. Though still able to walk, a wiser man would remain confined to bed, but you seem to take it as a price worth paying for knowing what’s out there. 

>>> You have several bruised ribs, a gash on your face, and a dislocated shoulder. The shoulder is easily fixed by THE DOCTOR; the other wounds, however, do not seem to heal. Is it in your mind?

THE SCION 

>>> For running back to the rest, you’ve successfully resisted The Silent One’s beckoning, a triumph, perhaps. But you feel it is not done with you yet.

>>> You are back beneath the ice, in your dreams. It calls again, draws you from slumber to climb to the upper deck. A deckhand finds you about to climb over the edge, unaware of your surrounding, a faint smile playing on your lips. When word gets out, you are relieved from your duties for three days until your superior deems you well enough to return.

THE AMULET

>>> For alerting the others that something in the Boatswain is still alive, you make sure you will be the first one asked to recount what happened, barring only perhaps THE VETERAN.

>>> The poor boy’s friends as well as curious strangers ask you if he truly was possessed in your grip. The tale spins out of control, and soon you hear a variance where it was your touch that put the devil in him - or drew it out. You don’t know what is worse.

THE LOVER

>>> For choosing to seek what lies restless in the dark, you become subject to a loss of time - THE COMMANDER finds you in the corner of your room hours later, cold to the touch and unblinking. You remember nothing but a flicker of a shadow that looks too much like the deceased boatswain. You remember it being only seconds. 

>>> You are shaken from the ordeal, and opening your eyes leaves you vulnerable to more tricks of the night while closing them invites a darkness reminiscent of the shadows that now haunt you. Sleep evades you, and even the touch of your loved ones feels too much like ice.

THE CHRONICLER 

>>> For sharing your ominous feeling about this place, you become a cornerstone for Promethean believers and the skeptics alike. A small, timely crowd abounds before your cabin door each day. From questioner, you become the questioned.

>>> The following people come to you with doubts of their own: THE STOWAWAY, THE CHAPLAIN, THE PURSER, THE THESPIAN. You can avoid some of their pressing for details, but you know you won’t be able to stave them off for long.

THE STOWAWAY

>>> For exposing the runes on THE CLAIRVOYANT’s skin, your credibility as a translator has increased. Additionally, in doing so, the Promethean’s fears over the unknown has simmered considerably, many onboard sighing in relief over a liar’s truth now told. 

>>> THE CAPTAIN thanks you for your honesty, and THE VETERAN has warmed to you considerably. However, THE CLAIRVOYANT no longer meets your eyes and THE MARKED still looks at you with a retained level of doubt. 

THE THESPIAN

>>>> For daring to sully THE COMMANDER’s name to THE CAPTAIN, you plant the first seeds of mistrust between the two, delicately imbalancing what camaraderie existed. Neither will soon forget this moment. 

>>>> You have added a new divide onto the ship, ice cracking a clean line between the members of the Promethean. You now face a different terror: THE LOVER’s wrath. There is an unease when members of the Promethean look at you now, unsure of what else you know. 

THE SOCIALITE

>>> In keeping silent, the survivor’s testimony hangs in the air as it has, untarnished. You are aware one word from you about the opium and it will ruin the credibility of the entire party. Yet if something is to taint their trustworthiness, it will not be your word.

>>> You now have a tentative allyship in THE THESPIAN—though you also now possess leverage over them too. You can ask them for a favor, or to supply you with any intel you might desire about both Promethean passengers or Agathe survivors.

THE SCARLET

>>> For choosing to risk THE VOLCANIC’s ire, you are now their ally in their upcoming plans. When the gun’s hideout is seen by the Promethean’s rigger, THE RAVEN, you are both called into the CAPTAIN’s quarters. 

>>> You are now directly associated with THE VOLCANIC by the rest of the crew - you share the standing they will gain, should matters take a turn for the worst, as well their potential failing. 

THE MARAUDER 

>>> For locking up the first troublemaker, you earn a no-nonsense reputation among both the common seamen and the senior officers, as well as The Captain’s favor.

>>> Fewer common seamen join you in your evening nightcaps, and some outright ignore you if they’re not grabbing their rations. You’ve found a new ally in THE AMULET, as well as the favor of the rest of the survivors once they hear word of your actions.

THE RAVEN

>>> For taking the fang to the DOCTOR, you begin to assist them in their research. Soon, you have scores of books that beg deciphering: botany, anatomy, zoology, pages you glimpsed before in Parisian libraries, but never parsed before.

>>> You earn an allyship with the Promethean faction that tolerates the Agathe crew and seeks humane answers for what happened: THE DOCTOR, THE CHAPLAIN, THE VETERAN, THE PURSER. Yet the next day, you begin to see strange bite marks on your body. 

THE CAPTAIN

>>> For deciding to turn the Promethean around, you have incited the anger of THE COMMANDER and THE INTREPID, who do not try to hide what thoughts blacken in their eyes: they think you a coward, and they are not alone in sharing this sentiment. 

>>> Whispers of your decision turn into outcry from members of your own crew, though THE APOSTATE, THE JUDAS, and THE VOLCANIC are now ready to defend your name against those who used to respect you.