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anistarrose · 5 years ago

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Fear The Reaper A Lot, Actually - Chapter 5

AO3

Summary: It’s time for the hunt to resume. Noelle makes a promise, Kravitz conducts an interview, Taako plans a séance, and Barry makes a friend.

Characters: Kravitz, Taako, Barry Bluejeans, Angus McDonald, Magnus Burnsides, Merle Highchurch, Noelle | No-3113, The Raven Queen, The Director | Lucretia, misc. BoB cameos, Julia Burnsides

Relationships: Taakitz, Angus McDonald & Taako, Barry Bluejeans & Kravitz, Kravitz & Angus McDonald

Sorry for the late update! I was sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Thursday I decided to focus entirely on losing my mind over the new TAZ episode, so that means it’s time for a rare Friday chapter. Lots of stuff is happening in this chapter, so hopefully it was worth the wait!

(Also, I normally don’t write the chapter titles on tumblr for this fic because it makes the title section of the post look cluttered, but this one is called “me and the boys at 2 am looking for jeans.” Just really wanted to make sure you were all aware of that fact.)

***

Long past the curfew established by the Reclaimers’ training routine, at the hour of night when the moonbase’s artificial lights dimmed and the bonfires on the planet below faded away, four pairs of eyes watched Avi from the shadows. A murmur of excitement escaped from behind one of the glass spheres when he yawned and checked his watch, followed by a chorus of disappointed sighs when he slapped himself across the face and set back to work unloading a new supply shipment, but he didn’t seem to notice them over the muffled roar of high-altitude winds.

Finally, a passenger sphere floated back into the port and the Bureau’s three top Regulators disembarked, back from a planetside drill that had run long. From her perch on Killian’s shoulder, Carey leaned down to affectionately slap Avi on the back, and he quickly accepted her invitation to join their gang for drinks at the Chug ‘N Squeeze. As Avi led the way out of the port, Carey and Killian hot on his heels while Noelle followed more distantly, there was much hushed rejoicing among their shadowy, impatient observers.

“Finally,” Taako huffed. “I was starting to think he was pulling an all-nighter.”

After checking one last time to make sure the coast was clear, Angus stepped out of his hiding place and reached for the door of the transport sphere, but Magnus grabbed ahold of him by the collar of his shirt.

“Sorry, little guy, but you’re staying behind this time.”

Angus opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again, at a loss for words for the first time since he’d started speaking in complete sentences at age fourteen months.

“It’s nothing personal, Agnes — we just need someone to stay behind and distract Avi if he comes back before we do,” Taako explained. “And no one can resist all your nosy questions once you get going, so you’re the perfect accomplice!”

“I can think of a few people who can resist it,” Merle scoffed. “Number one, me.”

Magnus ignored them both, kneeling down to look at Angus in the eyes. “Ango, if I’m being honest… we had some close calls last time, and that was in a cave where we honestly weren’t expecting to find anything besides a clue or two if we were lucky. Tonight, we’re going to try and get a lich’s attention, so this morning, we all sat down and talked about it and agreed we’ll feel better if you’re safe up here.”

Taako sighed. “Gee, way to let the kid know we actually care about him. Now his ego’s gonna grow until it’s bigger than mine, and then where will I be?”

“It’s okay, sir. I’m sure you and Merle will still find ways to keep me humble.” Angus managed a smile.

“Stay safe, all right?”

“That’s the spirit!” Merle laughed, as Magnus picked him up and placed him inside the sphere. “Now hurry up and set the trajectory, Taako. Barry Bluejeans isn’t gonna arrest himself —”

“Please, hang on just a second!”

Four heads whirled around to face the port’s exit hallway, where Noelle was floating.

“It’s just me, don’t worry!” she assured them, noticing Magnus and Angus’s guilty expressions and Merle and Taako’s panicked ones. “I won’t let the Director hear a peep of this, I promise — but if you’re going after Mr. Bluejeans, I’d like to come with you. If you’ve got room in that sphere, of course.”

“Well, the scale of this lich hunting team is rapidly veering past ‘secret club’ and careening into ‘elaborate conspiracy,’ but… I guess this whole bargain is about your life too, isn’t it?” Magnus thought out loud. “Taako, Merle, are you guys alright with this?”

“A ghost would know where to find another ghost better than any of us would, right?” Merle asked, and Taako shrugged.

“Then welcome to the lich-hunting conspiracy, Noelle,” Magnus declared.

On her way to the sphere, Noelle patted Angus on the head, surprisingly gentle despite her heavy robot arms. “Sorry, pal. I didn’t mean to replace you.”

“It’s okay, ma’am,” Angus told her. “I know you’re better in fights than I am, so… just be sure to keep them safe, okay? And if you get a chance, could you ask Barry if our theory about the Voidfish was right?”

Noelle’s face display flickered, somehow expressing a determined smile with just a few dozen lit-up pixels. “I’ll do my best, I promise.”

***

There were many reasons for a soul not to join the others in the Astral Sea, but most often, it was because they were waiting for someone. Luckily, the person Kravitz wished to speak with was one such soul, so he was able to find her in only a matter of minutes.

There was only one island in the Astral Sea with a cottage on it, after all.

Though expertly constructed, it was clearly unfinished, lacking a door, roof, or windows — so Kravitz knocked on the cedar doorframe, and waited outside for the house’s occupant to respond. Just seconds later, a tall woman with a bandana tied around her hair met him at the doorway, smiling sadly and shaking her head as she laid eyes on Kravitz.

“Oh. You’re the emissary of the Raven Queen. I’m sorry, I — I wasn’t sure if I was hoping or fearing that you were someone else.”

“I understand.” Kravitz said softly. “You’re Julia Waxmen-Burnsides, right?”

“That’s right.” Julia offered him a calloused hand. “Nice to meet — er, formally meet you, Death.”

“Death is my mother. Call me Kravitz,” Kravitz replied as he accepted the handshake, and Julia chuckled.

“Okay, Kravitz. What brings you over to my humble island?”

***

“Well, this spot should be as good as any,” Taako announced, kicking a pebble across the black glass circle that once was Phandalin. “Magnus, did you bring the sacrificial denim?”

“Sure did!” Magnus held up a pair of freshly purchased jeans. “Also some candles, and an ouija board that Carey helped me steal from Leon the other day as part my rogue lessons.”

“Tell Carey that gaslighting Leon is my job, and she needs to quit infringing on my brand.” Taako pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket, tried and failed to draw a circle on the glass, then conjured a paintbrush instead and started painting a pentagram.

Meanwhile, Noelle drifted around haphazardly, the lights on her face growing dim. “It’s… it’s so empty here. I was bracing myself for ruins, for bodies… but there’s just nothin’ left. I can’t even remember where the bar was, or the hotel, or the stables…”

Merle looked away. “Sorry we dropped the ball on this one, Noelle…”

“S’alright. You made up for it in the lab last week, with the savin’ the world and negotiating for my soul an’ all.”

“Well, don’t get too comfortable in your robot body, ‘cause we might not have much time left in the living world if Barry doesn’t show tonight.” Taako placed the jeans in the center of the pentagram, then lit them on fire. “But I think this’ll get his attention. Everyone, come join hands!”

Magnus kneeled and took Taako and Noelle’s hands, while Merle stood up on his tiptoes to do the same.

“You’ve done this before, right?” Merle whispered.

“Plenty of times.” Taako summoned a Mage Hand and adjusted his scarf to cover his nose and mouth, as the fire in the center of their circle intensified. “Noelle? Would you do the honor of reaching out for us?”

“Uh, I’ve never been to a séance quite like this one. Maybe you’d be the better one to —”

“Barry, you asshole! Too much of a coward to show your face!” Merle shouted. “Heard about how I banished Legion and got the heebie-jeebies, didja?”

The ruins of Phandalin fell eerily silent, aside from the quiet crackling of the fire.

“Sorry. Still not detecting any liches,” Noelle reported.

“Well, being a dick didn’t work,” Merle muttered. “Shoulda brought some booze and thrown a party — maybe that would get his lazy ass’s attention.”

“I’m pretty sure liches can’t drink, Merle,” Noelle told him. “And honestly, now that I’m thinkin’ about it, I can’t imagine why Barry would be obligated to haunt this here town just ‘cause it’s where he died. Are y’all sure this is the best place to look for him?”

“Positive,” said Taako, but Magnus spoke over him.

“Maybe we should widen our search area. Quick, what other places would be significant to Barry?”

“How ‘bout the cave where he got his ass kicked?” Merle suggested. “You know, the place where we met G’larg or whatever his name was.”

Magnus let go of Taako and Noelle’s hands to fan the air in front of him. “Well, a hike sure sounds better than standing around inhaling denim fumes, I’ll give you that.”

Taako extinguished the blaze then cast Phantom Steed, and Garyl manifested atop the embers of the fire, rearing into a majestic pose. “Hiking’s for chumps. Garyl and I will race you there!”

***

Julia led Kravitz inside the cottage, which smelled pleasantly of cedar and lavender, and motioned for him to sit down in one of two rocking chairs. She sat in the other, crossing her legs and absentmindedly rocking back and forth.

“So, Maggie went and got on the Raven Queen’s bad side, did he?”

“Not permanently, I’m hoping,” Kravitz replied. “I don’t know him as well as you, but he and his fellow death criminal associates don’t strike me as anything like the usual bounties I hunt. I was hoping you could testify on his moral character, and maybe also shed some light on how he cheated death, because he sure doesn’t seem to know.”

“Well, he’s survived some close battles — but I assume you’re looking for necromancy, not near-death experiences.” Julia drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “And I know Magnus is no necromancer.”

“I figured as much. Did he know any necromancers, though?”

Julia shook her head. “No. He’ll stand up to any authority figure if he believes they’re abusing their power, but that’s not because he just walks around looking for rules to break — it’s ‘cause he can’t stand injustice. He’s a good man, and I can’t imagine him throwing his lot in with a lich or someone like that to flaunt the laws of life and death…”

Her voice trailed off. “Do you know how long ago these so-called crimes happened?” she asked.

“They all registered in our system at once, about twelve years ago. Needless to say, I’m assuming he didn’t die 19 distinct times within minutes of each other, so there must’ve been some warding that was previously hiding him from our detection. We’ve seen that kind of thing before, although never quite to the same extent.”

“Twelve years ago was before I knew him,” Julia admitted. “I’m not sure I even know where he was living or what he was doing twelve years ago.”

“Forgive me changing the topic, but are his parents still alive? Or any siblings, aunts, uncles?”

“He was an only child, and his parents passed away before I knew him — I think he was an adult at the time, but barely, so… that would’ve been thirteen, fourteen years ago, maybe? He never told me how they died and I never pressed him, so — wait a second, you’re the Grim Reaper. Shouldn’t you know exactly who’s dead and who isn’t?”

“I really should,” Kravitz agreed, “and that’s the problem, actually. I can’t find any relatives of Magnus in the registry of deceased souls — no parents, no grandparents, no cousins…”

“You only found people who were Magnus’s family by marriage,” Julia realized out loud. “That’s why you came to talk to me.”

Kravitz nodded. “Exactly — but it gets even weirder. Magnus’s fellow adventuring buddies and apparent death criminals are an elf named Taako and a dwarf named Merle, whom I don’t suppose you know —”

Julia gasped, not in recognition, but in dawning realization. “Don’t tell me you can’t find their families, either.”

“All I found for Merle were some fourth cousins, and equally distant relatives. I couldn’t find anything about Taako.”

“The plot sure has thickened, huh?” Julia muttered. “You’re right that I don’t know Merle or Taako, they must’ve been… you know, after my time. But I can swear to you, if this is some kind of — some kind of necromantic conspiracy, then Magnus is the victim, not the one behind it. He could not and would not plan something like this for years while keeping it a secret all this time. He wouldn’t have hid it from me or from Steven —”

“I believe you,” Kravitz told her, “and I believe Magnus, when he says he genuinely doesn’t know how he died nineteen times. But because I believe you, and because I think you’re right on the mark with regards to a necromantic conspiracy, I have one last question: have you ever heard the names Lup or Barry Bluejeans?”

Julia snorted quietly at the latter name, but shook her head. “No. Are they… necromantic conspiracy suspects?”

“You could say that. More specifically, they’re liches whom we first detected around the same time as Magnus. At the time, I assumed it was a coincidence, but now… well, there a few different first impressions of Magnus and his adventuring buddies that I’m reevaluating.”

“Tell me about it. That man contains multitudes.” Julia leaned back in her rocking chair. “If there’s anything else I can do to help exonerate Maggie — any questions or testimony you need — I’m sure you’ll be able to find me here for a long, long time, but… can I ask something of you, if it’s alright?”

“Depends. What is it?”

“Can you help me send a letter?”

***

For the first few hundred feet of the race, Noelle kept up with Taako via her rocket boosters, but then opted to save her fuel, and Garyl surged ahead towards the mountains.

“Eat my dust!” Garyl whinnied. “I’m gonna find those oatssss!”

“Liches, Garyl. We’re looking for liches,” Taako reminded him.

“Yeah, but liches always have some loose spectral oats in their robe pockets!” Garyl scaled the foothills with ease, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. “Sometimes they even give me spectral sugar cubes! Why dontcha ever hang out with liches anymore?”

Taako yanked on the reins. “Excuse me?”

“You haven’t given me sugar cubes in decades,” Garyl moaned as they came to a halt. “Or even spectral carrots.”

Taako dismounted, turning away from the face of the mountain to look at Garyl in his iridescent rainbow eyes. “You gonna elaborate ‘bout me allegedly hanging out with liches, pal?”

“What is there to elaborate about? You used to hang with liches, and then you just —” Suddenly, Garyl’s eyes went wide. “Look out! Above you!”

Taako dismissed Garyl with a wave of his hand, and the binicorn disappeared in a flash of rainbow smoke. “Yeah, no, I’m not buying that. You’re just pulling my leg again —”

He turned around slowly and casually, not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary — only to find himself facing a crumbling mountainside, dozens of massive boulders already rolling on a trajectory straight towards him.

He instinctively raised his Umbra Staff, only to freeze up, no idea what spell he could cast in time to save himself — but then something in his peripheral vision flashed red, and not a full second later, he was standing atop a distant hill, a hundred meters away from the site of the rockslide.

“Are you okay?” a voice behind him rasped. “I didn’t mean to startle you — I know you probably had it under control, but I — I just panicked. Sorry.”

Taako turned around to face a familiar red-robed specter, two vaguely eye-shaped lights under his hood looking Taako over.

“You know, I was actually pretty un-startled until you popped up behind me and started rasping in my ear! Let an elf have his personal space, Barold!”

“What?” The lights beneath Barry’s hood froze in place, as did every thread of his robe, paralyzed in spite of the gentle breeze. The rasp in his voice dissipated as he went on: “Taako, how much do you remember?!”

Taako blinked. “Remember?”

“Talk to me, Taako! Please!” Barry grabbed Taako by the shoulders, incorporeal hands trembling. “Do you remember your sister? Do you remember Lup?”

“Ugh, that sound! Why do you have to do that right in my face?” Taako shrugged off Barry’s barely-tangible grip, clapping his hands over his ears.

“You heard static?” Barry gasped. “Oh, no. No. I thought —”

“You bet I just heard the worst five seconds of ASMR ever! What do you want from me, man? All I know about Lup is that she’s a lich like you, ‘cause that’s all Kravitz could tell me —”

“Kravitz told you about us?!”

“Yeah, he did! Told me you two were his most elusive bounties, and that I could never let my guard down around you!” Taako reached into the quiver slung over his shoulder, pulling out a sapphire arrow. “And I think it’s about time I gave him a heads up that you’re hanging out right here, soul ready for reaping —”

“Do NOT summon Kravitz!” Just seconds before Taako plunged the arrow into the ground, Barry tore it out of his hand and hurled it through a rift. “Why the fuck would you summon Kravitz?!”

Taako’s grip tightened on his Umbra Staff, and Barry recoiled. The lights under his hood looked like they were melting, shedding glowing droplets that cascaded down some semblance of a face within the void.

“Taako, please,” Barry pleaded. “I’m not your enemy, and — and Lup isn’t either, I swear! She wouldn’t want this!”

Taako raised the Umbra Staff to cast, but no spell fired from the umbrella as it shuddered in his hand.

“You can’t listen to what Kravitz tells you — he doesn’t know why we became liches! He doesn’t know about the Hunger!” Barry’s robe was fraying before Taako’s eyes, crimson threads unraveling at the edges of his sleeves. “What if — what if he thinks you’ve cheated death? What if he sends you to the Eternal Stockade?! Taako, I’m begging you, I — I — I don’t know what I would do if I lost you too!”

Taako cast again, and the Umbra Staff still refused to fire, the beginnings of a spell entering his arcane focus on one end but never leaving it on the other. As Barry drifted closer, sparks jumping between stray red threads and face a mess of swirling light and shadow, Taako turned to his last resort — stalling for time.

“You know, Kravitz was thinking real hard about sending me to ghost jail the other day, but I convinced him not to. Don’t you want to hear my side of the story?”

Barry froze, the unraveling of his robe momentarily halted. “In the Miller lab? What happened?!”

“We made a deal. He was going to arrest me, Magnus, Merle, Lucas, and Noelle — but I got an idea he liked better. I asked if he’d let us go free if we captured another bounty or two for him — so he gave us two months to capture you and Lup.” Taako shrugged, so focused on trying not to panic that he hardly noticed the sound of electricity crackling and fabric tearing. “So if you just turn yourself in, then at least you’ll only have to worry about me half as much.”

Barry convulsed as a jagged gash tore through his robe from shoulder to waist, an intangible darkness spilling out from within him and pooling on the ground below.

“LUP!” he shouted, voice echoing between mountains and through underground lairs for miles and miles. “They — they signed their own death warrant, Lup! I — I can’t do this without them, I can’t do this without you — where ARE YOU?!”

“Taako! There you are!”

Magnus sprinted onto the scene, Merle and Noelle hot on his heels. He thrust himself between Barry and Taako, then pulled a sapphire arrow from his own belt, jabbing it into the shadow-covered ground at Barry’s feet. “Kravitz, we’ve got a bounty for you!”

The lights beneath Barry’s hood coalesced back into two flickering eyes that immediately fixated on the arrow, which was already engulfed in a crackling blue aura.

“Boys, I promise I’m going to fix this,” he rasped, and then vanished into thin air.

“Wait, come back!” Merle called out, rushing towards the spot where Barry had been floating. “I didn’t even get a chance to talk to you —”

Taako yelped as his Umbra Staff inverted, and the arrow flew through the air towards its maw — but milliseconds before the umbrella snapped shut around it, Kravitz manifested in a puff of smoke, already dual-wielding sapphire scythes.

“Did you find Barry? Where is he?”

“He got away, I think,” Magnus sighed. “I probably shouldn’t have summoned you where he could see, but I rushed in because I was so worried about him hurting Taako —”

Noelle floated around Taako in tight circles, scanning him from all angles. “It doesn’t look he hurt you, but… I’m getting some traces of conjuration magic? Did you have a wizard’s duel or something?”

“Oh, god no. I probably wouldn’t be alive if we had,” Taako admitted. His heart was still pounding, but he tried not to let it show. “Conjuration magic, though… let’s see. That would probably be from when he — when he teleported me away from the mountain, after those rocks started falling.”

“Those rocks?” Noelle gestured towards the massive pile of rubble at the foot of the nearest mountain. “Those look like they could’ve killed you!”

“I know, right?” Taako replied. “Very uncharacteristically benevolent of him to show up when he did.”

“As great as it is that you’re not dead, Taako, it was also very convenient of him to show up when he did,” Kravitz paced across the hilltop, scythes crossed in front of him like the world’s most dangerous dowsing rods. “I can’t sense his presence anymore, meaning he’s squirreled himself away in some sort of warded hideout… but if he appeared out in the open here only shortly after you did, then that hideout of his must be nearby.”

He turned away from Taako, facing the mountains. “Which means he’s still nearby.”

Taako felt his hand grow warm, and looked down to see his Umbra Staff, energized from the absorption of the arrow… and pointing directly at Kravitz’s back.

“Let’s search the area.” Kravitz continued. “Leave no stone unturned —”

Taako pointed the Umbra Staff towards the sky — not a moment too soon. A beam of white-hot plasma pierced the clouds above and bathed the entire mountain range in daylight for a fleeting moment, before it fizzled out with a crackle of electricity and a whiff of ozone.

Kravitz whirled around. “Taako?!”

“I didn’t cast that spell! I don’t know how to cast that kind of spell!” Taako gasped. “My umbrella’s been acting up all night, but I didn’t know it could act up like this!”

Kravitz sighed and placed a hand on Taako’s shoulder.

“You know, on second thought,” he said, “maybe we should postpone the lich hunting until you get that thing checked out.”

***

Merle made a beeline for his bed the second the gang returned to the moonbase, while Taako took it upon himself to relay the night’s events to Angus as a bedtime story, and hopefully ensure that the kid actually got some sleep. Noelle had opted to stay planetside for a little longer and fly back up to the moon on her own later, explaining that she needed some time alone to process what had happened in Phandalin, and that left Magnus and Kravitz alone in the common room between the Reclaimers’ individual dorms.

“There’s no way Angus will relax enough to fall asleep in the next week if he hears about what happened tonight,” Magnus sighed, collapsing onto the couch. “Either Taako lies and says nothing happened, or he uses a sleep spell on a ten year old. You wanna make a bet on which?”

“I’ll pass. But you just reminded me, I actually have something for you.” Kravitz rifled through the interior pockets of his vest, pulling out a piece of shimmering blue paper. Although folded over on itself several times, it still felt almost intangibly thin, like parchment woven from cobwebs or even air itself.

Magnus raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “That better not be magical junk mail.”

Kravitz smiled, slowly shaking his head. “I spoke with someone in the Astral Plane today who had a lot of good things to say about you,” he explained. “She’s waiting to see you again, but hopes that day won’t come too soon, and… well, I haven’t read her letter, but I’m sure it speaks for itself.”

Magnus accepted the paper gingerly, eyes tearing up as he unfolded it to reveal Julia’s handwriting.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Kravitz plucked a raven feather from his robe, transmuting it into a quill pen with a snap of his fingers before handing it to Magnus. “I don’t allow this kind of thing every day, so don’t go around telling too many people about it — but you can use this pen to write a response on the back. Fold it up again once you’re done, and it’ll make its way back to her.”

Magnus leapt up from the couch to crush Kravitz in a hug that would’ve knocked the air out of his lungs, had he still been alive and breathing.

“Thank you,” Magnus repeated. “Thank you —”

Taako barged into the room, Umbra Staff slung over his shoulder. “You wanna guess what ‘cha boi had to do to get the kid to go to sleep? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t — okay, what am I interrupting here?”

A joke no doubt on the tip of his tongue, he froze as he noticed the tears running down Magnus’s face. “You okay there?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” Magnus let go of Kravitz, wiping his eyes and picking up the pen and letter again. “I — I’ll be in my room. I need some time to… I just need some time.”

Taako nodded. “Don’t forget to get some sleep yourself. Apparently you humans need, like, eight hours of it, go figure.”

“He’ll be alright,” Kravitz whispered to Taako, as Magnus closed the door to his room. “He just got a letter from someone he hadn’t heard from in a while.”

“‘Course he’ll be alright. He’s Magnus, he’s indestructible,” Taako replied, but Kravitz could hear the relief in his voice. “And in case you were wondering, the way to get Angus to fall asleep is to read him a detective story, but only as a distraction while you’re preparing a Sleep spell.”

Kravitz chuckled. “You know, speaking of distracting — what’s with that flashing Chug ‘N Squeeze sign on the moon campus? I don’t think it was there when I visited you the other day.”

“Oh, that? I think it’s some kinda wine and pottery place — why, you wanna check it out? ‘Cause it’s supposed to open in a day or two, or so says all the hottest moon gossip.”

“Well, I mostly just asked out of morbid curiosity, but it does sound like something I could enjoy ironically — and maybe even unironically, as a break from all this lich hunting and detective work. Do you want to check it out with me?”

“Oh, a wine and clay vacation day with the Grim Reaper? That’s a hell yeah from Taako!”

***

The second Barry returned to his cave, he bolted straight for an unassuming chest beneath a pile of discarded scrolls and tattered jeans. Though it only occupied about two cubic feet, it was warded against everything from fire to water to acid, and sealed with an arcane lock — which Barry dismissed by uttering the passcode, emergency bonds.

From inside, he retrieved a handful of trinkets — a driftwood necklace from Merle, a wand that Magnus had once unsuccessfully tried to summon a dog familiar with, and most important of all, a dozen different wedding rings, all hewn from different materials and given in different ceremonies on entirely different worlds. Barry picked up the envelope beneath them and then gingerly placed them back in the chest, opening the envelope to look through the pictures it contained.

The shadowy essence of his lich form had stopped leaking out of his robe the second he’d opened the chest and been comforted with the wave of nostalgia, but he felt his soul stabilize even further as he pulled out the first picture. It was a candid shot of him, Lup, and Taako in the Starblaster’s lab, buried up to their elbows in notes as they studied the Light of Creation, which the camera had only been able to capture as a vague white blur. The three of them all had bags under their eyes, but they were still smiling. They’d been so determined to develop a new theory, to find the answers that would save them and their family.

And there was no reason for Barry to abandon that determination or give up on that goal now.

For the next four hours, he scrawled calculations on almost every blank scrap of paper he had at his disposal, comparing research he’s done half a century ago with papers he’d read on cycles even further back. He unfurled no less than five individual maps of Faerun, circling promising locations before changing his mind and scratching out all but a few that he’d personally visited in the past.

By the time his plan was complete, almost all of the rips in his robe had mended themselves — though he still looked unsettlingly threadbare, and he trembled slightly even while floating in one place.

How long did Taako say they have? Two months, as of the crystal incident? There’s no need to panic — I’ve got time. I just need to play this smart.

He extended his senses outside of his lair, scanning the surrounding area for Kravitz or another emissary of the Raven Queen — and there was indeed an undead presence lurking near Phandalin, but unlike Kravitz, it lacked even the faintest trace of celestial energy. Even stranger, its aura seemed shielded, but less so than a lich possessing a living body would’ve been… as if the soul was inhabiting an inorganic body, instead.

The robot no doubt sensed him approaching, but gave no sign of signalling for help, which made Barry feel much better about his decision to venture out of the safety of his cave.

“Mister Bluejeans? That you?” she asked, and the sound of her voice was all it took for Barry to connect a series of dots that couldn’t have been further from his mind just a few moments ago.

“I know you. You were in the Cosmoscope — and before that, you were in Phandalin. You were a halfling.”

“That’s right. I’m Noelle — Noelle Redcheeck. I’m surprised you remembered me.”

“I’m surprised you’re not furious with me,” Barry whispered. “I couldn’t save you, or anyone else in Phandalin — I’m so sorry, Noelle. Maybe, maybe, if I’d been in my lich form, I could’ve —”

“You tried your best,” Noelle assured him, “just like the Reclaimers. Really, the only person I should blame is whoever made that terrifying gauntlet in the first place —”

“No,” Barry interrupted. “I knew her, and I knew how implausible this will sound, but she didn’t want this. She tried her best to stop it, too.”

Noelle took a moment to reply. “It sounds like you know a lot of things that the Bureau doesn’t.”

Barry nodded. “Speaking of which… I really shouldn’t stay out here in one place for much longer, or someone will sense me, be it the Bureau or Kravitz. Do you mind if we take this conversation somewhere else?”

“Just lead the way.”

They headed not to Barry’s main hideout, but to a slightly nearer cave that he used mainly for storage but had placed equally powerful wards over. Abjuration had never been his specialty, but his ability to pick it up on the fly had been invaluable during his time as a rogue lich — and now, he thought, my abjuring might be the one thing that saves my family’s lives. Funny how that works out.

“So, Noelle,” he asked out loud, “I saw you with Magnus and Merle earlier. Do they know you’re still down here?”

“I told them I wanted to stick around Phandalin for a while and think about what happened,” Noelle explained. “Which, come to think of it, wasn’t a total lie — because I did want to talk to you about Phandalin, and I guess I got that chance after all. But I’m also here because I promised my detective friend that I’d ask you something.”

“Assuming your friend’s alive, then they probably won’t even be able to comprehend the whole answer — but fire away, and I’ll tell you what I can.”

“Did the Voidfish erase the fact that you were a lich?”

“Getting right to the root of the problem, huh?” Barry paused. “Hmm. Let me put it this way — the Voidfish erased all memories that could make me believe I was a lich. Whenever I’m alive, whenever I’m amnesiac, the idea that I could be a lich or even a necromancer just sounds like a joke. I’ve tried leaving messages to remind myself of that fact, after coming back to life — but my living self never believed it.”

“It sounded like a joke to Magnus and the others, too.”

Barry sighed. “That’s ‘cause they’ve lost a lot of memories of their own.”

“But… they’re innoculated. How is that possible?”

“Noelle, we’re well past the point where I need to warn you about keeping this conversation a secret from the Bureau, right? And… probably from your detective friend, too, assuming they work for the Director?”

“Yeah,” Noelle sighed. “Angus will be disappointed, but I understand.”

“There’s a second Voidfish,” Barry explained. “It’s very well guarded, and only the Director’s been innoculated by it — so she’s used it to erase all kinds of information, from the Reclaimers’ pasts to… a coming storm, which this world is unlikely to survive.”

“This storm… will it be worse than the Grand Relics? Worse than what happened to Phandalin?”

“It’ll be not just worse, but maybe even infinitely worse. Because it’ll go on to destroy worlds beyond this one, if we let it.”

Barry had forgotten what it felt like to speak so freely about his past and the Hunger, to speak without worrying that his words would be distorted by static, and more and more information just poured out, far more than he’d initially intended to share.

“There is an entity called the Hunger that seeks to consume all of existence, and it’s only a matter of months until it begins its assault on this planar system. The Director and the Reclaimers and I, we were all like family, and we worked together in search of a way to destroy this Hunger, but… we had some disagreements. And really, neither side was right, but Lucretia — Lucretia used the Voidfish to erase our whole mission, the Hunger included. I became a lich to protect my family from the Hunger, so… when I’m alive, I don’t have any memory of being undead. And my family doesn’t have any memories of me… aside from that time in Phandalin when I got Merle to stab himself with a fork, I guess, which probably didn’t leave a great impression.” He managed a bitter laugh.

“How long ago did they forget?”

“Almost ten years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

It dawned on Barry that he was having most sincere, two-sided conversation he’d experienced in a decade — and ironically, the realization left him at a loss for words.

The same couldn’t be said of Noelle, who continued on without hesitation. “I promised my friend Angus not just that I’d get answers, but also that I’d look out for the Reclaimers. I don’t want the Grim Reaper, or the apocalypse, or whatever’s coming to hurt them — or anyone else in this world, like Angus, or Carey and Killian, or my family in Hogsbottom — so please, Mister Bluejeans, tell me what I can do to help. I want to do something with this extra time the Reclaimers gave me.”

“If you get caught helping me,” Barry warned her, “you’ll be imprisoned one way or another — either on the moonbase, or in the Eternal Stockade, depending on who catches you.”

“Well first of all, it sounds like at the rate I’m going, I’m gonna end up either back in the Astral Plane, or consumed by this Hunger entity in a matter of months if I don’t do anything to help you,” Noelle replied. “And second of all, I’m not plannin’ to just give up and let them arrest me if I do get caught.” She cocked her arm cannon.

Maybe it was risky to accept help from someone he barely knew, but Noelle had seemed nothing but sincere — and Barry had spent so long working alone that frankly, he was amazed it hadn’t killed him yet. He was a creature of bonds and of love; he sought out companionship by both nature and necessity. He didn’t know if he could do this alone, but alongside another undead soul who could actually understand and help, he knew for a fact that he could.

“Welcome aboard, Noelle.” Barry chuckled. “First things first: I’ve tried to stay out of the Raven Queen and her servants’ ways, because they’re really not evil at all, but if there’s any chance of stopping the Hunger, then we’ll need Taako and the others’ help for sure. Which means we’re going to have to do something about the Grim Reaper situation —”

“You know, I might have something to help with that.” A drawer Noelle’s main body slid open, revealing a sapphire-tipped arrow. “Magnus figured we should all have some summoning beacons on our person, in case of emergency.” She winked. “But I was thinkin’ we could use it to lure him into some kinda sinister trap.”

She paused. “He can’t eavesdrop on us through this thing, can he?”

“Not if we don’t say his name. But I’d close that drawer for now, just to be on the safe side.” Barry said as he summoned a scroll and pen, then started jotting down notes. “This is all perfect, though! I already hashed out the spell theory for a plan, but you just made it about a billion times easier to pull off — not just because of the arrow, but because you can gather components, and I won’t have to risk him sensing my location and realizing what I’m up to!”

“Makes sense,” Noelle replied, looking over Barry’s list. “That’s all you need me to get?”

“Yeah. I was thinking most of it would be salvageable from the Miller Lab — uh, except maybe the iron filings, which are commercially available anyway.”

Noelle beamed. “I won’t let you down, Mister Bluejeans.”

“Thank you, Noelle.” Barry looked down at his robe, which looked less tattered and more vibrantly red than he’d seen it in years. “For everything.”

***

End notes:

Apologies in advance if the update schedule gets a bit less consistent from here on out, since I’ve burned through my pre-written buffer chapters, but I’ve at least got a solid chunk of Chapter 6 written and a detailed outline for the chapters after that! It’s just about getting into the write headspace to write.

as usual, comments/reblogs mean a lot!

#taz #taz balance #taako taaco #kravitz taz #taakitz #barry bluejeans #no-3113 #angus mcdonald #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #julia burnsides #lup taaco #fic: FTRALA #rosalia talks #taz balance spoilers

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phynxrizng · 6 years ago

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Humanities › Religion & Spirituality

How To Hold a Seance

Source, thought of.com

Patti Wigington

Updated September 26, 2018

A séance is an event that can either be fantastic, or a real mess. Which one it is will depend on how much preparation goes into it. With a little bit of planning and thought ahead of time, you can pave the way for your séance to go smoothly. Certainly, it's a good idea to expect the unexpected — after all, the dead are hardly predictable — but by setting yourself a few guidelines in advance, you can make sure that everyone has the best experience possible

1. Plan Your Guest List

Figure out how many people you're going to have — and make sure the space you're using will allow them all. If your living room only seats eight people comfortably, don't invite fifteen! Also, be sure that everyone attending is open-minded to the spirit world. People who are adamantly "non-believers" bring a certain amount of negative energy, and this can be disruptive. You may also find that it adversely effects your communication with the spirits during your séance. On the other hand, someone who swears that séances are just a bunch of trickery and mumbo-jumbo may find themselves surprised by their experience.

Whether you invite these folks in is entirely up to you and your guests, and what makes you the most comfortable.

2. Create a Spirit-Friendly Atmosphere

Most people like to conduct a séance at a round or oval table, but if neither is available, don't worry. Drape the table with fabric or sheets — some people prefer light colors to attract "friendly" spirits, but it's a matter or personal preference. If you use incense, be sure that no one in your group is allergic to it. Place incense somewhere away from the table, rather than on the table itself. Candles are a nice addition as well — not only do they provide some visibility, but there's a school of thought that believes spirits are attracted to heat and light sources.

3. Common Sense

Help everyone get comfortable by offering refreshments before you begin. Make sure that guests will be respectful of the spirits, and of other guests. Turn off all cell phones. If anyone needs to go to the bathroom or have a smoke, do so before you begin. Set the thermostat at a comfortable temperature — remember that spirit activity can cause some fluctuation in levels of cold or heat. Once everyone is seated, you can help everyone relax by doing a short guided mediation, offering a prayer, or casting a protective circle, if your tradition requires you to do so.

4. During the Seance

Although many people like to do this, you don't have to hold hands to raise energy. In fact, if a séance goes on too long, it can get downright uncomfortable. Whoever is acting as the leader of the séance — the medium — should ask the spirits to join the group. If there is a specific spirit you are trying to contact, ask for them by name. For example, now would be the time to say, "Dear Auntie Gertrude, we respectfully ask that you honor us with your presence this evening." In some séances, spirits are summoned by chanting — this will be up to your medium to decide on.

As long as the spirits seem willing to reply, you can carry on a question and answer session with them. Bear in mind that spirits respond in many different ways. Sometimes there will be a tangible reaction — a tap, a thump, a soft breeze. Other times — particularly if you have a room full of very psychically gifted people — the spirit may choose to respond through another person. This may be the medium, or it could be any other guest. The individual may simply "get a message" to pass along, which they would then share, such as, "Your Auntie Gertrude wants you to know she isn't in pain any more."

Sometimes, particularly if you have a group of psychically gifted individuals as guests, you may get several spirits arriving all at once, chattering away. This is not cause for alarm, but it does take some managing, because they've all got something to say. Treat it like you would any other conversation with a large group of people — let each spirit get their turn to deliver the message they came with, and then move on to the next one. Also, bear in mind that not all spirits are from departed humans — deceased pets may also have a message to pass along.

You may also find that you want to use some sort of divination tools during your séance. Using a pendulum, Tarot cards, automatic writing, or even a Ouija board are all common ways to invite the spirits into your séance circle.

What About Unwanted Entities

Just like at any other party, sometimes a séance will bring an uninvited guest. In this case, when you have a spirit that seems malevolent or mischievous, someone needs to let them know they're unwelcome. Typically, this will be the medium who is leading the séance, who will usually say something like, "You are not wanted here, but we thank you for your presence. Now it is time for you to move on."

If an entity arrives that seems angry or hostile and will not leave, no matter what you do, end the séance. It's possible that it's been attracted to someone in your group who may have underlying issues.

5. Closing the Door

When you're done with the séance, it's important that guests thank the spirits for coming to visit. After all, you would do so if you had living guests drop in!

If one of your attendees seems to have slipped into a trance or a sleep-like state during the séance, allow them to return gradually, on their own. Do NOT shake them awake. Chances are they'll have a message for someone once they're back among the group.

Close the séance by telling the spirits farewell, thanking them, and asking them to move along. You may want to offer a small blessing or prayer as a way of ending the formal séance, but bear in mind that some spirits like to hang around after the séance has officially finished. If they do, it's okay. They're probably just curious, and they may return to visit you later in the evening during a dream sequence.

Additional Tips

Before you begin your seance, smudge the area with sage or sweetgrass for ritual cleansing.

Make sure you've eliminated potential distractions, such as children or ringing telephones. Interestingly, many pets seem to come and go through spirit activity without causing any disruption. Cats in particular tend to be very curious about what's going on, and have been known to make themselves right at home in the middle of spirit work.

Your guests may wish to bring an object that belonged to a deceased person, as a way of strengthening the connection. Photographs are also good links to the dead.

POSTED BY, PHYNXRIZNG

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girls-scenarios · 7 years ago

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Halloween Prompts

Hey everyone! Here’s a few prompts for Halloween. If you’d like to, please send in a prompt and a group/ship and I’ll write a drabble for you. I’ll be doing a few of my own, so look out for them! Feel free to add your own spooky prompts as well. ~ Admin Kiwi

Ship Prompts

1. Person A tries to convince Person B to wear a couples costume.

2. Persons A and B are watching horror movies, except one of them is terrified of horror and is too shy to tell.

3. Person A and Person B fight over who gets to eat the rest of the leftover Halloween candy.

4. Person A loves Halloween. Person B hates scary things. Person A decides to make it their mission to scare Person B as many times as possible.

5. Person A and Person B go to a haunted house. Person B gets so scared they cry. Person A must comfort them.

6. Person A has a huge crush on Person B. Knowing this, their friends make them pair up in the corn maze and leave them alone.

7. Person A needs a costume. Person B, the clerk at the store, thinks they look cute in everything.

8. Person A watches scary movies and ends up being too scared to be home alone. Person B comes to the rescue.

9. Person A and Person B must escape the house party before the cops get called. Person A can’t run in her heels, Person B thinks this is hilarious.

10. “I’m lost in a corn maze, you’re lost in a corn maze. If this isn’t destiny I don’t know what is.”

11. Person A doesn’t understand Person B’s costume. Person B is highly offended.

12. “Your outfit is scaring me. You should take it off.”

Group Prompts

1. Throwing a Halloween party is all fun and games until you realize that you have to set up all of it. Cue disaster in the form of bobbing for apples, alcohol, and ghosts on streamers.

2. The entire group goes to a haunted house and bets on who will be the most scared. Loser has to go through the scarier haunted house alone.

3. Group finds themselves lost in a corn maze with seemingly no way out.

4. “I told you guys this Ouija Board wasn’t a good idea.”

5. Group joins together to scare the youngest, who is always trying to scare them.

6. After deciding to conduct a test of courage, a group of friends ends up lost in the woods with an unknown animal hunting them.

7. A group of mythical creatures go out and have fun Halloween night while trying to blend in with the humans.

8. “We aren’t going home until everyone here has flirted with at least one person.”

9. Group finds out one of their friends is a hunted vampire on Halloween and must go out of their way to prove to the hunters that she’s just as human as the rest of them.

10. Group tries to coordinate their costumes by going as characters from a show, except they all show up as the same character.

#halloween prompts #halloween #fanfiction prompts #writing prompts #kpop prompts

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littlecatlost1 · 7 years ago

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Who Killed Markiplier? Day 3

Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 2-2

I loved the little Ace Ventura gag they put in there, with the lightning and using the word murder. Nice touch. And everyone still believes Mark is a zombie?

Also, they're still running me around in circles with all these different accusations, including towards me again. The sass on that butler, too! I should slap YOU with a feather duster!

Observations/Possible clues:

Celine [The Seer]:

The mystery woman is revealed to be Celine, who fills in the role of the seer or psychic.

She is convinced that there is something supernatural going on and gets very upset every time someone starts using the word "murder".

Everyone, except for the detective, knows her.

The colonel trusts her and wants to hear her out, but nobody else believes her.

She takes me alone into the a private room and suggests that there's something much bigger happening besides Mark's murder.

She admits that she was never comfortable in the mansion and there are dark forces surrounding it.

There's a strange distorted voice saying "Keep your enemies close". The same thing the detective said to me in chapter 2.

The visions appear in this order: 1) The colonel and the detective pointing their guns at each other while the colonel shouts, "I will not be called a murderer in my own home!" just before Celine enters. 2) The colonel pulling me away from the scene in Mark's bedroom. 3) The detective calling us back inside just after the body goes missing. The colonel is seen watching me from the balcony. 4) The mayor speaking to me the morning after the party, just before Mark's body is thrown down. 5) A new scene which shows the chef and a new character, the groundskeeper, having a talk while the detective points his gun at them.

During the visions, there is a distinct ringing noise.

When the visions stop, she asks me to draw what I saw and I give her a drawing of a figure digging a hole. The groundskeeper was shown to be holding a shovel.

She wants me to go back in, but the detective and the mayor burst in and demand that it be stopped.

When the lightning strikes, everyone rushes upstairs. Celine is standing there, with a terrifying smile, surrounded by light and the RGB distortions that are the signature of a certain demon I know and love.

The Colonel:

The colonel is strangely absent in this chapter, only appearing at the end.

Nearly all of the visions focused on the colonel, save for one featuring the mayor.

When the detective wonders where the colonel went, the butler says that he's in his room resting.

When all hell breaks loose near the end, I briefly bump into the colonel at the top of the stairs.

Detective Necrophilia:

After the seance, the detective pulls me away and calls out the butler and demands to know the meaning of the drawing. The butler confirms that it's the groundskeeper, but he shouldn't be here because he only works on weekdays.

The chef is acting very squirrely and the detective thinks he may be hiding something. The butler turns on him and demands that if he knows something, he'd better spit it out. The chef reluctantly admits that George, the groundskeeper, has secretly been living on the grounds for years. But he says that the guy is harmless.

The detective takes me and the chef to talk to George. It turns out that while most of the visions with Celine were from the past, the last one showed the future, to this very moment in the garden.

The Mayor:

He seems to be constantly hovering around Celine throughout the entire video, never letting her out of his sight for very long.

The mayor is very concerned for both Celine and myself when she suggests contacting Mark's spirit. Like he's afraid that something terrible will happen.

The mayor insists on staying behind with Celine, appearing to be concerned for both her safety and wanting to find answers, and they enter the room alone.

George [The Groundskeeper]:

George claims he's completely innocent and that the hole he's digging is for a burst water pipe. The detective doesn't believe his story and demands that he come in for a chat before he starts dabbling in murder himself.

George says that he hasn't been inside the house for 15 years and he seems afraid to go back in. He claims that there is only one thing that can get him back into that house and I'd better pray that this never happens.

Lightning strikes (did somebody say "murder" again?) and George bolts into the house, screaming that this is the reason he was talking about.

The Chef: The chef doesn't seem to be guilty of much aside from keeping the truth about the groundskeeper a secret. But I still can't ignore the KILL MODE on his little buddy. I have considered that someone else, someone who must have known about the hidden camera, may have tampered with it.

Jim 1 & Jim 2:

Jim 1 steals the seer's (Celine) mystical supplies, which turns out to be a ouija board.

He points to a face projected on the wall, but I can't make out a face. It just looks like an overhead shot of a piano. It goes by in a blur and I can't see anyone sitting at it.

He is convinced there are demons in the mansion and uses the ouija board to conduct a seance. Whatever he contacts spells out: S U B C R I B E T O M A R K P L I E R "Subscribe to Markiplier!" Wow...

The "demon" is either the spirit of Mark, self-promoting even from beyond the grave, or just a big fan.

Jim 1 is possessed by a sea lion.

These are a few theories, and just theories, until proven otherwise.

Egos in disguise? It's getting harder and harder to ignore the good possibility that the egos are on the scene. Especially with that shocking ending. There's the constant ringing noise going on during the visions sequence. The same ringing noise is always in the background whenever Darkiplier is present. The mayor keeps chasing after Celine, pretending to be worried about her, when he may have been the real danger to her. I mean, as soon as the mayor gets her alone everything seems to go to hell. I think that Darkiplier may have possessed her because I can't see the mayor standing behind her. Did he just create a Lady Darkiplier? And the RGB effects in those last few frames are so indicative of Darkiplier.

The colonel makes a reference to being sucked into the board game, Jumanji. Which just makes it harder to tell if Warfstache is trying to be a colonel or a big game hunter. It really fits his eccentric personality.

I think my previous theory about The Host being involved may have been disproven. I think yesterday's audio clip was all about the seance scene. The door opening was Celine and myself entering the room, the match striking was her lighting the candles, and the writing noise was actually me drawing the picture.

#markiplier #who killed markiplier

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tipsycad147 · 5 years ago

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How To Hold A Séance

By shirleytwofeathers

Throughout the Victorian age, parties that featured a séance were all the rage. Hosts would gather people together to contact the dead. In recent years, there has been increased skepticism towards séances. However, a lot of people continue to believe that making contact with the dead is possible.

Hosting a séance can be an emotional, yet satisfying experience. When hosting your meeting, proceed with caution and patience to get the best results.

If you decide to try to conduct a séance at home, expect some awkwardness, especially on your first try. I’ve always thought that beginner’s séances were like a scene in a movie about teenagers away at summer camp, where the girls and boys from across the lake are thrown together for a one-night dance. In a séance, of course, it’s not about overcoming the gender divide, but the gap between the living and the dead. Like hapless teens, there’s a lot of hesitancy on both sides, and communication doesn’t always come easy—especially considering the dead don’t usually have audible voices!

Supplies and Necessities:

If you’re planning to hold a séance in your own home, you need a few like-minded people and a few vital supplies.

Choose good company.

A séance generally requires a minimum of three people; one to be the medium, who contacts and channels the spirits, and at least two others to provide supportive energy. Make sure you choose friends who are respectful, comfortable with the supernatural, and focused—your friend who can’t stop fidgeting with his phone in a movie theatre is likely to bring that same distracted mood to your séance.

Some say the number of participants must be divisible by three. But this does not seem to be an absolute rule. No fewer than three people should attempt a séance, as it can be emotionally and physically exhausting on a small group.

Séances are tricky business, and you don’t want to invite people who are going to ruin the atmosphere with negative attitudes, or by poo-pooing the entire event. Even if you don’t end up chatting with something from beyond the grave, you still want to have a good time. If you invite sceptical people to the séance, then the positive atmosphere is going to be wrecked and you probably won’t get a chance to communicate with any spirits. When you send out the invites, make sure you tell your cool friends to come, and the more open they are to the idea of a spirit world, the better.

Also, because the experience can be intense, it is usually best to keep young children and pets out of the circle.

Make a space for spirits.

If you’re hosting your first séance, what should you have available? If you’re using a tarot deck, use your favourite set. If you don’t have a favourite set, just use one that speaks to you. There are a variety of tarot decks, and you’re sure to find something that’s your style.

If you’re certain that you’re going to speak with something from beyond the grave, then bring a voice recorder to pick up the audio from the session – you never know what you’re going to hear.

Although séances in film are usually held in romantic rooms with oaken round tables, you might live in a cramped apartment furnished exclusively by Ikea. That’s okay! A few modifications can make even the grungiest space more inviting to otherworldly visitors.

Some séance instructions ask for a round table. This helps create the symbolic circle believed necessary for the ritual, also a square or rectangular table might make it more difficult to join hands. If a square or rectangular table is all that is available, it will be fine. You can use a table cloth or central altar to create the symbolic circle, and arrange the seating so that it is comfortable for everyone to join hands.

Candles, incense, and burnt sage can all boost the psychic power of your space. Both the candles and food are believed to attract spirits who are looking for warms and sustenance.

In the centre of the table, place some simple and naturally aromatic food, such as bread or soup. This is believed to help attract the spirits who still seek physical nourishment. Also in the centre of the table, place no fewer than three candles (or a number divisible by three) lit candles; the more candles, the better. Spirits still seek warmth and light.

Dim the lights and eliminate any distractions. Turn off all music and the television. Do make sure you’ve turned off alarm clocks, phones, and any other distracting electronics—some mediums even find that electronic devices interfere with their psychic senses.

Trim Your Expectations

It’s best if you don’t expect anything. Even highly experienced mediums, who use familiar spirit guides to contact new spirits, run into unexpected setbacks—the dead person they’re trying to reach isn’t answering, or they’re only interested in chatting about their favourite mug (yes, this happens) and don’t respond to the important questions about the afterlife.

Sometimes, an attention-seeking spirit can even intrude on a private conversation. If the world’s most talented mediums experience some unpredictable hi-jinks and complications, you’d better bet you will, too. So, as much as you can, roll with the flow of your séance, and try not to form any expectations before you start.

The Medium.

Mediums are, in effect, translators between the spirit and earthly realms, and they can dramatically ease the process of getting in touch with a disembodied presence. You might want to choose a medium among the participants. This could be a person who has had experience with séances or someone who has displayed that they’ve got psychic abilities.

Although it’s strange to think of spiritual affairs as a skill, mediumship is not that much different from any other talent. Your first (or second or third) attempt might feel awkward or even disastrous as you learn how to hold a séance, but you shouldn’t give up.

Many mediums claim to have felt a calling from a young age, or a natural attunement to supernatural forces, but even individuals who have not previously experienced a brush with the world beyond the grave can begin to develop their skills. Persistence, patience, and a willingness to discover whatever the spirit world has to share with you—from the serious to the kooky—are the foundations of every great medium.

Clearing The Energy

Methods of clearing the energy could include smudging with sage, scattering salt, or using the sound of bells to lighten and brighten the energy. It is also helpful to use a prayer or invocation to set the intention of positive vibes and invite only good spirits.

Here are a couple of invocations that can be used for clearing the energy in the room and creating a sacred and safe space. Feel free to change the wording to make them your own and to fit your personal spiritual beliefs:

To The Spirit World and the Powers That Be As I light these candles, bless this sacred place. Let the light of their flames radiate love and protection to all four corners of this room. I ask at this time that any negative energies be released from this space. With a bath of white light, I ask that it be cleansed and neutralised.

Invocation for Protection:

Spirit Guides and Angels, As I sit with you now, I open my heart. I surround myself with the love and light of your protection. I release any negativity that I have picked up throughout the day. I ask that any energy (information, communication) be given for my absolute good. Dismiss now all energies that are not of the Highest and Greatest source. As I bathe in your grace, I will listen to your resounding voice within me. I will be true to my heart and your gentle guidance. (you can follow this with a moment of appreciation for the universe…)

Determine the mode of communication.

As mentioned, you shouldn’t expect spirits to speak like the living. If you’re the medium, you might hear their voice inside your head clearly, but it isn’t the same as a human voice that travels by vibrations in the air. Some mediums prefer to use a ouija board or pendulumto convert the energy of a spirit to words. It’s best to have a few methods available before you start, and don’t get discouraged if your first or second attempts don’t work out.

A very popular method is using an Ouija board, which is a flat board engraved with several English alphabets, numericals, messages like “hello”, “goodbye”, “yes” and “no”. A heart shaped movable indicator called a planchette is rotated with fingers to point at letters and spell words on the board. The board also contains some images and symbols. The ghost, once conjured, uses telekinesis to rotate the pointer and answer your questions.

A simple pendulum can be used for divination too. The medium holds the pendulum in hand and asks questions to the spirit. If the pendulum swings sideways, the spirit is saying no, while a back and forth swing on the pendulum indicates a yes, and swinging round and round means the spirit is uncertain. Alternatively, the pendulum might be held above a circle of letters, or a paper marked with yes and no on opposing sides.

Spirit rapping is a very old and efficient way where the medium asks the ghost a question, and then instructs it to answer by making rapping noises by tilting the table to a side. For instance, a single rap means yes. Similarly, complex raps can be used to spell out words and complete sentences.

Summoning the Spirits

All the people must sit around the table, hold each other’s hand making a circle and close their eyes. It is good to begin by saying a prayer, which helps cleanse the environment and emanate positivity.

Now everyone must concentrate on the spirit they wish to summon and then slowly ask the spirit to join the group, This must be done calmly and welcomingly. This is most effective when done as a chant.

The participants must speak the words together. Here is a sampling of different ways to summon the spirits:

“Our beloved [name of spirit], we bring you gifts from life into death. Commune with us, (name of spirit), and move among us.”

“Spirits of the past, move among us. Be guided by the light of this world and visit upon us.” If you are wishing to contact a relative or friend, you may chant something like this: “Beloved (name), we bring you gifts from life into death. Be guided by the light of this world and visit upon us.”

Now wait a bit.

Then ask the spirit to provide a sign of its presence. Don’t ask for a specific sign, just be open to receive any signal. When you know that the spirit is present, try to communicate.

Communicating With Spirits

When you finally get a ghost on the line, what should you do? Basically, treat any spirit that you find during a séance like you would Deborah Harry, don’t leave it hanging on the telephone. Treat the entire thing like it’s totally natural that you’re speaking to ghost through a spirit board, glass of water, or a series of wraps on a table. Don’t worry about being too formal with what you’re going to call the spirit, it should let you know its name soon enough.

As long as you start things off pleasantly, the conversation should end up flowing naturally and nothing spooky will happen (except for the whole talking to a ghost thing). Remember throughout the conversation that if the ghost isn’t answering in a straightforward manner, you shouldn’t be weird about it. Spirits don’t communicate the way that people do, and as long as you treat the entire exchange like a David Lynch movie, you should be fine.

Begin by asking questions. Yes or no questions work best. You might ask things like, “Is there anyone here who wishes to speak with us?” Tell the spirits how you’d like them to respond (knock, move the planchette, cause the pendulum to circle for yes or swing for no, speak into the red light on the recorders, etc.)

If a spirit chooses to speak through the medium, you may ask any kind of question.

Everyone needs to try to be as still as possible. If someone makes a noise (such as a stomach growl or an accidental knock), they will need to identify that they were the one that made that noise.

Continue asking questions and make notes of any responses you get.

Always be calm and respecting. However, be warned, at the very first sign of any rudeness from the spirit’s side politely ask it to leave, if it doesn’t abide, forcefully end the session by blowing off the candles and switching the lights on.

So what happens when a ghost appears and things start getting spooky? Act natural. If you’re sitting, stay there. Don’t jump up or anything or you might break the spell and scare away the spirit (it could happen). The most important thing to do here is to be yourself and treat the spirit with respect. As long as it’s answering your questions and being helpful, there’s no reason that you should act like a freak show and scare off whatever it is that you reached out to from across the grave.

If Things Get Weird

Here’s a séance tip: things are going to get weird. When you go to a séance, you have to have an open mind to whatever message ends up coming through. If you don’t allow yourself to enjoy whatever happens during the magical moment, then you’re either going to block anything from happening, or your negative energy is going to affect whatever you end up reaching through the board.

Remember, if things begin to go wrong mid-séance, you have the power to keep things from tipping over into being a straight-up horror movie. As long as you stay positive everything should be fine.

Ending The Séance

When you’re done with your line of questioning, thank the spirit for joining you and tell them to go in peace. Break the circle of hands and extinguish the candles.

Close the séance by saying something such as, “Our communication here is finished now.”

If the séance seems to be getting out of hand, end the séance by breaking the circle of hands, extinguishing the candles and turning on the lights. Have one person remove the offerings, turn on the lights and open a door or a window. Join hands until the spirit leaves, then either replace the offerings, dim the lights and prepare for a fight, or blow out the candles and end the session for the night.

After the seance, it is also important to clear the room and close the connection. Here is an invocations that can be used:

Dear Spirit, Thank you for sharing this sacred time with me. I appreciate the flow of energy I have just experienced. I will use it for my highest good. As I blow out these candles, I close this sacred space, and ask that your protection surround me wherever I go today.

Another really nice way to close out the seance is with the following chant:

The Earth The Air The Fire The Water Return Return Return

Séance Basics:

Although you can go free-form, most successful séances have something of a formula: opening with a declared intention to commune with spirits, followed by an invitation or call (either to a specific spirit or a general audience), and closing with gratitude and peace to your visitors.

Here are a basic step by step plan for the ritual:

Discuss the ritual in advance so that everyone is clear on the protocol

Clear the energy in the room

Light the candles and the incense

Dim the lights and get quiet

Everyone gets seated

All participants must join hands

Summon the Spirit

Wait for a response

Repeat the summoning until the spirit responds or something happens

Communicate and ask questions

Maintain control

Thank the spirits

End the séance

Clear the energy

Talk about what just happened, even if it didn’t seem like anything at all

How Will You Know When You’ve Made Contact?

There is no certain way to know whether or not you’ve made contact. Often, the things that happen during a séance are subtle – a slight knock, for instance. This could be attributed to a spirit, or it could be someone else in the room making a noise. Keep an open mind and first seek to disprove anything that you see or hear. If you can’t find a logical, real-world explanation, you may have made contact.

For myself, I set the intention that anything unexpected that happens is definitely a form of contact. I try really hard not to have any expectations, and then when something does happen that feels or seems meaningful, I simply accept that it is.

Things to Consider When Deciding to Hold a Séance

Before you perform your séance, ask yourself the following questions:

What are your goals for the séance? What is your purpose for holding one?

Is there a particular person you’d like to contact during the séance?

Where will you have your séance?

Who would you like to participate?

Which equipment will you use?

You can use virtually anything; a Ouija board (seance board) or a pendulum, for example. If you are into a more technical approach, you might consider using a piece of paranormal investigative equipment such as an EMF (electromagnetic frequency) meter, or a ghost box.

Will you record your session?

Will it be video or voice recording? Often, video cameras and digital voice recorders can pick up EVP (electric voice phenomenon) that can’t be heard at the time of the séance, but can be heard on replay.

Attitude Is Everything

When you’re dealing with creatures from the spirit realm, you probably don’t want to be in a bad place. If you go into a séance with any worries about the situation then something is probably going to go wrong. Negative energy draws out negative energy, and if you start to reaching into the nether-realm with your bad mumbo jumbo, you’re bound to pull out something that’s extra creepy. .

Sources:

Thought.co

Keen

Love To Know

Graveyard Shift

Ghost Village

https://shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/powers-that-be/tag/spirits/

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sjohnson24 · 7 years ago

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The Goathead Demon Banished; The Sally Howard Story

Ghosts & The Supernatural – Many people ask how I got started in the paranormal investigating business and are interested in my first cases. Below is a blast from the past, a case from my early career in paranormal investigating.

“I See Dead People” is the famous line from Sixth Sense. I do believe there are psychics, sensitives or if you want to call them intuitives that exist in this world. Of course, there are a lot of fraudulent psychics that eye only one thing and that is all mighty dollar sign. A real sensitive will assist others in a time of need and do not ask payment for their services. This Sunday, August 19, 2007, I would meet up with a real sensitive. Her name is Sally Howard. She has been aware of presences throughout her whole life. I gave Shannon ‘Ms. Macabre’ McCabe, President of H.P.I. (Haunted and Paranormal Investigations) of Northern California a call and briefed her about my upcoming meeting with Sally. Shannon was quite intrigued and told me to find out her story. I called Shannon on Saturday, while she was conducting the 2nd Tour of Haunted Places in Placerville. She had a good turn out with 33 members showing up. Her core members: Michele Stump, Jennifer Baca, Chris Grissom, Cherie Vincent, John Wachter aka Vlawde and Michelle Paykel were ready and willing to assist Shannon throughout this full day tour. Shannon told me that when she met up with everyone at the 400 Main Street Parking Garage, the HPI members were eagerly waiting for the tour to start! From the enthusiasm in Shannon’s voice, I could tell everyone was having a blast, but my thoughts were about the sensitive I would meet on Sunday. Why is it that some people can sense ghosts, while people like myself can’t? Yes, I have seen a full body apparition with my own eyes, I have been touched by an entity, but it’s not because I am a sensitive, I was just fortunate to see and feel these entities after 40 some investigations into the paranormal.

As I drove over to Shari’s Restaurant in Greenhaven to meet up with Sally Howard, I was greeted with a big smile. Sally has a long story and it seems like ghosts have followed her throughout her whole life. It appears that Sally’s whole family may be intuitive and that the deceased members of her family come to visit often. Let’s start from the beginning and follow Sally’s life to her present day home in Greenhaven.

Home in Cleveland, Ohio: When Sally Howard stayed in Cleveland, she would visit with her sister a lot. Her sister was obsessed with the movie The Exorcist and carried around The Exorcist book with her at all times. Her sister dabbled with the Ouija Board and she also felt like she had a psychic connection with Sally. Sally noticed that her sister’s personality started changing. It had seemed that her sister was becoming meaner. One night Sally experienced the bed that she was lying on moving. Another night, Sally hears a gun go off, she runs into her sister’s room and learns later that her sister for no apparent reason fired that gun. When asked initially why she fired it, she had said that she accidentally fired the gun, her sister later confesses to her that she fired the gun purposely, but didn’t understand why she fired it. Sally’s sister started becoming more macabre as there was now a sculptured snake and a dagger displayed in the house. Then the final night that Sally stayed with her sister, the most strangest thing occurred. Sally was sitting on the couch, she was paralyzed, unable to move, she looks towards her sister’s room and sees an odd man-beast. An entity with the body of a man and a head of a goat. This goat head demon then slithers to the floor and starts crawling. Sally starts praying in her mind and the man-beast vanishes. When Sally relates this story to me, she is filled with positive energy. Perhaps it was her robust positive energy that vanquished the negative energy of this creature. She never encountered the entity again, but she has never been back to her sister’s house again either.

Home in Pittsburg, California: Sally is visited by her 10 year old deceased cousin, that appears like an angelic figure to her. Sally is lying on her bed and for no apparent reason falls off the bed, she looks up and her 10 year old cousin is looking down at her. It almost appears that her deceased family members watch over Sally and perhaps they are the ones that keep the goat head demon at bay. Perhaps Sally was pushed off the bed by some negative unseen force? Sally believes that her deceased Aunt Lorraine once jabbed her on the leg, causing her leg to bleed. Sally was talking somewhat negatively about her aunt Lorraine and shortly afterward she felt the jab on her leg. Aunt Lorraine was sort of an oddfellow, she had one long toe nail, which became a family conversation piece. Could it have been Aunt Lorraine’s toenail that jabbed Sally in her leg?

Grandmother’s Home in Pennsylvania: Sally said that her grandmother’s home is definitely haunted. The old furnace shutter door constantly opens and shuts on its own accord. The dining room light switch would come off and on. Silverware around the house is always being moved around or repositioned. Uncle Bobbie, who is deceased makes his presence known in the house. Her Uncle ‘Happy’ aka Harold was once visited by his deceased ex-wife that stood on the side of his bed watching him. Uncle Happy appears to be a sensitive because he will never forget seeing the ghostly presence of two twins that appeared before him, looking down at him from the top of the stairs. The two twins he finds out died in a fire in that home.

Home on V Street in Sacramento: While Sally stayed at her home on V Street, her grandmother astrally projected herself to Sally’s home. Sally saw her grandmother fully dressed and she just peered at Sally. Sally’s grandmother was alive at this period of time. Another night Sally had her family come over and the brass lamps were turning off and on by themselves. The neighbor heard footsteps on the stairwell and there was no one there. When the occurrences happened, Sally felt something telling her that it was only her deceased father trying to communicate with her. A lot of strange happenings occurred at this V Street apartment, even some outside influences happened here. One day a frantic neighbor came over and told her that he was cursed by the Oakdale Witch, he went to use Sally’s restroom and an unseen force pushes him into Sally’s bathtub. The neighbor felt it was the Oakdale Witch that caused him to be pushed into the bathtub, because he constantly ridiculed this residential witch. During Christmas time in her home on V Street, she snapped a picture of her two children by the Christmas tree and a fast moving orb was captured on her regular camera.

Home on 26th Street in Sacramento: While Sally lived at this location, she was constantly being harassed by the Church of Scientology members. They were trying to persuade Sally to join their cult. After being mentally exhausted hearing the ranting of the Scientologists, she went to bed and instantly started astral projecting…leaving her body, when all of a sudden there was a loud banging on the door, she went back into her body and looked to see who was knocking, only to discover that there was no one at her door. When Sally was telling me this story, her daughter calls her on her cell, only to tell her that the microwave almost blew up. Sally says that it’s weird, but when she relates her stories, sometimes bad things start happening and here was a good example of that.

Home in Greenhaven: When Sally was merely dating her ex-husband, she would have her ex-husband sleep in her son’s room. Her ex-husband had a spectacular evening one night in Sally’s son’s room when he woke up to see an entity standing over him, watching him. He had a hard time getting the image out of his mind. One day, he was looking through Sally’s photo albums and came across the entity that was looking over him. It was Sally’s grandfather! When he saw the picture, he looked as white as a sheet and yelled out…”That’s him, that’s him! That’s the ghost that was looking down at me!” Sally has felt the presence of her grandfather, she has even smelled his scent in the house. Another odd thing that occurred in this home is one night at 2am, the whole bedroom lighted up. Her bedroom was as bright as sunshine and Sally actually got scared. When she felt scared the light in her bedroom diminished and everything went back to normal. Sally still is being watched in this Greenhaven home, at times she hears a penny drop for no apparent reason and one night her deceased grandmother held her hand, while she laid in bed.

I felt like a prosecutor as I repeatedly would ask certain questions over again. I was looking for any inconsistencies in Sally’s stories. There was none, all of the stories were reiterated again as if the stories were playing back on a cassette tape. Sally has an amazing life and when I was sitting next to her, it’s almost like her aura engulfs my own aura. I could feel this surge of positive energy engulfing my own energy. Before, I met up with Sally, I was still tired from a block party I attended last night with my romance novelist friend Gloria Ramos, in which there was a large assortment of food, live music, jacuzzi retreat and every kind of drink under-the-sun. When they had the joke contest at this block party, I went up and told two of my best jokes and won a huge patio umbrella. This block party lasted late into the evening and I still felt drained on Sunday, when I met up with Sally. But, as we sat together and I wrote her story, her energy seemed to boost my own energy, there was something definitely different about Sally and I believe it’s because she is an intuitive. I can only wish I could see with her eyes, because this is one woman that has a foot in our own reality and another foot into the world of the paranormal.

As I finished this story, I got a call from Michele Stump, HPI Researcher. Michele is looking into the possible residual hauntings of 25 victims of serial killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng in Calaveras County. Michele asks…”are you up for this investigation?” My answer….”why not?” How odd, that I would get a phone call about this investigation, because I had just finished watching the movie with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, called ‘Vacancy’, which is loosely based on the Leonard Lake/Charles Ng murders. There are always an abundance of investigations with HPI, my job is never done.

By Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective Halo Paranormal Investigations

HPI International on Facebook

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