player plot: catharsis makes me free

[aberratic]

Who: Everyone who wants in
Open/Closed: Open
Where: The dwarven outpost
When: Mid-April

catharsis makes me free, for i do not prefer to be a prisoner.

For the past few weeks, Riftwatch's dwarven outpost on the outskirts of Fereldan has been experiencing an influx of creepy-crawlies. It started in Guardian with a higher-than-usual number of spiders scuttling about—not entirely unexpected in an underground living area, but notable for sheer volume. Then, in Wintermarch, a deepstalker was caught trying to make off with a nug, and it was only after it was dealt with that anyone noticed—there used to be more nugs down here, didn't there? Investigating some of the unused homes revealed holes dug up from the floors, the presumptive source of the intruder... and perhaps others. Deepstalkers are pack animals, after all.

To deal with these infestations, a greater number of Riftwatch agents than usual have been assigned to man the outpost. For the past few days, members of Riftwatch have been filling in holes in the floor, killing spiders (those are too big to be normal spiders, aren't they? Have they always been that big??), and searching for any other cracks in the walls a deepstalker might wiggle its way through. It's tedious, somewhat heebie-jeebie-fying work, and everyone will need a long bath after to make sure there are no spiders on them, no really, I swear I felt something crawling on my neck—but it's been more or less uneventful.

Which makes it a surprise when, the morning of their last day in the outpost, a number of agents can't be roused from sleep.

Get in losers, we're going to the Deep Roads. ...again.

Early one morning in the middle of Cloudreach, characters stationed in the dwarven outpost will be stuck in a shared dream space, observing each other's memories and working through some personal shit, courtesy of a specialized spirit of Compassion calling itself Catharsis. Those not stuck dreaming in the Fade will have to find a way to wake the others while simultaneously dealing with an infestation of both giant spiders and deepstalkers. Fun!

For those stuck in dreams, they will be reliving one specific moment from their past, over and over, until they reach some sort of cathartic realization about the events—but Catharsis understands that it's difficult to have such epiphanies alone, and so not only are characters reliving their pasts, they're also seeing the memories of others, in hopes observers will provide the perspective necessary to induce catharsis. Until the dreamer interacts with the observer (or vice versa), or the observer changes the events of the memory, the dreamer is unable to deviate from the facts of the event as it happened, and may not even recognize what's happening to them.

For those on the outside of the dream scenario a giant spider and her brood and a deepstalker matriarch and her brood have chosen the worst possible time to try to take the outpost for their nest, and neither group seems willing to take no for an answer. Characters outside the Fade will have to split into two groups: those attempting to enter the Fade to parlay with Catharsis, and those defending the Outpost and the sleeping agents from invaders. Dreamers who have their cathartic realizations before the end of the event can wake from the memshare and join either of the defense or confrontation teams.

When Catharsis is finally confronted, it reveals itself to be a Compassion sprit who's actually trying to help Riftwatch: It doesn't like holes being punched in the Fade any more than anyone else, and allowing people the space to deal with their personal problems is how it can help! It can be reasoned with, or it can be killed—either way, agents under its hold will wake up at the end of a week, and Catharsis, if alive, will leave to help others.

This plot is open to everybody who wants to participate! Sign-ups aren't mandatory, but please use the forms below to sign up and tell us what you'll be doing in the plot so we can be nosy and/or plot with you. I'll be posting the log sometime mid-April! Okay that's it thanks byeeeeeee © tessisamess

Comments

[overharrowed]

Player: Ammmy
Character: Julius
Which memory is being shared? The night he noped out of Kinloch hold in the chaos ahead of the Mage-Templar war

NB: I'm going to be OOCly unavailable April 16-20. If this will put a big rock in the middle of the momentum for this schedule-wise, feel free to gently un-volunteer me, no hard feelings.