un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Five is walking out of the lighthouse as he addresses the network, since it's generally quieter where ghosts aren't constantly interrupting his thoughts. The beauty of this form of communication is it's not entirely unlike talking to himself, which is really his preference. ]

Okay, listen up. Since we're all sharing, let's see if we can't come up with an actual plan, before we experience the next shift and you all inconveniently forget who you are again.

[ To say nothing of a haunting that has already sent him into a panic attack or how he nearly drowned just to see for himself what he'd already heard second-hand. Nothing but success for Five Hargreeves. ]

Two orders of business. One, Miang-Si is obviously a catalyst, if not the cause of what's happening here. I searched her room one of the nights she was out galavanting with her lake friends. There was correspondence that suggested she was enamored with someone, who I now assume was the Huntress. I also found evidence that the woman in white, and another in red, visited her there. The witches she's involved with also may have dragged in women doing laundry nearby into their lake at some point, judging by what was found with the skeletons at the bottom.

Secondly, these hauntings aren't just some curse. If they are spirits, we need to figure out a way to trap them. There's a woman in white, a man in black, a lumberjack, and another woman in red. Who else has been seen and how often? If we can capture one of them, maybe we can get some answers before whatever triggered this starts again.

[ He has no doubt it'll happen at the worst possible moment.

Just as he's about to continue with his all-important conspiracy theories, he's approached by a young girl with a silver coin in hand. Distantly she can be heard saying she's worried about her family, and asks him to take a donation for Kathoo'lul's blessing. Dumbfounded, he takes it and promptly loses his train of thought as she scurries away. ]

...Amazing how easy it is to start a cult around here.

Comments

un: stormborn

[thebrideoffire]

A child. I have seen a small child, a toddler, at night.

[She doesn't wish to elaborate, even if it helps. The subject always hits a nerve.]

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ She's really going to hate it when he prods her about it. ]

A toddler. Every night? Is it always in the same place or does it follow you?

un: absterge | PRIORITIES

[downswing]

Five. Do not start a cult.

un: ut malum pluvia

[somebadnews]

[ Don't look at him. He's astounded at how quick people were to believe he represented a fish god. ]

It wasn't my idea.

[northerndragon]

No cults.

I have not seen the little child Daenerys speaks of, not even when we share a bed. I have seen a white lady now and then. She asks for aid when I light the braziers.

[somebadnews]

They gave me the assignment, I just played along

[ You could have just ignored that part, Five. Interesting that he can't see the child, but he also hasn't seen anyone but the lady in white. ]

How long does she stay for you?

un: lockwood

[recklessenough]

I have also been plagued by a child. So far it has been confined to the location where I was set up to sleep.

The lumberjack I see at irregular intervals, all over the village in different locations but almost always attempting to interact with someone living.

un: ut malum pluvia

[somebadnews]

You've seen both. Does the child appear every night?

[ Not that he's suggesting it, but of all of them, a child would be the easiest to catch. In theory. ]

audio, un: dam it to well

[vestments]

I've seen the lumberjack here and there. ( a beat. ) He doesn't seem to have been very popular.

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ At least everyone knows exactly what he's talking about. ]

I haven't seen him, but he's been mentioned. Here and there, where? How frequently?

@taken for granite

[rumorate]

You say this but you do remember that Klaus started a cult back home, a world that is theoretically more logical and educated.

[And this world has people a lot more isolated and trapped in curses and all other kinds of shenanigans. Honestly Allison is surprised there isn't a cult everywhere they go.

This is also the only thing of value she has to contribute to the conversation right now, you're welcome.]

@ut malum pluvia

[somebadnews]

[ Why does she think he assumed he would have immediately failed at this? He's a lot of things, but he's aware of his lack of... Klaus-magnetism. ]

Of course I remember, I just underestimated how much he fell into it. All I did was mention Kathoo'lul [ at every doorstep in the village ] and suddenly they're stopping me in the street.

un: song | voice;

[spoilers]

Congratulations. ( No disapproval for his cult here. )

I'm growing quite familiar with the man in black. A little too familiar. ( He doesn't frighten her, but he does unsettle her. ) I'm not sure how I feel about trapping spirits. Doesn't that usually end badly? But he does walk right up to me each time.

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

Yeah, thanks. [ It's a very stupid cult. He's still waiting for someone to jump in and explain who Kathoo'lul is. ]

I've only heard that he appeared to take bodies from the floating caskets. Have you tried speaking to him?

audio | un: wooden sword

[vdovy]

Does a ring of salt really trap spirits or is that just in the movies?

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ ...The first actual suggestion he gets. ]

Is that a real question?

un : deft hand of little deaths (voice)

[scrapgege]

It would work on most low-level ghosts. this one might be a bit too powerful for just salt, though.

un: rushman | text

[redhourglass]

isn’t trying to trap ghosts how some of those b-list horror movies start

( look, she’s not here to offer up her personal apparitions — yet )

un: ut malum pluvia | text

[somebadnews]

Well you know what they say, no risk no reward.

[ He's got very narrow interests here, and they deserve everything that's coming to them. ]

un: yuheng

[wooden_one]

I am uncertain if I can trap them but I can try. As long as we can trap them, getting answers will be possible.

[Tianwen is useful for that....but trapping them first is important.]

un: ut malum pluvia

[somebadnews]

[ That's more like it. Finally someone volunteers. ]

Lucky for us, there's plenty of opportunities. We can start with one and see where that gets us. [ He has a personal vendetta with the woman in white, but he's not going to be picky at this point. ] Any preferences?

audio, un: strange

[rehandle]

And yet somehow I'm the one to watch.

[ D r y. Starting a cult, Five? Cute. He'll get into the rest later, but first... ]

Care to elaborate on the why?

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Watch what, him doing all the legwork around here? Some people need to start pulling their weight. ]

Where did I lose you?

un: headless ragdoll | audio

[matermali]

[ Rooting through a witch's personal things? Trapping ghosts? What potentially disastrous moves. Lucky if he won't be immediately cursed...again.

She just listened to him take money from a likely poor little girl, too. Noted. ]

What else did you find?

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ ...He shares all this, and they still want more. ]

Did you think I'd leave out something important?