Information On Your New Home On awakening from that hazy, dreamlike state the mist most certainly lulled you into, you’ll find that you’re standing at the base of a seemingly abandoned watchtower looming high into the misty sky. Doesn’t sound much like wherever you were before, does it? It isn’t. Not hardly. Wherever you were before? It’s long gone, and for now? Whatever earth shattering mission or adventure you were partaking in is just going to have to wait. For now? You’d do well to focus on your own safety. And sanity, of course. Assuming you ever had any to begin with.
There’s more to this new world than an abandoned old watchtower of course, and you’ll want to explore your surroundings, no doubt. If you look about, you will notice how isolated your location seems to be. The tower is the only noticeable man made structure within view. The clearing holding the tower ends in a sheer drop off, a valley and trees beyond that open valley far below. Probably not a good idea to go jumping down there. Pretty far fall. So perhaps you might want to turn south instead, note the small dirt path leading away from the clearing, into the forest. There’s trees everywhere, better get used to them. Also. Might want to stay alert if you choose to enter the forest. Who knows what lies hidden in the thick mist....
There are two rocky paths you can take once you’re within the forest depths. To the left is a winding trail that leads to another clearing, this one larger. A wide grassy valley, with nothing. Nothing alive, anyway. But at night? Well. The odd valley seems to come alive... sort of. With what exactly, you’ll have to discover for yourself.
But for now, lets focus on the other path, shall we? It’s your lifeline, as it leads to the only civilization known to the area. A small village. Yes, a village. There are even people! Sometimes. During the daylight hours, the village is bustling with people, in fact. They seem happy enough, going about their daily chores with their charming ancient Japanese clothing and charming simple life airs. Too bad none of them appear able to see you, or even sense your presence. You can interact with objects, take their food, use their futon even. But try talking to them, and you’ll get nothing. You can’t even touch them. You can try if you want, but your hand isn’t going to grasp anything other than air.
And at night? The villagers simply vanish. Were they ever there to begin with? Not only is the once quaint village eerily silent, but the very structures even change, dulling, aging. Full of cobwebs, crumbing and weathered. At night, the village is empty, empty save for the souls like you, lost in this strange world of mist.
So, the question is. What will you do, now that you’ve found yourself trapped in the mist?
Details, Details
Powers—yes, you actually still have them… Sort of. The mist is always present, day and night, and the energy within that heavy mist acts as a limiter of sorts. Manifesting your powers will take concentration, and will come at a cost. Use too much, and you risk illness--or in some cases? Even death.
Personal belongings—whatever you had in your possession when you stumbled into the mist remains intact, though don’t expect those fancy swords or machine guns to be of much use against the spirits. The shadow beings, perhaps you’ll have a little more luck against. And if you had electronics? Well... Enjoy them while their batteries last. There’s no electricity in this land of mist, and that strange fog has a draining effect on those precious batteries. In other words? Be prepared to kiss those fancy devices goodbye.
Communication—It would be nice to communicate with your fellow kindred souls lost in the mist, right? After all, it's easy enough to get separated. But hey, if you manage to find the strange crystals located throughout the village and manor? You can! It’s really not that complicated. These strange gemstones resonate energy, and if you focus on that strange crystal? Another holder of one can hear your thoughts directed their way. Pretty neat, right? Just be careful. It takes energy. Wouldn't want to drain yourself too much.
Another thing to be prepared for? You will hear more than just your companion's voices through the crystal. Expect strange static noises and the occasional ghostly voice to screech directly into your pretty little head. Not all the voices you’ll hear from the crystals are from the living. You may even recognize a few dearly—or not so dearly—departed voices from your past. They aren't what they once were, however, so don't get your hopes up. Better not listen too close, who knows what they might say, hm? Could drive one mad even.
Tower—it’s nothing fancy, made of thick logs, hardly new or shiny. And it’s purpose? Well, that’s an enigma, isn’t it? You’re free to enter the winding staircase, to climb the creaky stairs. Reaching the top gives quite a view of mountaintops, trees, and the valley far below. Who knows. You may occasionally hear strange whimpers and whispers emanating from the top of the tower. What it means? It’s anyone’s guess. What’s yours?
Forest—feel free to roam to your heart’s delight. Who knows what all you may discover if you explore enough. Be careful. The mist is particularly thick within the forest, and getting turned around is remarkably easy. The further in you trek, the thicker the mist gets. Let’s not forget the beasties roaming about. Even during the day, you might run into a nasty little monster or two. Peculiar shadow-beings whose forms vary. Expect sharp claws and ear-piercing shrieks, regardless of their current form. And at night? It’s not just the shadow-beings you want to be on the lookout for. At night, the ghosts come out to play. Wispy figures merging with the mist, laughing, screaming, whispering.… Some seem fairly harmless, but others? Others will hurt you, and fighting something not alive? Not real easy. Don’t worry. You’ll figure something out. Running works, if nothing else. Though be careful. They can move pretty fast.
Village—a rather small, typical Japanese village, but holds the typical necessities. A tavern, a doctor’s clinic, a tiny little school house, a marketplace for the vendors, and quaint little houses scattered here and there. It’s downright pleasant during the daylight hours. At night however, the buildings are suddenly rundown and decaying, the food is rotten, the hearths ice-cold. All sign of life is simply gone, as if it were never there to begin with. A ghost town.... But who exactly are the ghosts? The villagers... or you?
The Manor—beyond the village lies a path, and through that path into the forest is a large hill. A red gate welcomes you to a tall staircase running up that hill, and if you dare make your way up there, be prepared for an amazing—and terrifying—sight. Beyond another red gate looms a large, oppressive manor; an impressive maze full of the most dangerous of specters, and most likely the most clues to where you are, and why. Do you dare explore it?
Mystery of the Manor—Within the manor, you will find notes, diaries, etc, and these could prove useful clues to solve your predicament. If nothing else, well. They make for a way to pass the time, right? But be careful—this is by far the most dangerous place you can traverse. Yes, even worse than the forest itself.
But what took place in this Manor? How is the village, empty clearing, and tower connected? That's a good question. You might want to get on that.
The Mist—A seemingly sentient, parasitic being of sorts, known only as “Truth.” This being travels through tears in dimensions, gathering shadow beings—non-human entities—along for the ride. Once finding a suitable location to feed on, it slowly inhabits the area, draining the life force of all living beings within the chosen location. It filters into the weak-minded, causing erratic, violent behavior, among other things. The mist's power is reliant on the souls of the locations it possesses, thus the more suffering and pain it can inflict on the chosen targets, the more strength it can obtain from their bound souls once they succumb and die. Once all living beings in the area have been killed—either by their own hands, the shadow beings, or just energy loss—the souls are trapped within the mist, feeding it with their confusion and pain. The goal of the creature is to trap as many souls within itself, to further its power, so it can move on to another area and repeat the process.
Shadow Beings—A type of nonhuman spirit that resides between dimensions and in spiritual realms. Generally violent, bloodthirsty, and sadistic; they have varying levels of intelligence and appearance. They latch onto the mist, hitchhiking basically. Free meals and all that. The mist accepts their presence, feeding from the souls the beings kill. It's a perfect symbiotic relationship, right?
Mystery of the Village—Unfortunately for this being, the village leaders—the head of the Matsugo Manor—were all too aware of this being's presence (the humans actually detecting its presence? That never happens.) and locked it away in a strange tower many years ago. Of course doing something that requires so much energy can't last forever, nor is the price for locking it away cheap.
Something about the village is different than the rest of the locations Truth has possessed, and this time, it has gotten itself into more than it bargained for. Even finally released from its tower, Truth is trapped within the area, still unable to pull away. It's almost as if time itself has trapped the being, along with the spirits in the area. Time repeats, images of days from the town's past play during the daylight hours, yet at night, it ages drastically. Clocks do not work, yet the large clock in the foyer of the manor chimes at dusk and dawn. The mist known as Truth is effectively trapped in some sort of bizarre limbo, with no real control over the village.
What's a parasitic being to do when faced with such a situation? Draw in more energy in hopes to break through the strange barrier of time it's locked within. But how to go about that? Well. Draw in more souls to destroy, and not just any. Strong willed souls. Truth is going to have to up the game, break them into terrified, miserable shells of their former selves if it ever hopes to gain enough energy to break free. Of course, trapped with no life left to drain poses a problem. The solution?
The Tower—The abandoned watchtower is its only link to other worlds. The tower has a small rip in dimensions, the only tear the mist seems able to access. Strangely enough, this rip was not created by the mist, but was already present, created somehow to contain the being. A small, strange portal, but who created it, and what was the original purpose for it? Well. The Matsugo obviously had something to do with it, don't you think? Truth knows all about it, but it ain't saying much. No, it's just going to make use of that tower crafted to contain it. Drawing any being it can get a hold of in the bits of mist it can send through the portal, dragging them into the world it is currently bound to. And that's when the fun begins.
But the question does remain; what is wrong with this world? Why has time ceased? What secrets does the mysterious village hold? Who were the Matsugo clan? It's up to the latest victims dragged in by the mist to discover... If they can keep their sanity and lives intact long enough to do so.