SHRIEKING SKULLS WILL SHOCK YOUR SOUL AND SEAL YOUR DOOM TONIGHT

[acherontiastyx]

[After 10:00 p.m., the library's... definitely a little different. The tables have lit candles on them, and there are... kind of janky cardboard cutouts set on some of the shelves. An attempt was made, at least, even if there could've been more boxes destroyed in the attempt...

But regardless. There's candles set around a place for some snacks if anyone wants to bring them, and there's also a blanket set on one of the tables. Because clearly, that's where the storyteller's supposed to sit...? Maybe you wanna do it. Maybe you just want to stand or sit or something.

Either way, let's get fucking spooky up in here.]

Comments

[feistytrader]

[Silver... Doesn't go to sit on some blanket, but instead raises his hand.]

Why are we telling stories about ghosts again? I don't think any of us have a single ghost-type Pokémon.

[...He has no idea what ghost stories are.]

[acherontiastyx]

Oh, you know, they're just spooky stories. We've got a few good ones in Alola, and they don't have to involve ghosts. It can be something real or something you just made up on the spot to send chills up everyone's spines.

[stepout]

They're just stories about those that've passed away without passing on. Things like... poltergeists or vengeful spirits. Curses. That sort of thing.

[ not everything is about pokaymon, silver!! ]

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . In all honesty Elda's just bored. Bored and frustrated and frankly Vampires have a lot of scary stories to their history and she can tell a lot of them.

...

That said when she first shows up she's also just poking the janky cardboard things as if she was expecting them to be moving. And is mildly disappointed when they don't

Oh well. ]

[iaspis]

[The library is where Jasper has been staying at night anyway, when she isn't sitting on the bed in her room. So the library it is, looking more than a little lost.

The humans (and non-humans, for that matter) aren't so bad, really. They just... have strange behaviors she doesn't understand at all.

So here she is, sticking out very obviously. And not looking like she has a goddamn clue what to expect.]

[introspects]

Jasper-san!

[ Hello, confused non-human! Orihime pats the space next to her with a big smile on her face. ]

[foundfate]

[Of course it had to be ghost stories. Of course. All the people who don't have to deal with ghosts every day would love that kind of thing.]

I just want you to know, if any of these stories actually draw any ghosts here, I'm blaming all of you for it.

[But he still sits there, though not on the blanket yet.]

[feistytrader]

That doesn't sound too bad. Maybe they could help us get out of here.

[oyashiromama]

[...so the actual former-ghost doesn't know what to do and just kind of stands at the periphery what does she do]

Au...

[This group is too big.]

[foundfate]

[Oh hello there, former-ghost. Watanuki will pat the ground next to where he is sitting.]

Hanyuu, come sit over here.

[If nothing else, he'll at least understand if the stories upset her?]

[avoidcomplications]

[...he just wanted to read a book. God knows he can't get his sleeping schedule back on track, and now he can't even get peace and quiet in this complete hellhole.]

Did I perhaps miss a note regarding another meeting?

[Funny how a polite question can sound like 'burst into flames', isn't it?]

[matchbreaker]

[ She doesn't even eat real food and she saw the notice! Feeling smug as a result of that, the short woman leans a hand against her hip and, ]

One of the chumps here challenged everyone to some tell ghost stories.

[introspects]

[ Alright

as someone who literally sees ghosts, talks to them, and fights some of them, Orihime has a lot of stories to tell? And she also doesn't really get scared by most ghost stories anymore, because, well, yeah. She still loves them though and wants to hear the spoopiest of the spoopiest.

She's also brought several...potatoes...with her, and a small plate with a knife and a stick of butter. Yes. She is buttering a potato and eating it.

As for her own stories, well, she's not going to get personal, but she does have a few up her sleeve. ]

Do you want to go first, or should I?

[oyashiromama]

I-I'm afraid I don't have many stories to tell, so you would be best.

[She was a ghost but none of that seems interesting or.....relevant]

[plegia]

[Well, this is kind of ridiculous, but it's a decent way to spend the evening. He has no interest in telling any stories, but Gangrel's absolutely here to listen. He'll just flop onto a chair and rest his elbow on the arm and his chin on his hand.]

Make sure they're gory! The nastier they are, the better!

[this is the most "ENTERTAIN ME" thing imaginable jfc

He might actually tell a story, if you're interested in trying to get him to participate.]

[iaspis]

....What if you tell the gory story?

[SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, CALM DOWN, GANGREL]

1/2

[acherontiastyx]

Alright.

[he hops up on the table where he spread the blanket out and leans into the audience a bit.]

So. Since there's only one other person familiar with Alolan culture here, Professor Guzma's gonna take you to school for a sec.

One, back in Alola, we have this moldy old tradition called the Island Challenge. Basically, you turn eleven, and then you're supposed to visit all the islands with your Pokemon and meet up with other kids picked out by our leaders called Trial Captains. They set up little challenges for the kiddos to do, and when you complete the challenge you fight a stronger and bigger than usual version of a Pokemon called a Totem Pokemon that the Captains are in charge of training and raising.

Got that? Good. So let's get this show on the road.

[acherontiastyx]

So. This is a little yarn I like to call the Lanakila Gallery. It might be true... or it might be a legend. With these things, you're never 100 percent on the whole thing.

See, long ago, Alola had Kahunas as the leader of each island, and there was a royal family who ran the whole show, too. That's when this whole thing took place. Of course, the Island Challenge was still a thing back then --- Trial Captains, Totem Pokemon, the whole nine yards. I told you it was old and moldy. And so... on our biggest island, Ula'Ula, there was a Trial Captain who was supposedly the local Kahuna's daughter. You know, because that's what you get when you let the Kahunas run that kinda thing. Nepotism runs rampant.

I mean, it's said that she did a pretty good job for most of her run. The trials went well and the Totem Frosslass she trained was a pretty good contender --- not too tough, but tough enough to give your average brat a challenge. She specialized in Ice Pokemon, and her trial was actually a ways up Mount Lanakila, the most sacred mountain in the region.

But there's gotta be a "but," right? And the "but" here is that towards the latter end of her captainship, something was a little rotten on Lanakila. There started being some mysterious disappearances around the mountains --- more mysterious than usual, I mean. Mount Lanakila isn't the easiest climb in the world, and you'll always have people who just get unlucky on the climb up or the climb back down.

The weird thing was, though... you were definitely more likely to disappear if you fit a certain profile, and it wasn't the sort of person you'd expect to get beaten by the elements. Younger kids on their trials seemed pretty safe. Old guys and old ladies also didn't have any trouble... actually, no ladies disappeared at all. If something did happen to them, you'd find their body at some point.

However... handsome dudes in their prime? They'd vanish without a trace. No body, no blood, no nothing. So, naturally, this got people's attention. The Kahuna started looking into it... but the investigation never went anywhere, for some reason. Which, I mean, sometimes a dude needs to climb a mountain, you know?

So eventually, one of the king's lady soldiers did a solo investigation. She went up the mountain and started searching... and came across this pretty well hidden cavern that was off the beaten path. I do kinda have to wonder how she felt when she walked into that cavern, because... well.

It was like one of those statue galleries in Kalos. All fancy and stuff, with artfully sculpted ice statues of handsome dudes... but if you know anything about Froslass, you can probably figure out where this is going. See, they're a female-only Ice/Ghost Pokemon that has a bit of a nasty habit... when they happen upon something alive they like, they tend to flash freeze 'em and take them back to their den to display as decorations.

Now, trained Pokemon aren't really supposed to pull these kinds of things, since they've got a code to them and won't murder people or other Pokemon when under the care of a trainer. However, since only humans were being put on display there, suspicions quickly arose that the Trial Captain was in on it --- and, well, when she was confronted with it, she went ahead and confessed.

After that, things get a little hazy. What we do know is that there's still a pedestal up on Mount Lanakila where you can pick up the traditional reward for completing a trial, a Z-crystal. There hasn't been a Captain running the place since, but some people wanna get a whole set of 18 Z-Crystals for every type, so they still go up there to pick one up.

When asked about the experience... well, girls generally tend to come out of it with no problem. Guys... notice something a little creepy, though, like there's a sudden chill to the back of their necks.

[bloodbiter]

[Gently joins the 'what is a ghost story' crowd... She looks confused, but this also seems like an interesting distraction, so.]

Are we meant to tell stories about specters?

[Those aren't ghosts but close enough??]

[introspects]

[ 'Specters'? What are those. Well, we're just going to assume that it's another word for ghosts? ]

As long as it's scary! That's the best part about telling ghost stories--the suspense and the feeling that someone's watching you at all times afterwards!

[elepe]

[...You know, this is kind of silly all around. Really, telling each other ghost stories in a school that's far from normal? That seems incredibly childish and a distraction from what really needs to be done.

...Which of course means that she's gonna be in here, because come on. This is actually going to be pretty fun and she's not allergic to it. She's actually brought a bowl of some of those candies that she'll set on the table too.]

I look forward to hearing all of the delightfully frightening stories you all can conjure.

[Go have fun kids!!]

[chessturner]

[Kyrie was still in the library when the meeting started, and since it was decently entertaining, she sat around, far from the center. Also there's candy over there, a few candy won't hurt]

Some people have a lot of creativity when it's about making ghost stories. There should be a gem or two to be heard in here.

[Kyrie knows about the legend of the witch in Rokkenjima, but it isn't like she's going to tell it]

1/3

[stepout]

[ ...if anything catches fire in here, they'll be the ghosts. Hahaha that's funny because

never mind, it's not really that funny. She'll spend a good bit of time staring at the cutouts, trying to figure them out, and listening to any stories that get shared with a hefty amount of skepticism...

Eventually though, she'll take a seat on the blanket as long as no one else has it, crossing her legs one over the other. Story time, everyone. ]

This is something I heard not too long ago.

[ Her voice is a little low, conspirator-like, but it rises back into its usual even tone as she really starts. ]

In a normal little town, there lived a normal little girl named [ uh what's a good name— ] Mai. She was well-behaved and beloved by everyone she knew, but she was also incredibly curious by nature. Mai wanted to investigate everything and everyone, and for the most part, things went well for her. She made a lot of friends, and despite her curiosity, she didn't get in trouble.

One thing she was always curious about, however, was how her parents would send her to bed early on the first of every month. Whenever she tried to ask them about it, they would laugh and tell her, "You'll understand when you're older, Mai." Then they'd send her on her way with nothing more than that as an explanation. The older she got though, the less she believed them, and one night she resolved to stay awake and see what they were up to. If they asked what she was doing, she would just tell them that she was "older" now, and that it was fine for her to know about whatever it was.

Fourteen, she decided, was definitely old enough for almost anything.

2/3

[stepout]

So stay awake she did, and when she was certain they thought her to be asleep, she snuck from her bed and crept down the hall. Softly, softly, so that her parents wouldn't hear her. [ She lowers her voice again, just to a stage whisper—soft, but audible. ] As Mai carefully made her way down the hall, she began to hear snippets of her parents' conversation. It wasn't until she was right upon the door, however, that she could hear them clearest.

"She'll have to learn how to take care of herself," her mom said. "I think next year is as fine a time as any."

"I didn't learn how to do it until I was an adult," her father argued, and Mai heard him smack his hand against the table in emphasis. "When she turns twenty, we'll tell her."

"Don't hit the table, dear," her mother sighed, and as Mai peeked open the door, she could see her shake her head. "You'll ruin the paint."

Her father raised his hand to inspect it, and as he turned it, Mai couldn't help but gasp: there was a spot of grey on it. He sighed in irritation and picked up a brush with a skin-colored paint on it, covering the spot. Her mother, though, had heard her gasp, and her eyes slowly raised to the door.

Now that Mai was really looking at her head-on, she could see that only half of her face was normal. [ She raises her hand, covering half her face. ] The other half was grey and completely bare of any of her mother's wrinkles or freckles, or any of the other things she had come to associate with her. It was, instead, something like a...

[ ... ]

A mannequin: no expression, no features. Only grey, plain plastic. And as Mai looked down at her own hands, trembling slightly, she began to really notice her skin... and the cracks beginning to spiderweb across it.

[ She pauses and lowers her hand... ]

Now with 100% more storytelling

[foundfate]

[So a few people have told their stories, and finally Watanuki decides to bite the bullet and go through with this. He has plenty of experiences that would make for fantastic stories, and maybe he can scare some sense into everyone.]

To understand this story, first I have to tell you about a tradition called 'the 100 ghost stories'. When a group of people decide to do 'the 100 ghost stories', they gather in a room with 100 candles. Each person takes turns telling a story about a supernatural experience, and when they finish the story they blow out one of the candles. In the end, when the 100th story has been told and the 100th candle has been blown out, ghosts can enter the room and mingle among the storytellers. Or so the legend goes.

One night, a group of four friends gathered at a temple to do 'the 100 ghost stories'. They set everything up in one of the far back rooms of the temple, so that they wouldn't disturb the family that lived there. But you see, there shouldn't have been anyone in the room next door. As it turned out, that area of the temple was indeed a resting place of sorts: it was where the priests prepared the bodies of the dead before their funerals, and the room next door was where the bodies were stored. So it was very quiet, and perfect for ghost stories.

The stories started out as you would expect: each friend taking a turn telling a story, and the others listening intently. But as the friends told more stories and blew out more candles, a sense of unease began to settle in the room. A foul odor began to waft in, making the friends grimace and cover their noses. And eventually, as they continued the stories, they started to hear a noise coming from the next room over. A soft, quiet scratching noise. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

But they continued with their stories, intent on finishing all of them. Soon, they were down to the last candle, and a boy was telling the very last story, with the room barely visible under the flicker of light from that final candle. But as the storyteller was finishing his story, his three friends noticed something: behind him, through the rice-paper walls, they could see shapes moving about. It was as if people were in the room next door, looking for a way in.

The three friends tried to warn the fourth, to tell him that something was wrong. But he finished his story, and he blew out the last candle. Then, as soon as the light faded from the room and everything fell dark, the sound of tearing rice paper could be heard. The three friends heard the fourth scream, but that scream was cut off suddenly. By the time one of the other friends was able to turn the lights on, the fourth friend was gone. The only proof that anything had happened was his pair of shoes left by the door, and the dozen or so fist-sized holes in the rice-paper wall just behind where he had been sitting.

[Watanuki pauses here, looking over everyone's faces to see their reactions. Then, he finally speaks again:]

And that right there, that is why you shouldn't ever underestimate the risks of telling ghost stories!

[acherontiastyx]

Man. You tell a good story only to be a massive killjoy about it.

That's you in a nutshell, I guess.

1/2

[avoidcomplications]

[There were few things Kira hated more than being the center of attention. But he seemed to be stuck here for the moment, and he carefully weighed his options on whether not speaking up would seem even more conspicuous. As things went on, he eventually decided to find some halfway point; not the extravagant stories the others were telling, but something. That would be enough to fit in without seeming odd or remarkable--exactly how he liked it.]

The city I come from is a quiet suburb--a small, peaceful place with a population of...around 59,000, I believe. But Morioh is a very old town, and my family has lived in it for generations--dating back to when it was a resort filled with villas for samurai. ...When I was younger, my father often warned me of one thing within it.

[Kira hesitated briefly, like he was reconsidering something he'd said there. Whatever it was, he disregarded it and continued.]

'In this town there is a road where spirits of the dead walk freely,' I thought he was trying to warn me against something far less supernatural, as parents do for their children. But when he brought it up, he seemed entirely serious. As though he knew this for a fact, rather than simply making up a story.

'Yoshikage, if you ever find yourself on that road,' he said to me, 'you must never turn around. If you look behind you, then a power beyond control will drag you off.'

When he told me this, I asked the obvious question: 'drag me off where?' And he didn't answer.

My father wasn't one to lie or make up things like that. So I find myself forced to accept the possibility that somewhere--in a town old enough for my ancestors to have walked the ground it stands on--there exists a road walked by the dead and a force I can't possibly comprehend.

[avoidcomplications]

[Beat.]

But of course, that's ridiculous. I don't know what Father was thinking when he told me that, it simply isn't possible. How many people in Morioh's history would have had to disappear by making such a simple mistake as looking over their shoulder? Enough to be noticed, I'm certain. And if there were a history of sudden disappearances in a city like mine, someone would surely be aware of it.

[Definitely.]

1/?

[iamthatsea]

Okay, uh... I'll try one! I don't know how scary it is, but it's true, and I know it scared me when I was younger, so.

[ As far as anyone here knows, anyway. ]

Before I begin, there are some things you must know about my people. Or... those who live on Akopos, anyway. The whole planet is covered by ocean, and our star is far away. This means that if you travel outside the monastery, the only like you have is your Syl, or the glow that comes from our skin.

[ She glows a little for emphasis. ]

But because we believe in living at peace with that ocean, there is much of it we do not know. We do not indulge in the luxury of written maps, instead relying on landmarks and the guidance of our elders. In this way, we can find spaces for solitude that truly belong to us, that no one else knows how to get to. It also means that a glow in the distance is that of another monk in the order, since freshwater doesn't foster much danger in the animals. But an ocean is an ocean, and there are some parts more dangerous than others. One such place was the Tenthri Abyss, a deep canyon much closer to the monastery than any of the monks would have liked. This is the story of why the Tenthri Abyss collapsed in on itself, as told to me by the elder Roa Denthar. May her wisdom guide my words.

2/3 or 4

[iamthatsea]

Long ago, there were two brothers in the order, Rynok and Horim. They were born and raised on Akopos, and were as close as any two brothers have ever been. They entered the order together, ate meals together, and fished together. Some would say their Syl ebbed and flowed the same between them.

But devotion to the Bluemother demands solitude and inner contemplation, so they had to make a compromise when it came to meditation. So they made a pact to find spots for meditation close to each other, but not to tell each other exactly where they were. They would swim out together a certain distance, then separate at a specific rock, and make their way back to it at an agreed-upon time.

The rock the brothers chose stood at the edge of the Abyss. In this way, they could follow the edge of the canyon back to it if they lost their way, but of course even at that time the Abyss had a bad reputation. Strange sounds that would emerge from the depths, monastery staff or trainee monks who would venture in and come back... different, somehow. There are plenty of mind-changing revelations to go around on Akopos, but anyone who went into the Abyss came back... there's an Emulan word for it that doesn't translate very well, but the closest word is Dimmed. Like their Syl had forever ebbed, just a little. The brothers knew these stories and, naturally, had agreed to find their meditation spaces in the caves or coves near the Abyss instead of within it. After all, prolonged exposure to whatever lay within would surely lead to nothing good.

One day, after meditation, Rynok didn't return to the meeting stone.

1/5

[uncouthhatcher]

[Everyone's telling their ghost stories and it's so exciting, ghost stories are great and holy shit he is not sleeping tonight, is he. He's not.

So he's gonna make sure no one else is able to either. Gold sits cross-legged on the table, taking off his cap and brushing through his hair.]

In Johto, we've got a lotta cool things. It's a real historical place, you know? Plenty of people who've died, who've gone missin', lost their way on Mt. Silver and ended up gettin' eaten or worse.

[He pauses, setting back on his cap and resting his chin in his palm, elbow on his thigh.]

My story ain't about that, somethin' a little closer to home -- just as cold though.

[so sorry silver.]

2/5

[uncouthhatcher]

Long ago, back when Johto was still a buncha little towns and the Brass Tower hadn't burned down yet, there was a string of incidents that didn't seem too unusual. People goin' missin' ain't too surprising, yeah? Especially when the fastest way to communicate was face-to-face. You never knew what was goin' on with your friends and family if they were away.

Well, [and he glances around,] people started turnin' up again, right outta the blue. That's the weird part -- people who'd been thought dead were comin' back, lookin' as young as they were when they went missin', and people hailed it as a miracle! They didn't think too much of the blueness in their faces, or how they jerked along when they walked. They were just happy their loved ones returned more or less safe and sound. Thanked Ho-oh and Lugia for keepin' watch over them.

But it wouldn't be much of a ghost story if it went all nicely, yeah?

[Gold waves his free hand, grinning mischievously.]

Four trainers went to investigate the direction these people kept comin' from and found themselves in a cavern made entirely of ice. Slippin' and slidin', they made their way deeper into the place, and the area started gettin' so cold not even their Fire-types could keep 'em warm. A strange mist was gatherin' too, leavin' frost on their clothes and face, and the deeper they got the thicker the mist... to the point that none of them noticed the ice spikes until one slid right into them, freezin' from the wound out.

Nothin' could undo the damage and they were forced to leave them behind, swearin' to find some way to free their friend.

[... This is definitely gonna be familiar to Silver; that ice couldn't have been taken care of by anything other than Entei's flames, after all not without being damaged.]

So deeper and deeper they went, bein' careful as they could be with thick fog and the knowledge there were dangers lurkin' just ahead of 'em, until they came to a room that was entirely clear. They were pretty thankful for it after all they'd been through... until their eyes caught a figure at the far end of the cavern, hunched over in the shadows, and one of the trainers called out a hesitant hello.

100 GHOST STORY LIGHTNING ROUND

[elepe]

[So, one trip to the supply closet later...

When Lusamine and Silver come back, it's with quite a few candles. Seriously, it's good that they both decided to take the trip, because while Lusamine breaks the candles to circumvent the limit and Silver lights them up, Lusamine is going to speak up.]

Everyone, I would like to give a round of applause to you all--your stories have been nothing short of spine tingling, and rather horrifying as well! We are so curious to the legitimacy of Mr. Watanuki's story, however, so...

We think it's time we tried to reach that limit, don't you all agree?

Everyone who wishes to share some more stories, please take a few of these half candles and light them on the candles that have not been blown out yet--our goal shall be to see if we can meet these 100 ghost stories before the night is over, and see some unusual phenomenon for ourselves.

Best of luck, all of you!

[COME ONE COME ALL, GET YOUR CANDLES]

[foundfate]

[He just. Stares at Lusamine for a moment. He honestly thought that she would be one of the sane ones here, but apparently not.

He then looks around at everyone else, to see if anyone actually listened to him and is going to voice dissent, or if they're all going to participate in this.]

[neverheardofhim]

[He's a little late getting here, having been finishing up some "stories" of his own. For once, he's more amused by other people's stories, so rather than showboating it up, he sits off to the side and listens. It doesn't help that most of his "ghost" stories feel all too real, considering the way his world worked.]

[Still, it was an enjoyable experience nonetheless. For a time, it's easy enough to forget the grimness of their situation, and simply watch a bunch of people goof about and enjoy themselves. It also helped to see people be so carefree about demons. It was nice being in a world where, at least apparently, they didn't pose such a grim threat.]

[If pressed though, Varric might have a story or two. Just ask nicely.]

[modernmedicine]

All right, everyone, I have a story for you.

[Mercy's brought a cup of tea with her, and she takes a sip before she starts.]

There is a little town in Germany called Adlersbrunn, deep in the Black Forest. Long, long ago, there was a scientist who lived in the town named Dr. Jamison Junkeinstein. He was brilliant, making automatons for the local lord, but unfortunately, that lord had no love for the creations.

So, Dr. Junkenstein decided he would take his revenge, by creating something extraordinary - true life. However, no matter what he tried, no matter what he did, he couldn't find the spark to make his creation come alive.

One night, when the doctor was about to give up, the Witch of the Wilds came to him. She offered him the Spark of Life, but under one condition: one day she would come back and ask a favor, and he would have to grant it without question and without fail.

Needless to say, the monster came to life, throwing the town into chaos. They say that the lord himself begged for mercy, but was given none. Once the carnage was complete, the monster fled into the forest. That, of course, is when the witch asked her favor: a soul for a spark of life.

They say that to this day, if you visit the village at just the right time of night, you'll hear the laughter of the mad scientist and see the creature itself.

[acherontiastyx]

Heh. The lord totally deserved what he got, I think.

1/2

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda took a while to think of a decent enough story, and when she comes up with one, she grins. Taking her place at the appointed spot, the grandmother begins, her tone ominous ]

This is a story that starts us off in the old country, actually. Back in the ancient days of knights and kings and serfs. And our story begins with an ambitious vampire named Maxwell von Zarovich. [ She hums a little, smiling to herself and exposing her fangs as she continues, the candle close to her face ] Old Maxwell was a bit of an odd sort, because he saw that the humans of his country just never stopped killing each other, and he was real bothered by it all! The church told them that someone understood something off and so their head was off! Someone stole some bread to feed their family and they lost a hand! And of course, a hundred little men calling themselves kings were sending all their knights to slaughter each other all the time. He wanted to try and make things better for them, and so Maxwell decided to call himself a king.

[ She shook her head, as if that was foolish ] Of course, in those days, no one could just be in charge without anything to show for it, so Maxwell von Zarovich convinced his family to rise up with him, and then he won over a bunch've poor humans too to call hm their lord. Soon enough some've the knights even answered to him, and von Zarovich went to war! Over and over he fought and he fought, trying to get all of those hundred kings in line. Every time he won, the people those kings were lording over praised his family and entered his kingdom, but every time the wars were long and bloody. A hundred kings took over a hundred years to beat in all!

And so even though all the humans were coming out on top, people began to say Maxwell was a monster. He only rode at night, and how could he still be so young if a century'd past?

But see, the funny thing is, Maxwell von Zarovich really believed he could help out all the humans under him, s the damn fool never ate unless he was on a battlefield, feeding off his enemies. So he got to be old looking. I know I'm young and beautiful, but he didn't age near as good, and even if the wars were common, after a hundred years of it all, his hair was white and his bones were gnarled. But once it was all over, the land had the true king they had always wanted, someone who rule them all fairly and benevolently.

Or well, that was the plan.

2/2

[matchbreaker]

Old Maxwell really did like humans, so hi family couldn't say they were all that surprised when the moment he slowed down to try and rule, he found himself fancying some human woman - a gypsy lady traveling through the land named Tatiyana! He tried to woo her, but she had heard the rumors about what an old-man monster he was, and rebuffed the old man. Oh no, she travelled past him, leaving hm in the dust. Poor guy, right? And so, to try and make himself more beautiful to impress her, Maxwell von Zarovich took his late mother's advice and started drinking more often! Only problem was... he'd only ever eaten his enemies, and he wouldn't munch on his own people. So the only option was to bring his new kingdom back to war.

And so the fighting began, and while everything was peaceful for most've the humans, Maxwell tried again and again to try and impress that minx Tatiyana, and got rebuffed again and again. So the king went on more and more battlefields, killed more and more of his neighbor's troops, and eventually it's said that he looked just as good as the day he started all this nonsense a over a hundred years ago. But it wouldn't last! He was so old, so beat up, he now needed to feed daily and deed more and more and more to keep up his dashing good looks. But now he was a different man, he finally managed to win over that Tatiyana chick.

Or well, so he thought.

Turns out, a minx is a minx, and for all he'd been doing to make things great for his people, and for all he'd been doing to impress her, Tatiyana had actually been shacking up with a preacher man named Rickter, and Rickter hated Maxwell von Zarovich. He tried again and again to rile up the people of the old country, but everyone still loved their king, the one who made sure that they were well fed and lived nice lives. Whatever stories he could tell of battlefields long away from them or whatever oceans of blood that offended his god he could make up, no one would take the bait. Well, no one up until the minx did, anyway. And so the two of them decided that everyone else was dumb, and ol' Maxwell had to be dealt with.

So one night, just before sunrise, after Maxwell and Tatiyana had been all shacked up she let Rickter into the castle just in time to see Maxwell sleeping off into the morning. Seeing the guy there on the bed, the two of them decided the yknew what they had to do. And they threw a wood stake right into the chest of their king! Blood flew everywhere, and in a moment, losing his life before him, he turned back into that old, gnarled thing that he really was when he didn't keep it constant. And you know what else? For how much he had been trying to keep beautiful and for how much he'd been fighting to try and keep his people happy?

Maxwell wasn't about to lose his life.

In a blind rage, he killed both of them, and without even knowing what was going on, he bit their necks and filled up on their blood. Not even sure if he was dreaming or alive, he ran through the castle was the sun was rising, ripping apart man and vampire alike, leaving his servants and family a pile of corpses! And then finally, dying still from being stabbed in the first place, the blood flowing out too fast for him to replace it, the sad king Maxwell von Zarovich, betrayed and alone and probably crazy with the pain, ran out into the sun!

The legends say that so hungry was he for blood and so strong was his will that he slew a whole town's worth before the sun burned him up. And once he was ashes, the children of those hundred kings that he defeated all rose up and said they were going to take charge again. Within ten years, everything that tool Maxwell a hundred years to make was gone, and the humans would only remember the monster, not the man.

[ And she blows out her candle.

GOOD STORY, RIGHT? ]

[plentyfriendly]

[Phi hasn't been very talkative through all this so far.]

I think I've got one.

[She takes a deep breath in.]

So there's this guy. Twenty-something, in college, barely a care in the world. But just before Christmas, with no warning whatsoever, he falls over like he just suddenly died.

When he gets up, nothing he does gets the same reaction. Just about everyone treats him like he's a completely different person - odd looks, suspicious to everyone, the whole deal.

He looks in a mirror and sees someone else's face.

[matchbreaker]

[ Not sure if creepy or not... ] Isn't that the reincarnation thing that Buddhists think happens?

[iaspis]

[She's been silent for most of the night, listening intently to the others as they tell their ghost stories.]

I think I have one.

There was once a kind ruler. She was young, and loved. The treasured little sister. She was given her own land to rule, and her subjects all cared for her deeply. Except for one.

She and her favorite servant were in a beautiful garden one night, right outside of her palanquin when her servant attacked. In one instant, the young ruler was cut down-- literally. To pieces. By her own servant.

But it didn't kill her. Not really. She's still there. She's forgotten who she was, what she is. All she knows now is that there's something missing and that she needs to be whole. So by her fallen garden she remains, searching for her missing pieces.

[ravagers]

[ You know what makes Vanille's guilt complex kick into overdrive? Stories about betrayal! ]

That's... that's awful!