Webs and woe

This is a player-run storyline happening around Solhaven, facilitated by the player of Delindra.

Several months ago, Lady Aliacia Ranshai appeared in Solhaven. She declared herself the sister of Commodore Jaysehn Ranshai, and bore tidings that he had died rescuing her. Per their family history, she was presumed dead after a childhood illness, but had ended up alive yet kidnapped. Upon hearing she might still live, Jaysehn had purportedly set out to rescue her, but a backlashing curse condemned him to age rapidly. Aliacia reported that the last she saw of him, he had sent her ahead of him on his ship as he set out to either find relief from the curse or to rest in peace.

A few months after her arrival, some strange things began happening around town.

Webs

Webs started appearing in places like North Market, in the farmland holdings, and around the zoo. Some folk also found them when they were in the woods north of Solhaven. They were much bigger and more numerous than one would expect from normal spiders. Some people touched them and investigated them, and sensed a faint feeling of malevolence, but were not quite able to pinpoint where the webs originated. Further efforts at detecting more from them resulted in their shattering.

The Cipher

People started receiving or finding strange items - scrolls and wands with spells in them and on them. Eventually, a common theme emerged, with the items bearing spells such as "Bless," different versions of "Dispel," and "Untrammel."

Some of the items bore strange markings on them. Some of the markings were as follows:

.0 4 00 .5 ./ -\ .5

or

.0 4 7 .! 4 .! 2 /- .5 (

or

) ./ /) /) .\ .9 4

While passing through North Market, Lady Aliacia spotted one of the messages on the town board, the one reading: .0 4 7 .! 4 .! 2 /- .5 (

This seemed to startle her, and when folk inquired, she revealed she recognized it as the Ranshai family code or cipher. They were a family of merchants, and as each member of the family came of age, they were taught the cipher, which was used to relay important and confidential information among the family businesses. She had been kidnapped before coming of age, but was able to piece together some letters she recognized when she used to sneak to her father's study and teach herself the cipher at night. She believed the message said "Unfinished." She also indicated she thought she was the victim of an unkind prank and that someone was using the family's cipher maliciously in order to anger her.

Dreams

As the days wore on and the webs and items continued to appear, some folk reported and shared unusual dreams they experienced. Some of the dreams included sensations such as: being bound by strands or being held immobile; indecipherable clicking and chittering; shadows and a feeling of foreboding; a stifling feeling.

The Day of Warning

The Day of Zelia's Warning came, during which Zelia's folk appeared and offered their strange insights. As the day wore on, the Sisters of Lunacy offered a strangely relevant and disturbing message:

Stepping in front of her sisters, Posie announces, "Today, I will be sharing an Ode to the Cracked Web."

"A thread was pulled, just one, just one,

     And oh!  How wide the web has spun.

     It stretches now through bone and bark,

     Beneath the sea, beneath the dark."

"The dead man dreams, but will not sleep,

     His secrets buried far too deep.

     The hunter stalks, the spinner weaves,

     And fate gets tangled in the leaves."

"No lantern burns where he now dwells,

     Just tangled paths and distant bells.

     The threads pull tight, the stillness grows,

     As something ancient softly sews."

"A spider crowns her tangled brow,

     Each oath she broke still binding now.

     The sea won't speak, the winds wont warn-

     She weaves her wrath in webs and thorn."

Following this, a number of arachnids appeared and terrorized several citizens in the streets until they were promptly dispatched by a small group of adventurers.

An Initiate of Gosaena

Following this, an Initiate of Gosaena appeared in town, named Tsyren. She explained she was there on behalf of her Order to investigate strange activity their soothesayers experienced. Such activity sometimes just indicated a larger population of undead than usual, but could also suggest something else amiss, and it was her job to rule out any activity that could cause troubling imbalances between Life and Death in the area.

Upon learning of the webs and ciphers, Tsyren suggested it might be a good idea to hold a ritual. The ritual would be geared toward making an inquiry to Gosaena about the status of any souls anyone wished to inquire after. She did not promise results, but explained that sometimes Gosaena was willing to offer answers to those asking after loved ones they suspected might be deceased. Aliacia was very reluctant to participate but indicated she would consider it.

A Ritual of Inquiry

The ritual came to pass at the bonfire in Rumor Woods, and a number of souls were inquired after. For some, Gosaena had reassuring answers. For others, there was ominous silence. Finally, at the end, an inquiry was made after Jaysehn's soul. In response, the image of a web appeared above the scrying bowl Tsyren was using.

The web crystallized and fell from her hands. As it rolled, a hand reached out from the shadows, clad in red and black, seizing it. The figure quickly vanished, leaving the ritual to end on a uneasy note.