Item: Nutshell Pouch Category: Storage Type: Magic Powers and abilities: Almost-infinite storage Needed Prerequisite for use: None History: Five centuries after the discovery of the Gatebook, the riddle of an infinite bag of holding was finally solved. Almost-infinite, but this was no small cause of celebration as it meant that everyone could stop carrying around rucksacks the size of a rather large tortoise on their backs and causing spinal problems for the Orders in their members’ old age. Description: Woven together from fiber derived from nut casings (a magical nut that is a distant relative of the areca nut), the name of the item itself comes from the old tale about storing items in a nutshell. While nowadays pulling items out of a nutshell would be both unnerving to see and rather fumbly in a moment of panic, more modern adaptations of the bag have managed to create itself to something that vaguely resembles a leather bag, with a bark-like texture. Surprisingly durable given its material, the bag is fireproof and can hold a large amount of items, more than the bag’s size would have you think. It can also be enchanted to serve a few other functions as well, depending on the user’s preference. Notes:
| A few Nutshell Pouches in the field (Original credit to owners) |
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There are famously five ways to kill a man. For an Embodiment, however, there are four ways, each becoming steadily more difficult.
After several centuries of hunting and tracking down Embodiments, the conclusion drawn was simple: Embodiments did not always start as corrupted and twisted versions of fairy tales, but instead a person seeking to replace what had been lost. This can include anything from a precious toy, to their children, to their loved ones, or simply to fulfill a deep desire within. It is this desire and the yearning to replace and find that precious something that draws Yarn-Givers to potential Embodiments, and the lure for these victims to accept the Yarn the Givers bring. Logically, then, the easiest way to “cure” the Embodiment would be to “cure” their source of grief, by bringing back to them what they have lost or to help them do what they were trying to do. In some cases, this means bringing back a child to them, or showing them a memory that will sate their grief. In some cases, it involves locating a volunteer who is willing to see past the harm an Embodiment has done and accept and forgive them. These, however, while easy on paper, may not always be achievable: the child they have sought may be dead; the forgiveness may not come; sometimes, the grief cannot be so simply cured. A second way was developed in order to neutralise an Embodiment: the forcible purification of the Embodiment themselves, by means of a cleansing ritual that was developed. These are most effective on the “newer” Embodiments, the ones that have had the least history in operation. The older the Embodiment, the more difficult it will be to cleanse them, and the riskier it will be. However, this is by far more preferable than simply killing the Embodiment altogether, for reasons that will be made known later in this passage. The third way and the most difficult way to “cure” an Embodiment is to confront them with their crimes and make them see sense. A less charitable description that is sometimes given is “guilt-tripping”, but it remains an unfortunately apt method of causing an Embodiment to be “cured”. Presented with enough evidence of the harm they’ve done, the Embodiment can be induced to break it themselves. The Yarn cannot simply be “handed over”, as the Yarn will always return to the Embodiment in this situation. This is where the difficulty lies: this method of attack will bring the Sisters and the Wolves - as well as the Embodiment - in direct conflict with the Penitents, who then swarm the Yarn and the Embodiment to prevent this from happening. The common theory is that they are summoned by either the Yarn of the Yarn-Giver who is responsible for the Yarn, to prevent the hold of the Yarn’s power from breaking. This also has a high chance of reducing an Embodiment into just another Penitent, disintegrating into a mess of Tembu-ka and turning the Embodiment beyond curing. Done correctly, however, the Embodiment having broken the Yarn will return to their original selves with no memories of what they have done, and their afflicted victims will be subsequently cured. The final method is simply known as Elimination, wherein the Embodiment is killed. This is to be used only in the most dire of circumstances, with appropriate mages and healers nearby to shield both the Sisters and the Wolves, as killing an embodiment will release a more powerful and concentrated dose of Tembu-ka into the surrounding environment, poisoning all those in its radius. This can render both Sisters and Wolves in a coma-like state, wherein their life force is slowly sapped away. This is called “The Fading”, and can have lethal consequences for those affected.
Initiation is what Sisters and Wolves like to jokingly refer to as a “red-blue-pill” situation. Or more accurately, “red-blue-potion” situation, quite literally, save for the difference in colours because any Sister or Wolf can tell you the potion colours correspond to the element they belong to (yes, how original is that?) and that any form of memory potion would be either colourless or a rather unappetising colour.
When you find the Orders - just ask around at an older bookstore, one that appears out of nowhere after you finish chasing the paper trail. Yes, really, they’ll tell you where it is if you have the correct charm or can talk them down by showing all your past research. Fulfil that criterion, and a representative is sent to you. Or, in the case of an Embodiment attack or your latent magical powers being explosively activated, you are whisked away to safety until they can ascertain whether or not you will be subjected to further risk. In either case, you will be given an explanation as to what you would be getting into, and if you want to walk out and leave, you have to drink the colourless potion. If not, you would have to drink the goopy purple-grey one so the wards will recognise you and activate your ability to use any magical items that you will make use of during your time. These include portals, enchanted weaponry, and whatnot, because side effects of those who aren’t attuned to magic involve a lot of nosebleeds and violently ill side effects. On the note of the goopy purple-grey, there have been consistent jokes about how that potion very nearly put-off half the people joining in. One particular version has claimed the potion tasted of burnt ash-seeds scraped off from the bottom of a very rusty pan, and didn’t smell much better either. After the potion and potentially time taken off to recover from the assault on the senses, what comes is a gruelling three-week training session, complete with a small “graduation” at the end to initiate the novice into the Order. The training session is mostly focused on combat skills and magic skills, if the novice has a magical talent that was discovered after consuming the potion or has already been awakened due to the circumstances. Survive that, and the novice is presented with the basic cloak (dark red, cotton) or mask (polished oak wood) and assigned a dormitory. This is not to say, however, that they are no longer allowed back into society. They are still able to keep in touch with their old friends and their family, but as to whether or not the Sister or Wolf decides to tell their closest ones what has happened is entirely up to their discretion. Some choose to live a double life; others choose to be honest. No matter what happens, the Orders do not attempt to influence them in any way, as long as they are able to deal with threats as they come. The Calling does not always know where you live. In fact, very often, the Sisters and Wolves don’t actively recruit due to the nature of their work. For in all honesty, the chances are if someone came up to a bystander telling them that the world of Once Upon A Time did exist, except that Once Upon A Time had gotten most of the facts wrong and fairy tales and nursery rhymes most likely will live in plain sight, would have gotten them looks indicating that they were questioning the person’s sanity.
There are different stories as to how the existing Sisters and Wolves found their faction. Some decided to dig after one Embodiment-induced casualty too many; some were on the receiving end of a twisted fairytale’s assault; some grew up in a world where they learned of the groups and decided to join up; some stumbled upon it, and for odd case or two… the Calling knew where they lived. Usually in the situations where a latent magic ability had been unlocked and the person proceeded to almost blow up the place they were living in at that time. It’s somewhat difficult for the Calling not to know where they lived if that happened - and that triggers a race against time for the teams to get to them before the Penitents did. The Yarn-Spinner has always been hungry for more arcane energy for her own use. Whatever the way the Sister or the Wolf is discovered - or them discovering the groups first - the result is the same. They are given a choice to join or to leave (think the blue pill or red pill), but upon joining they are put through a gruelling training process. Pass that, and they go through an Initiation, consisting of a sworn oath and the donning of their new cloak or mask, and are assigned a room with a Sister to share. Afterwards, life proceeds as normal, whether it be writing back home to family or email, or going about their own errands - as long as they return to their new home and they are ready whenever a new sighting of an Embodiment or a Penitent is reported. |
LoreTrivia and snippets of information from this world, from commonly used items to the history of events and milestones. Archives
December 2015
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