STATIC 5: Old Spirits & New Ghosts

General Summary

Wherein the Blinkertons find themselves in a place of eternal twilight, facing down new ghosts in a parade of exultant noise

Business in New Carydam

After reporting back to Messelum, The Interdimensional Blinkerton Detective Agency found they had a bit of time on their hands as Messelum worked to discover any leads on the compelling individual with the excellent earring. They spent in in the following ways:

• Hypatia worked to improve her alchemical abilities, resulting in a "Elixer of Chumba's Wampa," a bespoke creation.
• Nero Rubicant contemplated recent events.
• Tridge bought a steamball machine entitled "FUTURE SHOCK," and installed in the warehouse that was once "No Future." The Blinkertons have decided, given that they were Displaced in this location, and they've got the keys to it, that squatter's rights apply to No Future. They've claimed it as their own. For now.
• Corinna Himmelswander, unbeknownst to her fellow detectives, met with her contact in The Concern, which she only knows by the codename "Pickle." Pickle wears an eyepatch, but Corinna can tell that both her eyes are functional. Standard Concern stuff, right? After a kind of tense back and forth about who knows what about whom, Corinna asked the Concern to leverage their considerable assets to help locate her brother Fritz Himmelswander. Intrigued, Pickle agreed to take this back to whoever her handler is. Confusing, but The Concern is like that.

Before long, they felt that previously felt sensation and found themselves undergoing The Displacement once again. This time, they came to themselves in a land of perpetual gloom, lit by glowing mushroom and moss. Worryingly, Tridge did not seem to be Displaced along with them.

Welcome to Wanevale

There was little time to consider that development, as the Blinkies were set upon by flaming skeletons. Concern vis a vis continued survival was mounting when a strange music pierced the twilight. This music was a joyful noise, full of hope and happiness, saturated with a feeling of ecstatic reconciliation. All this emanated from a parade, heading their way. At the front of this procession, baton twirling and dancing, was a teenager. He seemed to be conducting this whole thing.
Said Conductor leapt into action alongside our detectives, battling the flaming skeletons. This bard seemed particularly adept at wielding his baton and communing with various spirits to aid his applies. With these skeletons put to rest, Sharkbait, as the teenager named himself, welcomed these newcomers to Wanevale and invited them to join this parade, called Homecoming.

The Homecoming

Wanevale, Slimedrift--Sharkbait's second-in-command--explained, is a community of cyclical rebirth. No spirit is ever truly "gone" in Wanevale, Every living being is connected--sometimes in more ways than one--with the spirits and phantoms that are all around. Homecoming is the ritual celebration of these ancestors, and this cycle.
It is somewhat alarming, then, that Wanevale finds itself in the presence of new spirits and ghosts. The flaming skeletons were once such group. There are bound to be more. Slimedrift, along with everyone else, is unsure of what this portends.
The Blinkies joined this procession "on the come up" as the parade made its way to the Arcade of Ancestors. Despite all the strangeness abounding in the iteration of this parade, our dectectives had a typical Homecoming experience, full of encounters with Wanevalen spirits both friendly and discourteous.
Eventually, they arrived at the Arcade of Ancestors, the ruins of the first Wanevalen settlement and the closest thing to a "holy site" these jubilant participants have, and discovered it emitting an energy chock full of "newness." As the Arcade is for the ancient and not the "new," this cannot be allowed to continue. Thus, our detectives, accompanied by Sharkbait, who is taking this very personally, descended into the heart of the Arcade, a place known as the Cellar.
Almost immediately, they were attacked by ghouls and a ghast. Recognizing the ghast as the larger threat, the Blinkies focused their attention there and put that spirit to rest. That just leaves the three ghouls, maws dripping ruin and carnage, right in front of Corinna and Nero. It seems like our detectives can't ever catch a break.

And That's Where We Left It

We'll see what lurks in the Cellar during the Blinkerton's next session.

Varied & Sundry Details

Homecoming is often rife with interesting characters, the Blinkertons met a few on their parade, including:

• the skeleton alchemist Blizmik, whose concoctions caused Hypatia to lose her reflection and Nero to become undead for a few hours.
• Baron Mothcrush, a vampire who is cursed to help individuals on Homecoming, much to his eternal displeasure.
• A lonely wight, looking to play some chess. Nero obliged and found victory, earning some Shinemoss Tea for his efforts.

Character(s) interacted with

• "Pickle,"  Corinna's contact in The Concern 
• Viktor Slimedrift, Sharkbait's Drum Major for this Homecoming
• Blizmik, a skeleton alchemist ready to party
• Baron Mothcrush, an unhappily helpful vampire

Report Date

18 Sep 2022

Primary Location

Wanevale

Secondary Location

New Carydam