Anise and Fjarverand

The story of Anise began much the same as The Writer's, however, her journey is far less documented when compared to Basil's own.

Current Event

On Nurend 42, 308, Basil (the Writer) appeared at the Home Base. He seemed to be taking note of the Spiritual Traveler's base of operations. His memories, by his own claim, are stored entirely within the tomes that he carries with himself, and he has been writing about the Spirit World ad nauseam ever since the end of the Field Guide. He also spends a fair portion of each day remembering his sister, Anise, and was delighted to receive his Field Guide back as it seemed to provide some additional memories to him.
He is currently staying with the Spiritual Travelers and is camped out on their lawn. He's eager to provide what insights he can about the Spirit World if they are ever curious.

Plot points/Scenes

Nurend 18, 308 - Paper Bird

In the evening of Nurend 18, 308, Kaswink found a Paper Bird containing Anise's memories. From these memories it was gathered that her and the mysterious entity known only as Fjarverand might be the same thing. If they are one and the same, then something horrific seems to have happened to Anise when she first arrived. It is assumed that she was likely cursed and eventually became Fjarverand after being rejected by so many people when she just needed some help.
From the memories that were read, it is possible that her perception of herself didn't align with what was being seen by other people, perhaps she had already started changing without her knowledge. Developing the notriously foul odor that accompanies Fjarverand, perhaps changing in other physical ways as well, and it could also be possible that she still doesn't know what she looks like in the form of Fjarverand.
Tympi explained that helping Anise could be as easy as reversing the magic used to transform her body, or it could require far more complicated methods involving "very, very specific ingredients". What is required to help her depends entirely on what has happened to her, so more information will be required. What these ingredients are is also a mystery for the time being.

Structure

Exposition

All that is known about Anise's experience in The Spirit World is that she danced around a makeshift gate with some spirits before running inside and disappearing. The gate itself was of her own design and its creation was thanks to her and her brother, The Writer of The Field Guide, Basil.
Basil ran in after her, hoping to find her and bring her back home, but when he arrived on the other side of the gate he saw no sign of her. The locals apparently never saw her, and even Tympi seemed unable to find her somehow. From there on out, Basil's entire purpose was to find his sister. It is unclear if he was ever successful, but the Field Guide ends before he does so. Apparently his most recent recorded event was an intent to write all he can about his sister to keep her memory alive at the request of a mysterious spirit.
While Anise has yet to really appear in person and may have even died long ago...or perhaps an even worse fate, she is apparently responsible for many events. Without these events (the gate, Basil's participation, Basil's journey), there likely would not have been any reason for Quince to start an expedition, there would have been no way to build a gate into this realm, and there would have been no field guide to follow.

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Paper Bird Memories

This is payment for some food…It’s been a few days since I arrived, and I left most of my food and other survival gear behind… I was just dancing, I didn’t think that I’d actually pass through this gate. This land is so beautiful, but I need food… Anyways, they wanted a memory so I guess I should probably write that. “When we were younger, mom would always tell Basil and I stories. Fairies, spirits, giants, and they were always just stories. But here, here they seem real. I remember lying in bed, a few feet away from me my brother was also in his own bed listening intently to the story of The Missing Children. One of those fairy tales with a moral, you know? That’s one of my earliest memories… listening to my mother warn me about not wandering off alone, not getting lost and never being found. Basil was so little, I guess I was too. I remember when we still shared a room before I demanded my own space. The thick tome that my mom was always reading to us from. I remember that night there was rain...lots and lots of rain." I guess it would be an appropriate memory to sell for food and survival gear since I didn’t listen to it anyways and ended up here with no way back. I’m sure she’s terrified...and poor Basil. I hope he didn’t follow me through, and if he did I hope we find each other soon, it looks like it’s going to rain soon.
On the back there was more writing. It seems that there are, for some reason, two different memories stored here. The first was payment for some food, but the second seems more like a journal entry or an attempt to contact her brother.
I’m so lost, alone, cold and no one will let me in… I need to get a message to Basil. “Dearest brother, despite not being able to find you myself...and not sure if you are even here yet, I am hoping that this message will find you. These are likely my last moments. Even as I’m writing this it is harder to move the pen with the cold weight of the rain. I haven’t had much to eat and it seems like wherever I go I just end back up in the same place, lost, this shouldn’t be happening. I’m a survivalist, dammit. I don’t know if it has something to do with whatever curse must have befallen me but no one will open their doors. I knock, and I knock, but nobody ever answers. Is this place just cruel? Or am I no longer who I thought I once was. I just want a fire, to get dry, to eat something, to have someone’s company… I hope that I can provide you some warmth with thoughts of mom’s cooking. Dinner rolls fresh out of the oven, green beans on the stove, a cast iron pan with some ground meat, apples, and that weird hollow bread that she’d line with yogurt. That was always my favorite meal. The best part about it was having everyone there, the warmth of the fire, and the stories dad would tell from his day."

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Fjarverand is also a rather mysterious entity.
All that is really known about it is what it looks like from a drawing made by Basil in The Field Guide along with a warning to not open the door if you hear knocking and it is foggy outside.
Apparently the creature has an incredibly foul odor and hideous appearance which encourages nausea to the point of paralysis as Basil was unable to move during his encounter with it. Notably, the creature did not attack Basil as it was described as just standing in the same room as him motionless. The creature even let Basil sleep through the night without issue. The nausea inflicted is incredibly long lasting as he was still sick in the morning and needed some herbal remedies made by Tympi to feel better.
Fjarverand is mentioned on the following Field Guide entries: Nurend 07, 258: Fjarverand and Vine Wolf, Unblinking Sein, Fjarverand.

Components

Goals

There are many different paths that this particular plot could follow. Depending on the approach desired by the Spiritual Travelers, it could go in any direction. Learning the truth about what happened to Anise and uncovering this 50 year old mystery will take some digging. There are clues and resources available to go down any of these paths, however, some might be significantly more challenging or take significantly longer to follow. Some of them may also be capable of doing in tandem with other paths or plots going on right now.

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Learn More about Fjarverand

• Fjarverand is a significant piece of this puzzle. Summoning the creature seems to be as easy as being in the fog at night and could take place either indoors, outdoors, or even in extraplanar rooms like The Hidden Village of Mothlights. The question really is: "What happens when you answer the door?"
• By encountering Fjarverand one could end up having to fight or run from the creature, if their legs even work while being near it. Killing Fjarverand is possibly an option, though, if it really is Anise, it may be counterproductive. If it is a spirit, or the warped spirit of Anise, it could possibly also be communicated with using Namina's abilities.
• Libraries or scholars may have some more information about the creature. Tympi seems largely...in the dark about it, but that is due to her being, uh, in the dark for the past 50 years. Maybe more research has been done during that time that just needs to be found?
• Namina could also use her Spirit Socialite ability to hold a tea party to gather information. Though the spirits that show up may not care for such things.

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Find Anise's Body

• Depending on what exactly happened to Anise, finding her body could be a viable option. How it would help in the end is unclear, however, it could be necessary to restore her to her former self, or it could be a component in defeating Fjarverand if there is no way to save her. There's really no way to know for sure yet, but there are lots of options.
• If her body is out there, and if her body has been out there, then Tympi would've likely found it while looking for her with Basil. Alternatively, she could have witheld this information from him to spare the young man from learning the truth too early. His fierce determination may have prevented her from being too forward about it, though the possibility was always in her mind. That being said, Tympi's Journal does not mention her finding the body, her private thoughts would've reasonably had a better indication of such a duplicity, but they did not. This suggests that Anise's body may either be somewhere that Tympi cannot see, or it could be currently warped beyond recognition...

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Conjure Anise's Spirit

• Namina could develop some incense, candles, talisman and the like to perform a seance of some variety. Tea such as Societea could also be used, and her ability as a Spirit Socialite may come in handy. To get a specific spirit may require a personal item from the person that one is contacting, or it could just require someone that knew the deceased. This is all assuming that Anise is even dead, however, or that her spirit is separated from her body and can be conjured in such a way.
• If this does work, and Anise is able to be summoned, then it would provide some confirmation that she is likely to not be Fjarverand, or, if she is Fjarverand, then it is just a corruption of the body and the spirit is still free. Though it may also just be conjuring her spirit from within Fjarverand's form, somehow freeing her temporarily to speak until the Seance is over. Lots of possibilities.

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Learn about the "Very Specific Ingredients"

• Tympi mentioned some "Very Specific Ingredients" while discussing ways to save Anise. While this hasn't had any follow-up questions, it may indeed be what is necessary to save her. She said that these would be necessary if her Spirit has been corrupted and twisted into the image of Fjarverand rather than simply her body being cursed while her spirit is held prisoner.
• Finding these ingredients will likely take some time depending on just how rare they are. Whatever ritual is necessary after finding them could also be quite complicated, and it may end up requiring some of Anise's memories or some other connection to her.

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Find The Writer

• The Writer, also known as Basil, is another key player in all this. He's likely the only person in the Spirit World (besides anyone else that might've acquired her memories) that actually knows Anise. His knowledge and connection to her could be integral to holding any successful seances or rituals to save her. It's unclear what happened to him after his last entry, but it is possible that he still wanders the Spirit World. Depending on his current location, Tympi might be able to find him after she regains her sight and is less exhausted.
• Due to the nature of his Last Entry, it is also possible that the Writer may not remember his past, or Anise, or much of anything... depending on just what he has written or whether or not he found a loophole to his current method of saving his sister.

Related Characters

• Anise
• The Writer

Related Locations

• Tympi's Forest

Related Session Reports

• Session 30: Confronting Hysteria, The Paper Bird, and Weresnails Attack!
• Session 41: The Tea Party and an Unexpected Guest