The Thief and The Blind / Lore Drive!

Autumn is the time for stories and legends. Fables and tales are told around the fire in the evening, or during a lull during harvest. Traveling storytellers traipse around the countryside, looking for a meal and lodging for the night, weaving images and setting minds aflame with their words in return; a pastime enjoyed by both young and old, rich and poor.

The folklore of Ivras is a rich tapestry, with a variety of characters and motifs. There are the three Patrons, of course, and tales of magic and monsters, and of past kings and queens, wandering knights, the stars and the moon… and many, many more things.

Today, we focus on one specific story: The Thief and The Blind, a cautionary tale about accepting gifts from strangers…

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Click here to view this event’s story prompt chain!

All responses earn double gold, and to earn the final stat reward, you must complete all of the parts!

lore drive! 🔸 💠 🔸

To celebrate the endless possibilities of stories and tales, we are holding another LORE DRIVE!

Anathema is at its core a collaborative world, so we're asking you: What stories do you think are told during the dark evenings of Autumn? What traditions have cropped up in Ivras over time, and where do they come from? Tell us a tale from Ivras, its geography, its history, or its culture, and earn double gold on the submission for your efforts. Your 'folklore' can be an actual fable, or a description of a practice, place, event, or any other idea you have about the world of Anathema!

📖 entry guidelines:

Can be written, drawn, animated, or any medium/combination of media you can think of!
Any player-made, Anathema-related content is allowed. Entries can describe historical figures, events, items, traditions, or even ideas about daily life or the Anathema world itself! If it's about Anathema, it counts! Your imagination is the limit ✨
Entries may be used to inspire Anathema Events or story prompts in the future. Be sure you are OK with this before submitting!

💠 how it will work:

You must have at least one accepted Anathema character to enter.
Post your completed entry directly in a reply to THIS THREAD OR upload it to Toyhou.se, Google Docs, or another external location, and link it in that thread! (Make sure links are public!)
Include a Gold Tally for your entry, and double your total! Staff will add entries to the Bank as they are posted!
Deadline is 1st of December, 2023. Reminders will be posted in the server!
Members will vote for their favorite entries, and winners will be announced at the start of Anathema's next event!
The top three entries will win fabulous prizes, including Ley Tokens!

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Click here to post your Lore Drive submissions!

Thank you to everyone who has made Anathema's world their own!
We can't wait to see what you create!

Comments

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Every character who participated in this event will get a special badge for their profile!

Code:

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prompt 1: the thief

There is an old Ivratian story, often recalled in the foggy days of Autumn, called The Thief and the Blind. It’s a tale as old and hazy as the mists that inspire it—the details changing with every retelling, save for the name and the core of the story: two enemies caught in an eternal chase.

The Thief, people vaguely recall, was blessed by Fortune to take and steal as they pleased. They stole something precious from The Blind—maybe his beloved, a treasure, his research; no one remembers exactly what it was—and Grace turned a blind eye to it all, cursing the Blind to seek but never reach the Thief. And yet, for some reason, the Thief is always named as the hero of the story.

Wherever they are in Ivras, and for whatever their reasons, your character’s day-to-day activities have taken them down a road less traveled. The route is remote and extends into a foggy patch of woods, the road disappearing into hazy mists both behind your character and in front of them.

In the mist, sounds become distorted—can you hear footsteps? Running, the sound of a chase? Are they behind you, in front? Are they turning you around, making you lost?

The sounds of hurried footsteps come closer, until a stranger emerges from the mist. They are wearing a mask, carved and painted in Fortune’s likeness. A hood covers the rest of their head and neck.

The stranger approaches, and with a delighted laugh under that mask, they offer something to your character.

“A blessing,” they say, “from Fortune themself! Yours, if you'd only take it.”

In their hand is a carved set of bones, and here's something powerful imbued in them, something secretive and luring.

Does your character accept the bones?

Your character takes the Blessing of Rot.
- [Upon receiving the bones, a body part of your character loses its flesh and skin, turning to magical bone. Spooky aesthetic! This effect is temporary and will wear off when the event ends. Applies to both mages and nonmages]
Your character denies the Blessing of Rot.
- [Nothing happens.]

Prompt responses must be worth at least 1 gold (i.e. at least 100 words or at least an uncolored headshot).
Upload your response like any other art or literature submission, tag this character profile, and claim your gold; collect double your total count for prompt responses. You may submit collabs and RP as prompt responses, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

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prompt 2: the blind

The stranger laughs at whatever choice your character makes, but footsteps hound them, and they quickly dart back into the mist, their damage done.

A second stranger comes across your character, this one wearing a simple wooden mask of white birchwood, with a single tear carved under one eye. The detail is forceful and rough, as if done to the mask while he was wearing it.

He asks if your character took anything from the Thief, and offers you something to protect you from the Blessing's affects, or to protect you from the Thief themself. Either, both, he's in too much of a rush to clarify.

In his grasp is a twisting curve of dark ivy, somehow still alive after seemingly pulled from its roots, and it gives you an ill feeling. 'A curse from Grace,' The Blind says hurriedly. 'It will keep you safe—just take it. And remember, whatever happens, it is only temporary.'

Does your character accept the ivy?

Your character takes the Curse of the Harvest.
- [Upon receiving the ivy, it takes root in your character’s skin, quickly sending out vines that wrap around your character. Nature aesthetic! This effect is temporary and will wear off when the event ends. Applies to both mages and nonmages]
Your character denies the Curse of the Harvest.
- [Either your character keeps the Blessing of Rot or they denied both and are getting off scot clean]

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prompt 3: conclusion

Whatever is left in your character's belongings at the end of that strange encounter feels utterly heavy, whether it is the Blessing, the Curse, or nothing at all.

If your character is left holding something, it begins to take root.

Pain shoots from that singular point of the item touching skin, terrible and consuming. The Blessing follows true to its name, and it causes a place on your character to rot and fall away to exposed bone. The pain dims quickly, and it doesn't kill your character, though they're left with the knowledge that it probably should have. How on earth would that be considered temporary?

If they were left with the Curse, the pain lingers much longer as ivy roots grow under your character's skin, creating ivy offshoots as they erupt from their body. It forms wreaths, clinging to your character almost protectively in a tight embrace.

Either one is absolutely horrifying—what does your character do?

Your character chases after the two strangers, to try and help or hinder either of them.
- Your character has earned +1 Power. You have also earned one Elemental Blast Scroll, which may be used on any character. To claim your scroll in the item shop, link your responses to the story prompt.
Your character makes sure to warn others about the two and their gifts.
- Your character has earned +1 Discipline. You have also earned one Light Scroll, which may be used on any character. To claim your scroll in the item shop, link your responses to the story prompt.
Your character chooses to continue on their way, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the two strangers and their chase.
- Your character has earned -1 Cost. If they already have 0 Costs, you may chose to give them +1 Corruption instead. You have also earned one Mending Scroll, which may be used on any character. To claim your scroll in the item shop, link your responses to the story prompt.
Your character will make sure to tell others that there are generous strangers in the woods.
- Your character has earned +1 Corruption. You have also earned one Darksight Scroll, which may be used on any character. To claim your scroll in the item shop, link your responses to the story prompt.