The Story So Far...

[Ashdown Crier]

once upon a time,
long before there was you, there was magic. not just a little magic, there was all the magic, and everything was growth and change and creation. but where there is so much, there will be those who want more. who want control. and where there is control there is stagnation, and where there is stagnation there is The Enemy.

The Enemy is not a single thing. there is no one person or cause to point at and say, 'there it is: The Enemy'. it can be described only in technicalities: it is the status quo incarnate. it is reality, codified, and order, personified. it is the denial of dreams, and dreamers, and the potential to rise above what you were made to be. a long long time ago, with every witch in the world to offer their power, it was sealed away. they gave up their magic, all the magic in the world, to serve as its cage. in doing so, those brave witches trapped the world in cycles, in an inescapable, inalterable reality. but they also bought the ability to change, to create. and they stalled The Enemy's victory. they bought us time.

but now the magic is returning, and The Enemy comes with it, part and parcel, like a gift from an estranged great-aunt. the magic bleeds through in a hundred different ways, a hundred little windows into the world that could be. the world that should be. a world where things can be new and beautiful. a world The Enemy wants to destroy.

so now you have a choice: stand and fight? or stand aside?

 

[Ashdown Crier]

come and see
the day dawned, though no one could tell through the fog as thick as pea soup. some many dreamers stepped from their homes into another world where it was always raining. though they encounter two of the missing dreamers early on, the group is shortly surprised by a strange voice telling them to come and see. the group follows it to waite state forest, and the voice leads them to the disembodied foot of one of the three missing teens. they continue onward, and meet a strange deer-like creature named the peaceful one--pax for short--who despite initial tension seems willing enough to show them to 'OUR HELIODORA'. it means heliodora winters, who seems to have become part of other ashdown. when jeremiah threatens to remove heliodora from the otherworld, pax becomes enraged, and only calms due to quick intervention from autumn and a little magical shove from sunny. shortly thereafter, heliodora cites some unknown force forbidding her to say too much and sunny tells the group to ask questions of her in real ashdown.

the dreamers return, awakened to their power.

 

[Ashdown Crier]

civic duty
As April began, the election chatter grew to a roar and three candidates emerged as front runners. The town was abuzz with excitement as the three mayoral hopefuls jockeyed for position. After a debate where the candidates explained their positions more fully, voting took place, with each citizen of Ashdown free to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice. Once the votes were counted and tallied, Democrat Lois Wong was named the new mayor of Ashdown.

 

[Ashdown Crier]

school's out
The Rider-Waite Job Fair exploded in unexpected violence as a civilian turned into some sort of monster before witnesses' eyes. Several Ashdown residents who had experienced strange feelings and senses over the past couple weeks find them culminating in the development of new and unknown powers with the help of Lara Lupin and Lady. The police and CDC lock down the building after hearing rumors that something contagious is spreading inside Blackfriars Library. While intrepid citizens decide to venture into the library to fight hostile weres and rescue civilians, others attempt to convince the police that there was no contagion while simultaneously caring for the injured. More trapped citizens seek alternative exits from the building and encounter a were of their own. The hostiles are all eventually discovered, defeated and contained, innocents rescued, and our citizens convince the police to let them free.

Were and Warg are now available as power specializations.

 

[Ashdown Crier]

the fairy ball
In the early part of August invitations were delivered to those who dreamt of other ashdown. They were invited to attend a dance on the eve of the red moon within The Court of the Sorrowful One to honor the tithe of the otherworld. Once there they were informed by the cats at the gate that there was to be a murder and it was their chance, and choice, to stop it or see it through before they were allowed within. The Ivory Hall awaited them with faces both familiar and not as well as the appearance of Adoelle Nashua, the last of the missing teenagers.

The night went on with the discovery of Nobles, those who have chosen to find greater purpose within the Court of the Sorrowful One, and that they had taken a handful of people who were close to some of the attendees to be possible tithes, blood sacrifices, to strengthen the cage of The Enemy. They had been replaced by Fetches, identical doppelgangers that had lived their lives for the past three months. To save those that had been taken their Fetches had to be defeated but it did not guarantee their lives through the night.

Through investigation, combat, and the occasional bawdy tale, the guests were able to ascertain the truth of their role in the ball: that one of their number would represent the humans at the council of Nobles and help select the tithe.

After some discussion as well as debate, Algernon Mercer was chosen as their representative and Adoelle Nashua chosen as their choice of tithe. Professor Mercer retired to the Aubergine Anteroom with the rest of the Council to try and sway them to his side. It was close, the Spinel Lady Melany having been put forth by the Burning Man Ezra and nearly claiming a majority of votes, but in the end Adoelle Nashua was chosen by the Council.

Rejoining everyone back in the Silver Hall, those in attendance were requested to move upstairs and watch as it was revealed that Algernon was to be the one to take the life of the Adoelle, an unforseen duty of the human representative of the Council. At the last moment, Algernon declined and the act fell to the Eldritch Gentleman Liam Noor.

Her death was quick but chaos followed as the Court flew into an uproar over the representative's refusal to kill and as one of the fetches attacked The Spinel Lady. She was spared her deathblow and saved by human Visitors even as the fetch that attempted to kill her was dealt with.

Everything came to a hectic conclusion as everyone was chased from The Court of the Sorrowful One.

Noble is now available as a power specialization.

 

[Ashdown Crier]

a hole in the world
It started with rain on a cloudless day, nearly a month after the fateful night of the red moon. Strange sightings were seen, earthquakes that cannot be explained happened, and the sea changed color to from a familiar green to a vibrant blue.

The Shore Estate disappeared.

The stars fell.

Rain stopped falling in other ashdown.

As the veil thinned, a ghost made an appearance at a seance. By the end of Halloween, the sea was black and there were strange globules of bloody gunk scattered around the town. It was almost a relief when a strange voice called out to the dreamers:


COME AND SEE


It drew them all into the forest, to the clearing where Heliodora had once lived. In the forest, they found Sunny gone mad with power. In the aftermath of the deaths of Michael Mitchell, Adoelle Nashua, and Heliodora Winters, the Principals of the sigil, they had done irreparable damage. They had only one choice if they wanted to see the world not end: jump into the chasm and fix it.

Within the chasm they found the Archives where a woman named Sunday awaited them. They learned of tears in the veil, the cage breaking in an unforeseen way. If they wanted to fix those and save Sunny, they would have to walk through the door opened for them. Some stayed behind to keep the path home open.

Through the door people found themselves in three different eras: November 1922, November 1969, and November 1989.

In 1922 they found a world where magic existed; everyone knew about it but not everyone had it. Blood magic was quite the topic around town and the Shore family had spread to include a son, not just a daughter. While out and about some learned of a public reading of occult literature. It was at the reading that people began to run into doubles of themselves. Yet before they could investigate things, a gunshot rang out. Marcus Lecroix tried to kill Alexander Shore. In that moment, a siren rang out and a heavy pressure pushed down upon them. When it relented everything returned to normal, or something like it, with a chasm replacing the speaker's podium.

In 1969, there was no such thing as magic. Instead there was a recent string of murders, mysterious fires in the forest, and strange deer. They learned this from a newspaper clipping and a pair of Rider-Waite students. Eventually they all gathered at a beach concert to hear music and gather information. They saw people living lives out they had no memory of. It was all going well until an air raid siren went off and panic began. A heavy pressure descended upon the travelers, and when it let up they found themselves at the start of the concert once more. None of the people present at the concert were aware of it or their injuries.

In 1989, magic was common and everyday. Something as simple as a man using magic to hold a newspaper in front of himself to read was a common sight. Where the other two eras had been in Ashdown, this one found travelers in New York City. The AIDs epidemic was at its height. At a local drag bar, Andromache, a wake was held to honor those that had been lost. It was a somber affair. Things seemed to be going alright until the bar owner and patrons were spooked by the travelers. (Not all could believe they were seeing double.) Before things escalated, a siren sounded and a bomb exploded. Smoke filled the air, a heavy pressure bearing down on them until they found themselves walking into Andromache all over again. A strange chasm awaited them in front of the stage.

Within each era the visitors realized that something was amiss. Each sound of the siren, each reset, was a harbinger. The people within the eras were becoming more and more disjointed every time. They were set on repeat, unaware of anything other than the what limited information they had. Some injured, others missing, they became unresponsive. The knowledge gathered would serve the travelers well. They all jumped (or climbed) into another chasm that lead them to the deepest parts: The Void.

In a space of infinite magic and possibility the Visitors found three objects: a notebook bearing the name Heliodora Winters, a knife, and a sharpie. It was here they were to fix the tears in the veil by creating a Sigil anew with symbols and meanings they devised. As they talked amongst themselves - shared ideas, read from Heliodora's notebook, and worked things out - a door appeared. Renard Leroux emerged from the other side, and joined them in their deliberations. The visitors chose their three symbols: a tree, keys, and the trinity knot. They needed a focal point as well, and though Renard and a magical schema from the 1980s were considered for the role. In the end, the will of the group chose Sunny as their focus. According to Heliodora's notebook, there would be three people more tightly bound to the sigil than the others. Those three would be principals, in the same mold as Michael, Heliodora, and Adoelle.

With it all said and done, they were sent back and reunited with those that had stayed behind to hold the door. A new dawn awaited them. They departed the forest to see what they'd wrought. Three different individuals found themselves visited by a familiar person and the ghosts of the three teens who had created the first cage. They had changed the world, or perhaps themselves, and nothing would ever be the same.