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Citizens of Ravenholt Awaken |
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 In a related story to the re-emergence of the missing towns of Ravenholt (below,) reports are coming into the Raven's Herald of Ravenholt citizens awakening from their months-long slumbers. We reported a few weeks ago the terrifying story of Duchy citizens which had gone to sleep, and been unable to be awakened the next morning by any means. Celestial Identification had revealed that, while the bodies of the sleeping citizens were apparently unharmed and in good health, their spirits were in fact missing from their bodies; one guildmistress who Identified one of the afflicted described their spirit as "...Pulled away from their form, attached to their bodies by what could be imagined as a slender string of their spirit-energy." As these citizens awaken, they tell horrifying tales of having gone to sleep as they normally would, and having been "kidnapped" by their worst fears and nightmares. Their stories differ in the details of their torment, but a pattern had emerged which suggests that the Elernentals of Dream somehow gained the power to capture not only the mind, but also the spirits of sleeping people. These kidnapped spirits were then held hostage by Nightmares in terrifying prisons of their own fear's devising; tormented for weeks on end without any hope of escape. Although all of those so captured are now physically free, many of these citizens are currently under the care of Stone Elf volunteers, which have stepped forward to offer their healing services to those traumatized by their experiences. His Grace, Duke Roderick Ravenhurst of Ravenholt has requested that we at the Raven's Herald post publicly his thanks to these brave volunteers, for their selfless offer of aid. Ravenholt Towns Return SafelyThe town of Two-Roads itself, as well as several other "missing' towns (Shalott and Falcon's Reach in Cumberland, Aerryn's Brook in Eastwyck, Bluestone and Knob's Hill in Westmarch, and Northill in Capulus) have all reappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as they had left. |
The peoples of these towns all tell similar versions of a fantastic tale: all describe their common disappearances as beginning with the opening of dozens of Rifts, several of which were more powerful than those commonly seen. From these Rifts poured forth what were revealed to be Dream and Nightmare Elementals, which descended upon the terrified peoples of the Duchy, tearing at them with wicked claws and hurling bolts of raw elemental energy. Citizens that attempted to flee into the woods surrounding their towns instead found themselves surrounded by "pockets" of Dream, to be chased and tormented by yet more Elementals. Even when the Elementals were not attacking tooth and claw, the peoples of Ravenholt describe experiencing sudden, intrusive images and sensations, many of which confounded and terrified the populace. It was not until the late afternoon of October 3, 599 that the blanket of Dream was lifted from the towns of Ravenholt - the citizens describe falling into a deep, sudden slumber, then awakening to everything restored to normal. In hindsight, students of the mystical arts now describe what occurred to the Ravenholt towns as "the tearing of time and space": they theorize that the sheer amount of Rifts opened between Dream and Tyrra caused a brief conjoining of the two Planes. Where the Planes touched, the towns appeared to vanish, replaced by natural growth (it is now supposed that the Planes will not tolerate a "blank spot", and will attempt to fill vacuums). His Grace, Duke Roderick Ravenhurst, has ordered a full investigation as to what caused this strange turn of events, and is rumored to have expressed interest in finding a way to prevent this from occurring ever again. Vivisectionist Caught, ExecutedThe recent events of the gathering in early September have shocked the residents of Two Roads. A discovery of cruel, dark, and twisted use of ritual magicks and alchemy have led to the harshest tragedy seen in years by many. These events unfolded beginning with the discovery of a mishap between wife, man, and midwife, early on the first eve of the early September gathering. |