Aching

REDACTED, aka Aching.

Aching was an ordinary spirit once.

However, thanks to the planar imbalance from the Soul Engine, the nature of the Astral Plane changed. It became less conceptual, more tied to the Material Plane - ghosts retained more personhood.

Aching vaguely remembers being a person, but can't remember who they were, what they looked like. Their shape distorted. Aching learned that they could eat another ghost’s memories, and their memories would belong to Aching. However, none of the memories feel quite right. Thus, Aching continues to seek the “right” memories.

As Aching kept killing ghosts, they built up more & more strength. Finally, Aching was powerful enough to create things from its own stolen memories - hence the casino. Aching took control of the portal, and built the casino around it so it could control ghosts’ exit from the Astral Plane. Now ghosts enter The Good Night of their own accord, gambling their own memories against the chance to return to the Material Plane.

''Whoever gets the killing blow on Aching gets a Feat for it - Memory Magnet. 1x daily, flash through one of Aching’s memories - something useful. Player doesn’t get to say “I remember x”, they just say they feel the headache coming on or whatever & I decide what they get). ''

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ONE

The trip here was amazing. Your seaquine sprinted across the ocean as fast as she could, and the sun slowly rose just ahead, and with the salt spray in your face you just knew that everything was going to change.

It’s been a little lonely, being a prodigy. Well. That’s your mother’s word. You think of it as a knack, like how your cousin Elea can throw her voice, or how your father’s really good at tying knots. At any rate, your family thought it was high time you met some friends and mentors that actually knew about magic. You’re so excited to meet people with similar skills! You wonder if your powers are unique, if everyone else can do what you can. Probably, you figure. Your memory tricks are probably very basic stuff.

You have no grand plans, and this place is wondrous and strange. But you love to learn, and you love telling stories, and you’re gonna do your best.

You are a young elven woman. Your name is Cherorel “Cheery” Ladovay.

TWO

You’ve been working so hard!

Your studies are wandering and expansive - you aren’t taking classes in one particular track, you’re just studying whatever interests you. You’ve made friends in almost every department, and you work part-time in the library, and life is so full.

You love Ykara. You love Ykara enough that when she inquired about your memory magic, you taught it to her, no questions asked. You know she won’t hurt anyone - sure, she does weird stuff sometimes, but there’s always something fun or interesting or useful on the other side. You’re so impressed that she cares so much and tries so hard. Ykara has goals, you know? You wonder what it’d be like to want anything as badly as Ykara wants - everything. You think about her a lot. Ykara is a good person.

Telling her was pretty scary, though. If anybody found out, you’d both be expelled. The rules on collaboration here are so strange - you can learn a technique from a book, for example, but a professor can’t teach you the same technique in person. The whole system seems built to isolate students. There’s a huge culture of distrust here - everyone acts like everyone else is gonna steal their research, or turn each other evil, or whatever. Whatever. It’s so strange to you that the administration doesn’t trust the students at all. You know these people. Everyone here is good-hearted and they don’t mean any harm.

Your friends are so amazing. Your favorite times here at school are your “study” sessions -  rambling allnighters. arguing about ethics and casting weird spells on food. Your teachers love you. Lady Loraheim loves you. You know all the cafeteria workers by name: your know their familes’ names too. Nobody tells a story better than you.

This place is your home. The School of Seven Bells has done right by you. You are warm and safe and the world is kind, and this place is your home.

THREE

Things are hard, lately. You’ve learned a lot, but that’s almost meaningless now. Your friends are arguing more and more. You love and trust all of them, you don’t want to take sides, but if what Ykara’s saying is true, why is everyone ignoring her? Why doesn’t anyone care? This place, this world is in danger, and everyone’s too afraid of the administration to do anything.

When Ykara asked you to join her in standing up to the dangers in the Outer Planes, you didn’t think twice. Yes, it’ll be very dangerous. You’ll go up against not only the Word-Eater, but every single other wizard at Seven Bells that doesn’t side with Ykara. Honestly, that’s probably - everyone. Fear and distrust is so deeply entrenched here - you can’t imagine many people stepping out for Ykara. And you. It’s you and Ykara, now. No matter what happens next.

You think the best of everyone at Seven Bells. You don’t wish any harm. But Ykara is the cleverest person you know, and she would never lead you wrong.