The Beanies were quite certain they weren't supposed to be heading in this direction - some friendly travellers had warned them about recent ghost sightings and all, but Demony was being an absolute meanie while dragging the Travelling Beanbag at full speed with the trio curled up excruciatingly tightly (even if the Beanies didn't have to breathe so this isn't actually as bad as it sounded) in its tail and flailing them around in unpredictable intervals to prevent them from collecting their thoughts. Nothing like hauntings to dampen the Beanies' sickeningly saccharine spirits, and they were foolish enough to trust it with the wagon so onward to Sunset Pass it was for the quartet.

Soon enough, semi-translucent figures would begin to come into view, and the Beanies instinctively screamed at the top of their non-existent lungs, unable to bottle their frothing fears in their petite physiques. Ah, bliss. This was what Demony lived for, truly. Now, if only it could gain an opportunity to inflict upon some hapless creature a measure of justified violence, then its day would be perfect. Alas, however, the apparitions appeared to be intangible as they came, phasing through every physical object it came in contact with. A shame. No matter, it had the Beanies' horrified howls to indulge in, and that made for sufficient salacious satisfaction for the time being as it continued its trek towards the largely isolated village.

SPOILER: Click to show

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Quest Name: Howls of the Past
Participants: Two or more
Location: Crescent Isles
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: Ability to take on Part 2, +1 Renown
Description: The locals of Sunset Pass have started seeing apparitions and believe it to be the souls of deceased inhabitants who used to populate the area. Under order of the Crown and the Council of Travel and Trade, traffic has been diverted from this once populous travel hub, and the remaining locals have all but given up hope. They say that at night they can see shapes moving in the forests and near the old Mines. The Crown believes the Oniwanban are behind the disturbance and are using the mines as a base of operations; however the Oniwanban believe the exact same about the Crown. Grand Chancellor Lao is requesting that someone goes in and unveils whoever is behind these faux hauntings.

Astrid may not like undead too much, specifically the rotten kind that don’t have minds of their own, but ghosts don’t bother her too much. She has the means of defending herself against spirits in some capacity. After all, her not-adopted-mother-but-might-as-well-be is a ghost. So, to Sunset Pass Astrid goes, and in Sunset Pass she finds herself amongst the most abandoned buildings that once held so much activity of the living.

It’s always been strange to be in abandoned places like this. Unlike the Flood Ruins in the Marsh Flats, there’s still plenty of evidence of people having lived here recently. It’s a shame, and she doesn’t want to see the place go to waste, especially after Dragon’s Cradle accepted so many refugees from the volcano, and now there are more displaced peoples because of the strange phenomenon here. Not everyone is gone yet, but most people have fled or at least stick to their homes and protect them with talismans when the night comes.

While wandering around a shrine to look for clues alongside Melodia,^[1] Astrid hears a strange screaming coming from the village that pulls her out of her thoughts. “What the heck?” she wonders aloud, exchanging a concerned glance with her companion spirit. Without any hesitation, Astrid rushes out to the village to find the source. Wait, she knows those little guys!

“Sheesh, I thought someone were bein’ attacked by undead!” she cries, approaching them quickly. “Everyone alright?”

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1. Call Ghost

Demony would near-immediately release the Beanies from its long tail and went into full-braking mode the instant it saw Astrid, allowing the trio of teddies to finally take a (symbolic) breather and collect their thoughts. Kids are always bad news to it, especially one who quite literally beat up an ivory golem on her own without being much worse for wear. The ghosts were still around, of course, but at least now they weren't alone or being bullied by the meanie Demony.

"""We're okay now!""" The Beanies replied in unison, their positivity welling up at the mere presence of a trustworthy friend, then the rustling winds carrying the howls of the deed echoing around the scenery smacked their existential fears right back into their being, causing the trio to huddle up to each other for some pretense of comfort.
"Okay, maybe not." Star replied as bravely as they could.
"Goody scared!" Water globules were visibly forming around the other edges of their eyes.
"Chili not fun to possess!" The polar bear was looking around frantically for any ghosts that might be coming their way.
"What brings Ms. Astrid... here?" Star looked up to see Astrid proper, and the other two plushies would join in and-
"""Ahhh Ms. Astrid! Ghost, ghost!""" The Beanies would frantically flail and point at the ghost following their child friend out of pure concern.

“Good…” Astrid says, casting a side eye at the shadowy creature that seems to harass the little bears. She glances around but doesn’t spot Nemo, which… Well, she didn’t interact with them much before, so maybe they’re off doing something else. Astrid would say that a place like this isn’t great for kids, but she’s a kid, so that’d be hypocritical.

“Huh? Aye, there’s lots a’ ghosts here,” she says, completely unbothered. Then she looks over her shoulder to see that they’re pointing at Melodia, who, unlike most of the spectral figures here, seems to have some wits about her. Rather than wandering aimlessly, completing tasks and existing as a residual, leftover from their previous existence, she is present in the moment and curiously looking at the Beanies. “Oh, that’s Melodia. She’s with me. Melodia, this is Good, Chili, an’ Star, if I’m rememberin’ right. They helped me with some stuff at the Arcane Academy.”

“Very good to meet you all,” Melodia says, politely inclining her head. The spectral woman before is an elf with long hair that seems to float around her at all times, as if she’s suspended in water. A tattered dress that adorns her reacts to her movements in a similar way. “You could call me one of Astrid’s caretakers.”

“She keeps me da company,” Astrid says simply, to which Melodia covers her mouth to hide some shy embarrassment. “He ain’t cut out fer adventurin’, an’ he worries. She’s good company. Anyway, what’re the lot a’ ya doin’ here?”

Demony did not miss the side eye, but opted not to respond. How do these blasted plushies make fast friends with powerful people so quickly? First it was the Captain of the Fighter's Guild, and now a child running her own guild with a dead to rights prosthetic arm? It was now really inclined to believe this Charon world is fundamentally against a shadowy creature like itself and that this was some form of purgatory or outright hell for it.

The Beanies were most definitely not expecting Astrid to be so blase about ghosts, much less have one as a caretaker. Maybe ghosts were surprisingly common in Charon after all? But then again there was quite a ruckus about dead bard hauntings in Sol City. Twas a mystery... Oh well. Nothing to do but to go with the flow.

"""Hi Ms. Melodia! Nice to meet you!""" The trio swelled back to their cheery selves once more as they saw that Astrid seemed to be pretty well-adjusted to the situation at hand. Can't be leaving everything to a child, after all. The Beanies were technically adults!

"We're venturing around the world!" Star started.
"Looking for food ideas~." Chili continued, their voice imitating the sounds of when one had drool in their mouth.
"Then Demony dragged us here." Goody ended, hanging their head diagonally sideways. "Maybe it was interested in ghosts?" And of course, befitting their namesake, they would try to find any reason not to assume pure malice on the part of their eternal frenemy. Demony gave no visible indication to how it felt about that, but it was very much seething internally.
"Are ghosts a common phenomenon?" Star then inquired. Maybe Astrid wasn't the best person to ask, but it's still better than the blank slates that the Beanies were.

Melodia finds the Beanies odd but endearing, giving them each a little wave alongside a smile. They remind her of the plush toys some of the children in the orphanage cared deeply for and wonders if they must be brought to life by some means related to that.

“Ah, ghosts ain’t that common,” Astrid says, drawing on what knowledge she has of the undead. Ghosts are better than ghouls, at least. “Usually they hang around places that were important ta them durin’ their lives, where there's strong connections keepin' 'em tied down. Like Melodia were watchin’ over some kids in a run down orphanage in the swamp ‘til she joined up with me.” One hand on her hip, Astrid looks around the village. “Somethin’s gotta be ‘causin’ this though,” she says with a furrowed brow. “What folks are left said they can’t tell that anythin’ different were happenin’ in town. No one knows what’s goin’ on. The temples an’ shrines are where folks pay homage ta the dead an’ help ‘em rest, but the fact that the dead are all wanderin’ around again don’t make sense.”

Turning to look around the village, Astrid watches the movements of the ghosts, which are much clearer now that it’s dark and their illumination is more visible only under the light of the moon. “Seems like they’re wanderin’ in a pattern. Like someone opened a water valve or somethin’ an’ they’re all flowin’ from somewhere.”

The Beanies listened in on whatever Astrid had to say about them ghosts. Well, they apparently aren't that common, as Astrid put it, and they're normally lingering around due to unfinished business. Sounded like pretty standard ghost fare based on the myriad ideas the plushies had of them, but the villagers (probably those of Sunset Pass) stated they had no idea what was going on despite the religious buildings supposedly keeping them resting in peace. Needless to say, the trio of teddy bears were entirely lost on what the plot could possibly be, given that they were themselves entirely foreign concepts introduced to a world equally foreign to them.
"""Hmm...""" The Beanies wondered aloud in response, if only to signify that they were very much listening to what their child friend had to say.

At Astrid's statement about the ghosts wandering in a pattern, the Beanies would peer out of their wagons to take a better look. She certainly seemed to be correct in that the apparitions that could see were spreading out from one general direction. Perhaps there was an epicenter to this phenomenon?
"That way, maybe?" Star suggested, nowhere as terrified as they were moments ago thanks to the presence of an already reliable friend by the Beanies' admittedly low standards, as well as better knowledge of the workings of ghosts in Charon. "The ghosts do all seem to be moving away from that point." The direction their paw was pointing at was much too narrow for the Travelling Beanbag though, so the Beanies had to disembark and walk on their own.
"Demony, take care of wagon please!" Goody requested without a shadow of doubt in their voice, as though the events of some few minutes ago did not even register in their mind. The tenebrous creature wanted to follow, however, and it summarily detached itself from the wagon. Ghosts all but screamed possible delights at the expense of the Beanies.

Astrid is glad that the Beanies seem to have settled down whatever fears of ghosts that they initially had. That isn’t to say that all ghosts are friendly or that anyone should necessarily get involved with them, but in Astrid’s experience, if you can find out what’s tethering them, you can help them move on. Or, like in Melodia’s case, if they don’t want to move on or you can’t find out what’s keeping them around, you can at least help them find some sort of purpose.

Her eyes follow the direction the Beanies are pointing, and she nods in agreement. “Aye, that way seems about right ta me. Just weren’t sure if I were makin’ it up or not. Glad ya could see the pattern too.” Since the little ones seem intent on heading along, Astrid is happy to follow. She’s not entirely sure how much help they’ll be if there’s some sort of fight for some reason, but she doesn’t mind that because they very well might be extremely helpful in other ways. Like being small and less likely to be noticed than an armor-clad thirteen year old. Either way, the unlikely… quintet? Set off up the path.

The Beanies walked side-by-side, carefully parting the surrounding shrubbery and tall (by 20-centimeter tall Beanie standards, anyway) grasses obscuring their view as they pushed forward. Maybe they should have rode on Demony or got Demony to be smaller Demony, but that didn't cross their minds earlier and they had the nagging feeling their shadowy frenemy was going to be less-than-cooperative for the time being. The large feline-esque shadow did not much enjoy the sensations rubbing against its corporeal surfaces, and grumbled internally, cursing away at the physical form it was forced to assume by what it could only surmise was the laws of the world. It really ought to find ways to take on more practical forms one of these days.

Anyway, the trio of teddy bears had little in the way of a clear view thanks to being much too short that generic plants were taller than even them and served as visual obstacles, so they had no real idea how much progress they've made. Then a ghost happened to phases past them, giving the three phantom chills and causing their furs to stand up.
"""Colddddddddd~!""" It was worth noting that the plushies were said to hail from a land of perpetual winter, so it was a genuine oddity for them to feel the cold, especially given that they did not come equipped with such sensory receptors in the first place.
"Who's there!?" Then they heard the yell of an angry someone they couldn't see with all the plant leaves and whatnot obscuring their view. Oh dear. That didn't sound good.