Fellow Helovians,

We have decided to reopen all IC boards at this time. As mentioned previously, the "Darkest Hour" SWP will continue as planned. At this time, the Spectral Marsh, the Veins of the Gods, the Frostbreath Steppe, and the Endless Blue have been closed and hidden. These boards are considered to be "swallowed by darkness." The areas themselves are accessible via the "Shadowlands" board, though we do not recommend that your characters visit the Shadowlands. This is for their own safety, as the darkness has infected several individuals, who are now suffering from an unknown disease. This disease causes a variety of symptoms that range from individual to individual, but it should be noted that it is highly contagious. Should your character come into close proximity to an infected individual, they will be at risk for developing these symptoms. For more information, see the attached FAQ below. Also, please be aware that any new information regarding this plot will be attached to this thread in a new post.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to PM the Official account or any admin, and we will be happy to talk to you!

Thank you for your patience,

The Admin Team

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Infected Individuals

The following individuals are currently affected by the SWP.

Initially Infected
Amara
Sikeax
Ricochet
Tamlin
Crake
Aurelia
Micha
Jorogumo
Öde


Infected by Vector
Ktulu (By Jorogumo)
Ranjiri (By Sikeax)
Satanic Silk (By Sikeax)
Rhanna (By Jorogumo)
Kahlua (By Ranjiri)
Boa (By Micha)
Deodat (By Crake)
Nyx (By Aurelia)
Miykael (By Aurelia)

Healed

Crake (healed by Raeden)
Kahlua (healed by Lena)

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Darkest Hour F.A.Q.
1. How do I get the RE account to roll for me?
-- Please tag the RE account!

2. What happens to my companion if I'm infected?
-- Up to you! You may either have them turn into a scary wraith as well, or have them remain normal.

3. If my companion stays 'normal', what happens to our telepathic link, and our bond?
-- It will remain. Although as a wraith, you'll be far less inclined to care what your companion thinks, or wants.

4. How far back in time, can wraiths attack?
-- This plot officially began on December 21st. That's when the Spectral Marsh was first attacked. Wraiths may attack any thread which created from December 21st on.

5. Can wraiths participate in magic drops/quest drops?
-- No they cannot.

6. What happens why my character is attacked by a wraith?
-- You may post a reply, stating what your character does. Will you flee? Try to fight it? Do you have some hidden weapon? Whatever you do IC will determine the probability of your being infected.

7. I don't want to be infected! What do I do?
-- The Sanctuary board is safe from wraiths.

8. Will my character suffer any permanent damage from being a 'wraith' ?
-- You are allowed to design many aspects of your wraith, such as having them have extra limbs, loose eyes, etc. These effects will be magically healed by the waters in the Wall of History board.

9. Are there any threads that Wraiths cannot attack?
-- Threads that have been completed, or ones that are older than December 21st. Wraiths cannot post in the Sanctuary (other than when they are 'dragged in' (with players consent), to be healed). They cannot attack spars, or in the Threshold.

10. What happens with liquid time threads?
-- Any threads posted after December 21st are susceptible. This is simply a risk you take by making use of Helovia's 'liquid time'. These principle stood prior to this plot beginning - evil RE's were always a possibility. Any time you wrote your character in both the past and present, no matter how miniscule the time difference, you ran the risk of 'messing up' your timeline. So if you are infected in a past post, your future posts must demonstrate 'delayed symptoms' of the infection. If you are in the caves, this effect will be MUCH more drastic. At that point, you can either hope that the others around you will try and heal you, or you will immediately expel yourself from the cave (but cannot infect anyone within).

11. Can wraiths attack in the battle board (during spars) ?
-- No they cannot.

12. Do we keep our magic, if we're turned into a wraith?
-- Yes! You also get new wraith powers - you can kill the plant life around you, taint water, pollute the air, etc!

13. Help! I didn't finish my thread before the board closed!
-- That's fine! Please post a link to the thread here and we will move it to the Shadowlands.

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UPDATES ::

If you are infected, there is no longer a minimum to how many you must infect before you may be healed. You can be healed at any time, following these guidelines:
-- The water from the Wall of History has healing properties. Any wraith who drinks or is touched by this water will be healed, as the water "leeches out" the infection.
-- Any healing magic (EXCEPT rank magic) can heal the wraiths.

If you posted in the Sanctuary boards and did not select a thread prefix (open/private/etc), then those posts will not be counted toward your post count! To fix this, Full Edit the original, first post in the thread and add a prefix.

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Updates ::

All herd ranks have been abolished! Given that the outbreak has seized all of the herd lands, only your affiliations remains.

Implications
-- This means that new characters can only be joined as Outcasts, not as members of any herd.
-- Given the lack of the Godly influence upon each land, healing and crafting ranks have lost their magic. All characters now have the rank of 'Outcast'.
-- Once the outbreak has been subdued, everyone will be able to exit the cave system.

Herd Leader Applications
As no one currently holds any stake upon the herd lands, there will be an open application process for herd leads. The application is listed below, however I would like to draw your attention to a few key points:

• Negativity will not be tolerated. Anyone with a disrespectful, negative, or otherwise unhelpful attitude towards this development of the plot will receive an Official warning;
  
• Special attention will be given to leaders who are currently in power. This development in the SWP is not meant to punish those in power, it is to provide a realistic opportunity for movement. Keep in mind that if you are not selected for leadership, you have the same options available to you that you have always had : challenge for leadership;
  
• Only those who wish to lead should apply - ranks such as crafters, warriors, spies, etc will be chosen by the new leaders;
  
• All are encouraged to apply!
  
• Applications will be accepted from February 1st to 14th. Completed applications should be PM'd to the Official account.