[WORLDBUILDING] - MONTHLY PROMPT OCTOBER 20 - Witches, Wizards, and Darkest Night

[Zenthis]

This is a thread to discuss and ask questions relating to the monthly prompt from the current month's (October 2020) newsletter. Please do this here and not in the discord, as it will be easier to reference old topics here. We have chosen these topics for the month because we felt they were both suitably spooky and less fleshed out than we wanted them to be. So without further ado, here's a quick refresher on each of the topics.

Witch: One who manipulates scraps with the aid of devices constructed for that purpose. Usually not sensitives but that is not always true. Common design motifs include goggles, swirls, and a general sense of scrappiness.

Wizard: A sensitive capable of manipulating scraps without aid due to some innate facet of themselves. Very rare, only 2 percent of the population has the capability to be a wizard. Common design motifs include scrap mounted tools.

Darkest Night: Morbit Halloween. I mean, there's more to it than that, but that's what it is. Common design motifs include reds and blues, masks, and lanterns.

[King-Clod]

How common is it for morbitians to become scrap sensitive when they weren't previously? What causes it? Would constant exposure to scraps, or a constant loss of scraps, cause one to be more likely to spot them?

[AceOfNothing]

Are the gods Involved in Darkest Night at all? Is it just like "they set traditions in their area" or do they have some deeper involvement. Also, does Rein even let Darkest Night happen. Can it even control that.

This might be a dumb question, but do scrap tools appear different to those who are or aren't sensitive?

[1011686]

do witches and wizards have any particular relationship with angels? like, in terms of dealing with them, researching them etc.

[victorianflorist]

What are some darkest night traditions specific to each Team member's regions?

[skinstealer]

How common is it for morbitians to become scrap sensitive when they weren't previously? What causes it? Would constant exposure to scraps, or a constant loss of scraps, cause one to be more likely to spot them?

Morbitians becoming scrap sensitive when they weren’t previously is fairly rare, but not unheard of- though in the case of it happening, it has to happen through atypical means. Some examples include body modding, particularly replacing body parts with those of scrap sensitives, angel or horror scrap exposure, and significant identity changes. Constant exposure to scraps/constant scrap loss does not inherently or commonly cause scrap sensitivity, though it can be possible in highly specific cases.

Are the gods Involved in Darkest Night at all? Is it just like "they set traditions in their area" or do they have some deeper involvement. Also, does Rein even let Darkest Night happen. Can it even control that.
What are some darkest night traditions specific to each Team member's regions?

The involvement of gods on Darkest Night depends on region, there are absolutely some areas that don’t recognize it as a holiday. There are typically regional restrictions and traditions, and each area varies.

Turbine and Quarry are fairly hands off in terms of governing holidays in general- they participate in Darkest Night, but don’t make a big deal out of it or instruct people on how to partake. Cage has Darkest Night as a feast holiday with costumes, with no real trick or treating analogue due to the lack of houses. Respite has a large emphasis on costumes, but everything else is fairly standard.

Synalboc celebrates Darkest Night, but typically at the same time as other holidays due to the atypical nature of how the region works.

Darkest night is a very popular holiday in Idyth. Businesses are often open late or even all night, and all nighters are encouraged this night of all nights. Playing a hide-and-seek like game in the woods or abandoned places is also fairly common- though some places don’t allow it. Many places, however, do not care, or allow for locales to be rented. Costumes are a thing, but it’s more common to gift them to others the day of Darkest Night (rather than buying your own), especially to significant others. Making your own is fine, but the act of exchanging costumes is considered a special thing. 

Cryptid hunting is also fairly common on Darkest Night in multiple regions (with a huge prevalence and origin in idyth), with a common cryptid hunted in wonder being a dog-sized, firefly-like creature said to communicate with the departed.

Darkest Night is very popular in Plaza, though the Plaza gods are very hands off and mainly just participate in celebrations versus govern them. They may just step in to prevent roughhousing and pranks. Large festivals are common, with kids encouraged to play carnival games for free candy- this was started as a way to reduce the risks of going door to door. 

Monte banks on Darkest Night in order to make money on merchandise, and Stope sees it as potential for profit. Families in Monte have taken to one-upping each other with candy and parties, to the point of one legendary family creating a real-life holiday figure spoken about only in urban legends.  

Prosperity does not celebrate Darkest Night, but Prospitans have a seasonal holiday where they split a large raw squash with their loved ones to commemorate the defeat of The Great Pumpkin (actually a very oversized crop pest that caused massive damage.) It’s a very commercialized holiday now, so it’s absolutely socially REQUIRED that you buy the biggest pumpkin possible every year...even if you’re alone.

Fallow is very traditional about Darkest Night, with lots of focus on the moon and lanterns in its celebrations. However, the holiday is also pretty fucking dangerous because of terrors using the cover of night to attack settlements, so there's a lot of tension and many take up guard posts in lieu of celebrations.

XXI loves Darkest Night and modern day Luxson has a lot of parties. Everyone goes hog wild on costumes and candy, the food is generally considered to be awesome, and there’s a sense of community in modern day that wasn’t often seen before the plague.

Grind enjoys the more traditional side of Darkest Night, but always loves a good festival. There’s lots of good will and sharing, and many enjoy time spent with their families and friends in small gatherings. 

Wretch is a humongous fan of Darkest Night and spends the season preparing for the holiday and attempting to get as much of Hoopla hyped up for it as possible, with parties being commonplace and sometimes rather extreme. Haunted houses and a focus on horror (the genre) are very common.

Rein discourages partying aside from formal masquerades, but can't stop too much and mainly just frowns at everyone and makes everyone goes to church extra after. Solitude is not particularly exciting when it comes to this holiday. 

Going to Consumption around Darkest Night is not recommended, especially not on the night of. Spit encourages cult activity especially around this season, particularly using the cover of darkness, masks and parties to get away with more evil deeds in her name than usual. 

Wax encourages people to embrace their creativity, craft their own costumes, and celebrate with their friends and family. Hearth typically provides a lot of resources for communities to celebrate this holiday, and even the most low income communities are able to partake significantly.

Wane would do large, masked gladiator-like matches under Darkest Night’s new moon before their death, making a big spectacle of it. This was generally considered a disaster every year, and everyone in Bluster seemed to either love or hate it.

Velvet did not have a whole lot of direct involvement in Darkest Night due to her fear of the dark, but  liked facilitating indoor celebrations where people could enjoy a quiet night reflecting on the year so far together and enjoy each others' company in safety.

Similarly to Velvet, Alloy doesn't really participate much in Darkest Night, but does enjoy seeing what people come up with for stories and watches from afar.

Knickknack’s city of Display goes hard for the holidays, namely due to essentially being a city-sized all-year fair ground.

This might be a dumb question, but do scrap tools appear different to those who are or aren't sensitive?

Non-sensitives will often see scrap-mounted tools as mundane objects, and are generally incapable of seeing their magical traits and qualities. Particularly strong wizards/scrap users can have their tools’s magical powers show up when active, though not to the degree that a sensitive would see it and typically in ways that are easily explained away. Those who are capable of sensing scraps but not seeing or interacting may get chills or strong vibes from scrap tools, those who are capable of seeing and interacting will be able to identify them and potentially see traits of scrap manifestation, and other scrap users will be able to identify them on sight providing they have enough training.

do witches and wizards have any particular relationship with angels? like, in terms of dealing with them, researching them etc.

Most wizards go their entire lives without consciously interacting with angels, and there is no direct connection between the vast majority of wizard operations and angels.

Witches lean into the supernatural, and are thus more likely to interact with angels. At the lowest levels they're enthusiasts for the paranormal who take part in all sorts of experimentation and investigation of their local area. If the area has had a history of particularly impactful angel meddling they're bound to cross paths. At higher levels of skill most witches are cautious enough to have at least some sort of failsafe should their work put them in a situation where they cross paths. Many tools at that point also may tap into mechanics of angels for research.

Scraps are potentially reactive to angels (but not always) and their innate magic can go haywire in an angel’s presence. Angels are also capable of controlling and manipulating scraps, to the point of interfering with wizards and witches (both their tools and their very selves) to a severe degree.

[Shifter55]

What sorts of traditions have inhibited witch activity? Also are there any Darkest Night-related changes to climate or biomes within zones?

[victorianflorist]

What cultural roles do witches and wizards take in each team members regions?

[skinstealer]

What sorts of traditions have inhibited witch activity?

Traditions inhibiting witch activity vary greatly based on regions and individual zones, but as a general rule, regions that have scraps as a myth (or just generally disbelieved) generally make witch equipment harder to get- this applies to most zones in Morbit. Regions/zones that consider scraps to be outright dangerous can directly hunt witches and wizards as well, leading to many keeping their practices secret. Both witches and wizards in these situations and those simply looking to avoid prying eyes can seek out underground operations, ranging from short term meetings to sprawling, secret underground networks. These can include using codewords to pass off their wares on the black market, sharing housing to those developing their powers/skills, etc.

A witch tradition on Darkest Night is to go to areas where lots of scraps rest (nicknamed Scrapyards) and comfort the ghosts in the belief that it'll bring good will to a region for the next year. Certain types of pollen are used by witches to make scrap ghosts visible to non-sensitives. They gather in groups and entertain them through conversation, games, and playing music. Any region that heavily guards those areas tends to interfere with witch activity, preventing this tradition- often through banning these plants. If plants with those pollens are banned, it becomes a issue for non-sensitive witches, and underground importing has to take place for witches to share moments with the ghosts. Scrapyards often include graveyards, abandoned hospitals and schools, and other places you’d expect ghost hunters to frequent.

Also are there any Darkest Night-related changes to climate or biomes within zones?

All of Morbit is subject to the night being colder, darker, and longer due to an excess of shred radiation, though the exact cause of such is unknown. While some areas experience additional effects created by their gods in order to create further atmosphere, most experience additional strange effects due to the excess radiation.

Cage’s climate mostly remains the same due to it being underwater, though the airplanes have been known to creak more.

The entire Luxson Cluster is subject to wind anomalies during Darkest Night, starting in the early morning and lasting until around the same time the next day. Fallow’s Island experiences anywhere from a mild breeze to decent winds picking up, leading the local people to set up windchimes- especially ones made from bone due to their relevance as religious iconography. 

The breeze also picks up in Luxson, but it remains mild and does not affect much aside from making strange noises in XXI’s pipe system- some find this amusing and even inspiring, while others find it irritating. 

Monte however, experiences heavier winds, to the point of mild destruction in some areas. People generally do not let this stop their festivities, and are more than willing to nail things down and gel their hairstyles in order to keep the party going. 

Some Taverne zones experience excess static electricity when touching metal and other surfaces capable of building a static charge during Darkest Night, including Wonder and Hearth. This makes gloves a common part of costumes for people particularly irritated by this kind of effect.

In Hoopla, glittery effects manifest on some of the local flora during Darkest Night- no one is entirely sure where such effects come from, but it tends to show up in the local iconography for the holiday ever since.

Precipice experiences similar breeze/wind effects to that of the Luxson Cluster during Darkest Night, causing mild sandstorms in many areas and providing further reasons for people to stay in their walled cities and towns for festivities. 

Bluster had a similar wind effect as well pre-zone death, leading to icy winds and making the gladiatorial duels even more of a nasty affair than they would be otherwise. Costumes typically involved heavy bundling up as a result, incorporating warmth and weather protection into their designs. 

People in Whimsy primarily stayed inside on Darkest Night pre-zone death, so weather effects weren’t noticed as much- but the light breeze was present there as well, though not to a degree significant enough to affect much.

Consumption’s fauna and flora grow much more restless on Darkest Night, leading to potential danger and even death for its residents should they wander too far outside of civilization...though civilization has its own threats, considering the uptick in cult activity.

Solitude experiences a sense of eerie silence during Darkest Night, with  many sounds feeling muffled and even deafened in some cases. Some surfaces feel cold to the touch as well, with both phenomenon being completely unexplained. 

Idyth’s skies experience auroras and clearer views of the stars and celestial phenomena and anomalies during Darkest Night. Some of these celestial bodies can appear even closer than they actually are, leading to a surreal effect.

Plaza is fairly standard for Darkest Night, and has their nights start earlier, darker, and colder.

Any zone that contains wisps in it (miniscule barely tangible shred creatures that resemble dots of light floating in the air) has way, way more of them on Darkest Night, mainly due to the excess of shreds to feed on. 


What cultural roles do witches and wizards take in each team members regions?

In Prosperity, witches are seen as a technical job that's magical in nature, as is most physical technology- it’s no different in awe to a physicist or a car mechanic. They are considered things that normal people don’t get access to and wizards aren’t a concept. Conductors are a lost art, different to wizards and witches, in prosperity seen as legendary figures and usually evil ones at that.

Cage doesn’t really have a witch/wizard culture- there haven’t been that many of them in Cage just by merit of having such a tiny population and such a small time period of existence.

In Plaza, witches are a subculture often unified by certain ideals and beliefs. They are valued at a professional level by the local gods due to a fear of repeating a certain angel related tragedy as engineers behind preventative methods re: supernatural crisis.  Wizard are very few and somewhat obscure. Supposedly, the local gods pick up wizards for investigative work every once in a while,  though.

Generally speaking in Taverne, witches are considered magical scientists and are often beneficial toward knights due to the equipment they create, especially for those without sensitivity. Wizards are there but a lot of them may go into careers where their abilities are useful versus outright scrap-based practices. 

In Hearth, witches are seen as pretty necessary for culture considering their importance in making many varieties of construct. Wizards are less endorsed but scraps in general are more widely believed in than many other Taverne zones due to their use in construct tech, so they're pretty respected. Magic is still something you shouldnt use on the street, though. 

In Bluster (pre-zone death), magic was both seen in legends but revered, and mainly both used for weaponry/battle purposes and fighting, especially when it comes to fauna and the more-frequent-than-preferable horror attack.

Wizards typically find most work in Hoopla using their skills either performing party tricks or horrible murder (sometimes both), with witches using their tech to further the entertainment industry, for better or for worse.

Precipice wzards are respected and often find work for traditional knights there, and aren’t really an underground deal at all. Witches are in the same boat, and Precipice is often considered a good place to sell magic tech.

Witches in Wonder are extremely respected, with the zone being a fantastic place to buy and sell technology. Wizards are less on the radar, but can usually find information about new methods there.

Lots of legends about witches and wizards were stored in Whimsy before the zone started going dead, now people are trying to salvage what they can. Before the fall, wizards were respected adventurers, and witches were considered heavily valued technicians.

In Consumption, wizards and witches working for spit's cult are given lots of power, rank and resources, especially when it comes to exerting their control on the population. Those who work against Spit are oppressed heavily and suppressed, with many having to form underground communities.

Both witches and wizards are heavily discouraged in Solitude outside of very strict restrictions and regulations, with witches having to keep their more strange and bizarre practices very subtle in order to skirt under the radar, and wizards mainly having to work for people in official standings and respected positions.

Witches are a major part of the culture in Fallow’s Island and the majority of centinels living there have been trained in witchcraft (especially in creating fallow's constructs) as part of their regular education, with wizardry being highly respected as well.

The view on scrap-related crafts in Luxson depends on which side you're from- people from West Luxson tend to be more accepting of the idea and chill with the idea of witches/wizards, whereas East Luxson residents are more resistant due to anne's council's strict no scrap endorsement policies. There are a lot of wizard underground communities even though XXI's pretty chill with it- people don't want to kick up a fuss post-horror plague and there's a lot of hesitance around magic post-Horror Plague.

In Monte, witchcraft is a very private practice for the most part. It is occasionally seen on an occupational level for weaponizing scraps, and wizards can be popular for hired muscle.

In Idyth, wizards and witches are generally seen as more mundane than in other regions, and it's common for them to put scrap usage towards more practical things, like scientific studies, agricultural work, medical field stuff, etc. Though there are also those that use it for artistic/entertainment value; like using them as for the equivalent of magic shows, artistic performances (like theatre or the equivalent of 'interpretive dance' with scraps for flair) or sparring as a spectator sport (where powerful defensive scrap users are employed to keep the audience + players protected) etc. etc. etc. 
Those that use it for combat are often hired into bodyguard/security roles or similar- though there are underground fighting rings where protections are limited. (Pepper frequents these)

An additional bonus detail…

Gremlins have a darkest night tradition of making candy using sugar from the water surrounding Cage. There are a lot of different forms of this candy, with taffy being one example, and metal and wires with a sugar coating being another.