The Ocularum

[pumpkinhollow]

THE OCULARUM Contact: Neil West Location: West Dream Analytics Overview - This page is intended for RP threads taking place at or in relation to the Ocularum! Additional information regarding the organization and its workings can also be found below. - On the outskirts of Pumpkin Hollow, where the rural Northwest Hollow meets the edges of Lockwood Forest, there is a cottage. A thatched roof with wooden detailing houses a tall brick chimney from which a rich pinewood smoke rises in plumes. Warm and inviting windows glow with lantern light. A red door with a golden knocker is seated below a sign. "WEST DREAM ANALYTICS," it reads. This is both the home and the business of psychic dream therapist Neil West. Indeed, it is also the meeting place of the organization which he founded--- the Ocularum. You must be invited to attend either by another member or by Neil himself, though they don't tend to be picky. Moreso they are cautious. They've been burned before for speaking out against the church's way of doing things. But they are committed to action. The Ocularum believes that they can settle the issue of Pumpkin Hollow's haunting once and for all, and that the Temple of Sacred Roots is doing nothing but hindering progress. But if you earn their trust, they will show you the secrets which they believe are key to finally undoing the curse besetting the island. Membership Initiation | Due to their poor relations with much of the island, the Ocularum is slow in its induction process. Start with a simple orientation and earn the trust of its members over time to learn more. Benefits | Those who work with the Ocularum will find themselves less impacted by the effects of the curse and better prepared for what the island throws at them. This is in part due to Neil's occult expertise and strategies taught by him for dealing with these things, but members also find themselves passively having better luck as well. Drawbacks | Neil's outspoken views against the Temple's methods and ongoing feud with Dahlia Leeds has not made the Ocularum particularly popular. Joining them may occasionally earn you the ire of others. There are also sometimes murmurings about "costs" among the members, implying that there may be some financial expectations. Philosophy The Ocularum believes that the solution to Marrow Isle's problems lies in occult knowledge and direct action. Whether the result of an angry ancient deity, restless spirits, or a leyline of dark energy beneath the land, there is some terrible magic plaguing the island. It can be treated. It can be harnessed. However, the Temple's insistence on waiting around for dead or apathetic goddesses to answer the prayers of the people is putting this on hold. The Historical Society is no better, focusing on reactionary measures gleaned from dusty old books. And the heretics in the forest are respectable folk but are exposing themselves to unnecessary danger. The Ocularum needs bold and dedicated truth seekers who aren't afraid to step into the unknown for the sake of protecting themselves and their neighbors. art credit, code credit

Comments

[itsjustabaddream]

Neil gestures to Jean with a smile. "Yes, my friend, what can I do for you?"

[restingslasherface]

"I! Am interested in your sources on this information!" Jean pauses, tapping their notebook. "Not that I'm doubting the existence of realms infernal or anything, hahaha, L-Corp had a competitor back at home that was mining them for electricity...but! Incomplete information! Or bad information, costs lives. Professional caution only!"

[itsjustabaddream]

"I understand, of course," Neil agreed with a nod. "So, because demons live for hundreds, if not thousands of years, this information is quite old and has been passed down through occultist and religious folklore for generations. It isn't something the temple likes to discuss, but they're aware of it as well."

[restingslasherface]

"Wow! That's a long time!" Jean pauses, thoughtfully. Then: "Just future-proofing, but, how do I kill one?"

[itsjustabaddream]

Neil barked a laugh at that. "How, indeed! I like your enthusiasm," he praised. "Though I don't think anyone has managed to do that in recent history other than another demon. Though some legends insinuate fae folk can."

[restingslasherface]

This too is written down, but though Jean's answer is distant in tone - maybe they don't know they're talking? - there is a malicious intent to it, girded with a terrible confidence: "The circle is a trick of the eye. What has begun must end."

[itsjustabaddream]

"Perhaps so," Neil replied lightly, with a pleasant lilt that implied polite skepticism. "Be that as it may, currently the knowledge of how to kill demons is not something we mortal folk are privy to. I imagine that, given how secretive demons are about their mere existence, they would keep such information quite close to the chest."

[restingslasherface]

Jean looks up, realizing belatedly that they're being replied to - they must have said that out loud. Um. Oops. They clear their throat - "Any records of infiltrating and, most crucially, exfiltrating the realms infernal?"

[itsjustabaddream]

"Yyyyes, but they're... folktales. Unsubstantiated. Still, information is information. It could at least be a lead..."

Neil opened one of his books, flipping through to whatever page he was looking for. "Hmm, most tales speak of... dark rituals to create portals. Blood sacrifice, mirrors, runes... Nothing terribly cheery."

[restingslasherface]

"I'm less interested in going myself than I am in -" Jean steeples their fingers together, a malicious gleam in their too-wide eyes, "- what the people who tried it thought they wanted, and if they go it."

Remember a bit ago upthread when Jean said someone back at home mined Hell for electricity?