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 Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:20 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:20 pm
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Halloween History
The Creation of Halloween:
Thousands of years ago (by human standards), fantastical and horrific creatures lived alongside humans. They ruled kingdoms, governed lives, and lived as gods, feasting on the fear their presence and very names instilled in humans. To them, humans were mere playthings; if one broke, there was always another. Some creatures enjoyed ruling humans, often arranging a "war" with another creature to see whose army and nation was better. Still others preferred to hoard humans, treating them like pets or interesting things to collect.
All was well until the day the humans rebelled.
Nobody knows who was the first human to discover that the demigods were actually mortal, capable of being wounded or even killed. This discovery sparked a wildfire that grew out of control: humans rose up and fought back, using their superior numbers to overwhelm their former masters.
The once-fantastic creatures realized swiftly that they were doomed. They were too used to living soft lives, to having the humans obey them without question. Many met their deaths at the humans' hands. The survivors fled their former pets in terror. They had lost their ability to scare and maintain control through fear.
The few creatures that still lived went into hiding in order to save themselves. Still, the humans had ceased to believe - and, without that belief and fear, they too began to fade. As the survivors started to die as well, they wished with all their black little hearts that there would be some place left for them in the shadows.
That wish came true.
Thus began what was originally called Halloween Town. It is said Halloween Town was created out of the last dying essence of Fear, and at first it was tiny, just a small concept, a passing thought. Slowly, however, it began to thrive, spawning creatures from nightmares as humans settled down and let anxiety and fear creep into their lives once more. New monsters, ghosts, demons, undead, and reapers sprang into being, created from that fear, giving the tiny Town more strength through their existence. They grew and were joined by many, strange cousins and refugees that managed to flee the Human World and find safety at last.
Once every year, the strongest denizens of Halloween Town would return to the Human World, seeking out humans and planting new seeds of Fear in their hearts. Yet, even as they worked in the Human World, they lived in Halloween Town. They spread horror and pandemonium throughout humanity to make sure their sanctuary would always remain. And thus, Halloween Town was born.
The Evolution of Halloween:
Hundreds of years ago, a creature called Jack Skellington presided over Halloween Town, ruling as the Pumpkin King. This is not his story, but it is his world.
As years passed, Halloween Town's successes and failures garnered attention, both good and bad. The population was growing, and the town soon found itself with more monsters, ghosts, and other creepy-crawlies than it knew what to do with. In order to accommodate the constant influx of new creatures, the borders of the town slowly started to edge their way outward. Before long, Halloween Town was no longer a town but a city; no longer a city but a state; no longer a state but a country. Instead of remaining the tight-knit group it had always been before, it was suddenly an entire world unto itself.
It was wonderful and it was awful. As large as their new world was, the people of Halloween found themselves at odds with each other, bored and restless. In a land full of strange creatures, it was difficult to be especially strange, to set oneself apart from the crowd. In order to do this, the inhabitants of Halloween started venturing out into the fleshy world more often, to toy with humans and distinguish themselves by gathering exorbitant amounts of FEAR.
But even here there were problems. Two ghosts found themselves fighting for the same terrified child, huddled under its covers, and the ensuing mix-up would leave the girl laughing instead of weeping. A monster would step into its ancestral closet only to find a smelly creature already squatting in its most comfortable seat in the corner. A demon would lay a clever plan to trap a human's soul through a nefarious deal, and another would come in and cancel out all the hard work that he'd done.
It was time for regulation. As much as the people of Halloween hated rules and orders, they realized the importance of organization. Laws were instituted: no traveling to the Human World without a passport, to limit the numbers out and about at any given time, so that everyone could have a chance to scare. In order to get that passport, knowledge was needed. Knowledge that could be acquired only from schools.
And one school above all the rest...
Amityville Academy. |
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:22 pm
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The World of Halloween
Ages ago, the resident ghouls and monsters created their tiny and homely abode of Halloween Town. Nowadays, it has expanded, and Halloween Town's tiny overpopulated borders grew and grew, until the whole place was simply Halloween! 'Halloween Town' now refers only to the original little town, the place where Halloween began.
The World of Halloween covers a huge area, filled with every creepy landscape imaginable: craggy mountain ranges covered in snow, pitch-black cave systems, smelly swamps, arid deserts, rolling plains, raging seas. Since everything is made from FEAR, everything has a spooky edge to it: there aren't any beautiful meadows of wildflowers, but there sure are 'beautiful' meadows of deadly nightshade, carnivorous plants, and other splendid Halloween flora. If humans have ever been afraid of it, Halloween's got it! There are also many different towns, villages, and smaller communities all around Halloween.
At the moment, there is no specific map of Halloween - we trust players to fill in the blanks for now. There's plenty of room in Halloween for all.
Halloween also contains gateways to other worlds, but these are carefully guarded. Naturally, there are many doorways leading to the Human World, where professional scarers harvest delicious human FEAR; these doors are regulated through a passport system. The Weeping Forest in Halloween Town proper is also said to contain doorways to other holidays, but anyone who tries to find them just gets ridiculously lost. Still, students may find themselves on field trips to these strange places...
Time, Weather, Seasons, and Other Things: Did you know that it's always some flavor of fall in Halloween? Or that Halloween doesn't have a sun in the sky, and instead has only a murky 'twilight' during the daytime? It's true! Months, days of the week, etc. also have different names here. For more information, check out this detailed guide! |
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:22 pm
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Halloween Town
Halloween Town is not the only town in Halloween - but it is where everything started! The town has a long and storied history, with many points of interest for residents and tourists alike. It is also the home of Amityville Academy and its many students.
Places of Interest:
Amityville Academy: The oldest and most prestigious of Halloween's schools. Generations of students have walked its halls, only to later become some of society's most prominent citizens. With a little time and effort, students here can not only acquire the knowledge and passports needed to enter the fleshy world, but can also become as FEAR-rich as the most famous of Halloween frightmasters.
Campus Dorms: Amityville students are assigned dorms according to their species, as to cater to their personal comforts. Each dorm is separated and contained in a unique environment, and kept to its own private area of the Academy, both to aid in concentration and to encourage rivalries.
The Crypt: A large complex that holds both a museum and a larger library archive detailing all history of Halloween. Said to contain infamous displays and histories from heroes of the town long past. Below the museum lies their spirits, or so it is rumoured... though it is off limits. The main floor common place to go for field trips and research projects. (Ask about this~ as it's obviously not the Amityville Academy library)
Moonlight Hill: This distinctively curled hill is a famous landmark of myth and legend - supposedly, it was the place where the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington wooed Sally. It has turned into a romantic place for all couples, although the hill itself has become somewhat overrun with pumpkin vines.
Town Hall & Square: The town mayor resides in the town hall, along with his trusted scientist friend. Together they help plot the best and brilliant ideas for that most special day of Halloween. The square is bordered by small shops peddling their wares, including Creepy Candies, Shivering Skeletons, and Eye Scream. The fountain in the middle of the square may spew (mostly) harmless green goo at anyone who dares to get near it.
Town Heights: The ritzier part of Halloween Town, featuring some of the most fearsome, twisted, and nasty buildings there are. Only wealthy, prominent scarers can afford to reside here. Amityville students mostly come here to shop at the Maul.
Weeping Forest: Said to contain mysterious portals to other realms, though anyone who tries to find them just gets ridiculously lost. Thousands of trees and and endless labyrinth of twisting pathways guarantee any traveller a one way ticket to Nowhere.
Wishing Well: Students looking to pass an exam might petition the well for aid... though who knows if it actually helps at all. The well's popularity has declined a bit in recent years, ever since the mayor planted a garden of carnivorous plants around it.
???: A mysterious gate, said to go somewhere else that is forbidden by all residents of Halloween save a select chosen few. Whoever these few are, they're certainly not telling where the gate once led... for now, the gate is firmly sealed.
And More!: Check out Project: Halloween Settings for more player-created locations in Halloween Town! |
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:23 pm
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World of Halloween FAQ
Q. What's this FEAR thing I keep hearing about?
A. Human FEAR is the lifeblood of all Halloween. Everything revolves, at heart, around FEAR, and scaring humans is considered a civic duty - not to mention a potentially profitable enterprise! For more information, read this guide!
Q. What kind of technology does Halloween have?
A. Halloween is primarily a world of FEAR and magic. There is some technology, but all of it is a little...off ...from their human counterparts. For example, a 'telephone' is called a skellyphone, the internet is the interweb, and so on.
Halloween does not have technology beyond what the Human World has at this present moment, and even then most highly advanced technology (like, say, spaceships or large hadron colliders) does not exist. In general: if you, as an average joe human, has a particular technological gadget? It's probably okay for your student to have the Halloween equivalent. But you don't have a spaceship in your basement, do you? We didn't think so.
Q. 'Skellyphone', huh? What other Halloween slang is there?
A. There's a guide for that! Check out the Spookypedia for all your slang-talking needs!
Q. Is there money in Halloween?
A. Yep! The currency of Halloween is silver pumpkin seeds. One seed is roughly equivalent to one dollar.
Q. What do Halloween creatures eat?
A. FEAR! All beings of Halloween survive because of FEAR. Technically, nothing in Halloween needs to eat... or, at least, it's not possible for them to die of food-starvation. Still, many creatures enjoy eating because it sates various hungers, or simply because it's fun to do. Certain creatures may also have very strong cravings for particular foods, like zombies craving brains.
All meats and such come from common animals of Halloween, also known as 'minipets'. Consuming other sentient Halloween beings is a very bad idea, as taking in too much FEAR - which eating another demon, monster, etc. will do - is a one-way ticket to exploding. Messily. And killing and eating humans is not permitted... much to the frustration of some factions within Halloween.
Q. Speaking of humans, can they enter Halloween?
A. Nope! Humans cannot handle the FEAR-rich atmosphere of Halloween. It tends to make their heads explode. The only exception to this are the Hunters, and they have to engage in some serious science/magic to make it inside even temporarily.
Q. Who guards the doorways to the Human World?
A. The Boogeymen - they are the equivalent of a police force. They keep the peace in Halloween, or at least make sure things don't get too carried away.
Q. Can Halloween creatures get sick?
A. They sure can! There are both germs and FEAR infections in Halloween. Doctors and nurses learn both mundane medicine and FEAR-healing to take care of their patients. |
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