cambium | npc contact.

CROW

Occupation: unofficial leader of The Nest
Age: late 40s
Gemstone: "a pure black gemstone, highly polished and slightly tapered towards one end not unlike an egg" (first mentioned here)
Description: Crow has sandy blond hair and dark brown eyes, and can typically be found at home or around the train station. Reportedly, he holds a lot of influence over the town, and is a good person to talk to when troubled. While many npcs have been losing memories, Crow reportedly has not. He is the one who gave named npcs their bird names, as well as the one who named the town The Nest.

SWAN

Occupation: ferryman
Age: mid 30s
Description: Swan has dark brown hair and dark green eyes, and can typically be seen out in the water on a boat during good weather, or couch hopping during bad weather and at nights. Six silver coins are used as a passage fee and conduit for her to take a person across the water; according to Lark, those who leave with her never return.

ROBIN

Occupation: rail attendant
Age: early 30s
Gemstone: "fragile light blue shards encased in clear gem" (first mentioned here)
Description: Robin has black hair and light brown eyes, and can typically be found around the train station or cafes in town. She was married to Jay, the train conductor who was murdered early in the game, and has picked up enough from him to operate the train if we ever get it working again. While she has lost a considerable amount of her memories, she claims to be content living in the present. An unknown individual stole her uniform and faked her death via the train's furnace at the start of the game.

LARK

Occupation: postman
Age: mid 20s
Description: Lark has ashy hair and golden eyes, and can typically be seen around town with his mail bag doing deliveries, or hanging out in the graveyard talking to the dead underground. As a postman, Lark prides himself in knowing people and places, but has trouble speaking and reportedly cannot read aside from names he's learned to recognize. It is not widely known, but Lark is able to speak with and, to a certain extent, control the dead.

RAVEN (née HAMTARO)

Age: pre teen
Gemstone: "completely clear, like a diamond, aside from a tiny red spot in the center: a gemstone trapped within a gemstone" (first mentioned here)
Description: Raven has black hair and grey eyes, and can occasionally be seen wandering around town but is most reliably found at Poppy Hall after dark. Following the "sacrifice" of several characters, he awoke without any memories of his identity or past life, and was given the temporary name Hamtaro before learning his true name. His family is dead, and according to the note he had written on the back of a photograph discovered in a burning house, he had sworn to bring them back no matter what the cost. According to the townspeople npcs, according to Crow, a boy named Raven died in a house fire many years ago.

MAGPIE

Age: early teens
Gemstone: "blue and yellow, splotched like flowers run through a photoshop distort filter" (first mentioned here)
Description: Princess Stephanie Astrapia (aka Paradise Magpie, aka Magpie, aka Maggie) has sandy blond hair and golden eyes. While not related by blood, Crow and Maggie consider themselves father and daughter. An unknown individual has been using her name and reputation to communicate with the characters, and has stolen six silver coins.

SPARROW

Age: mid teens
Gemstone: "like a fire opal: bright yellow and red that dance like flames when turned" (first mentioned here)
Description: Sparrow has black hair and bright blue eyes, and is difficult to get ahold of; the most reliable way to meet her is to wait for her to come home, which she does some nights. She has an interest in the supernatural and the occult, and reportedly is the person who gave other npcs their gemstones. She is Maggie's best/only friend at the start of the game.

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[It's easy! Just let your "other self" take over.]

[Oh.......... That does sound delicious, though. Matoba cocks his head thoughtfully, and his smile widens.] Oya. Do you know of such a place on this island with drinks like that?

I think that I would like to try one for myself. ...Well, I don't have any money to pay with, but perhaps they will accept a useful item from me... What do you think? Shall we go?

Don't be stupid- nobody's going to be there to take your money, and not like that's any good anyways. So don't worry about it.

[ Unless it's made of roughly hammered silver with no discernable markings on either side. Regardless, Sparrow turns on her heel and points her feet towards the direction of the marketplace, stride confident and purposeful. ]

Are you going to ask your questions or not?

No... But don't you lot on this island enjoy a good trade? I wonder what else I will buy you your coffee with.

[That's what he had heard, anyway. Not that he'd complain if the treats were totally free- he'd already gotten free sweets around here, anyway.]

[As he follows after Sparrow, just a pace or two behind, he takes the opportunity to settle his gaze on her aura more fully. Now that he knows what he is looking for, it's much easier to pick out- like a stench of stale smoke when you didn't quite notice it before.]

You don't want to enjoy your treat first? [His tone just barely manages to be teasing playfully instead of sarcastically. But, she asked.] Who is your friend?

I wouldn't call it "enjoying" a trade.

[ There just isn't much use for real world currency, so favors and such have much more immediate value. There's nobody to trade with at night, though, so Sparrow does enjoy being out and about instead of going home after dark.

She throws a glance over her shoulder, though, when asked about her friend. What friend? She doesn't have friends. ]

Are you talking about Maggie...? Or do you mean Haageti?

[His lips twist into a slight pout. Not playing along, this one...] You don't enjoy obtaining useful things?

[The slide back into sarcasm. Indeed, the island was as quiet as the village at night, even with its significantly more vibrant population. Was this place also feelings the effects of the ayakashi that came out at night?]

[...Well, looking at Sparrow, maybe he doesn't need to wonder.]

"Haageti". Is that its name? Your freeloader.

Do you have useful things?

[ Would he give her his blood if she asked? if not, then clearly he has nothing worth trading, in her opinion. Like, she's answering his questions and showing him where the best coffeehouse is and what does she get in return? Company, she supposes. But she does fine without— it's not like she's ever really alone, anyways. ]

Well, whatever. Some guys asked me for a favor the other day, and I enlisted Haageti for help making it happen, 'cept one of them broke my circle in the middle of it. He'll get bored eventually and leave.

That depends on what you are interested in, Sparrow.

[Maybe. Blood, hair- all items that could be traded to ayakashi for the right price. It's all about the negotiation- what can Sparrow offer him in return?]

[That's what he'd come here to find out, after all. But maybe it's not actually "Sparrow" that he's here to deal with...]

Ahhh, I understand. An invocation gone a little wrong, huh. [Well, that's what you get for dealing with amateurs... He'd say that, but he's sure she's aware of her mistake, now!] Haha, I suppose offering to rid you of it isn't exactly a welcome offer, since it sounds like you are well acquainted.

My methods would be a little rough.

That's convenient for me, though. I came here because I heard that you would be able to tell me about the gods and spirits of this place, but perhaps now I can just acquaint myself directly.

[ Sparrow puffs her cheeks, because it didn't go wrong— or, it wouldn't have gone wrong if people would actually listen to her and not run into her circle when they're not invited. Being possessed is one thing, but it doesn't worry her; her will is strong, she won't be taken over, and she waves a hand to dismiss his offer as unnecessary: if she wanted to be rid of the demon, she'd have done it herself.

Setting that aside, ]

You're interested about gods and spirits? Not to worship them, I bet. Do you think you can save the day by beating up a god or something?

"Worship"... That depends. That's an interesting question, though.

Who am I saving? [His head tilts, shifting his bangs against the strange spell that covered the right half of his face.] You? This island?

[Not himself, certainly. Troubling oneself with gods was a good way to get killed, if anything.]

Like you, I have an interest in being acquainted with them. There are things everyone wants- even them. ...Haha, unless you're cornering the market, and I am your potential rival, I suppose.

[ Her? the island? don't make her laugh— she does, anyways, because she can't imagine wanting to save this dying island. ]

There's so many other demons you could be talking to. Why Haageti?

[ Because that demon is already "here"? It's convenient, sure, but she's more used to calling forth on what she needs, rather than what's easy. ]

[More or less, yeah.]

Take the easiest path before you, as they say.

Why? Do you have alternate suggestions? I'm all ears. As I said: I know little of this island's menagerie.

Haageti is a demon from Hell, not one limited to this island. If you're looking for something local, you're kinda out of luck! Give it a month or so, and that guy's pretty much done for.

Is that so..

[Hey, a connection to Hell is still a connection to the outside world, right? He'll take that information gladly.]

[But, since that's not very helpful to him....]

And how about the one that was inside of the village church? The spirit of the stained glass. Do you know it? When it fled, it seems that it took the 'hearts' of the people with it.

I am interested in that one, in particular.

[ A mix of micro expressions cross Sparrow's face at this news: surprise, fear, confusion, delight... okay, so it's mostly delight, but for good reason, albeit not one Sparrow betrays. ]

I know who you're talking about. Who set it free? Did they know? Oooooooooohhh, I bet they didn't!

[ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH whoever did that is going to be in SO much trouble, Sparrow looks so delighted, having stopped in the middle of the street to give Matoba her full attention, interest renewed. ]

Now that one, I want to be around when you talk to it. You open up a path and get me back there, I'll get you in contact with the thing. Cross my heart and hope to die.

You're a little too pleased with this,

[Matoba dryly informs her, brows raising in mild reaction to her excitement. Somehow, he felt as though anything that could excite this young lady must be thoroughly troublesome. The type to go around invoking help from demons on the fly......]

[(Well, that was pretty hypocritical of him. He'd invoke whatever was available to him, too. He just wouldn't make good on those deals.)]

[Just how much should he tell her? That's what he contemplates before answering.] ...A fire was set to the church, some weeks ago. In the wreckage, it seems that the seal on the glass was released. Although, given that there seem to have been certain ...individuals tampering with the glass, I couldn't rule out that it was a factor. [Diluc]

When we were able to enter the church again, the glass had been shattered. It was only when I examined it then that I noticed traces of a broken seal, and by then the door to this island had been opened up, so I imagine they must be connected.

So, Miss Sparrow. I scratch your back and you will scratch mine. Is that right? [Making deals with witches he didn't know usually put him on the high ground, but he's not sure what to make of this one. Maybe he needed some collateral...]

That's right.

[ Sparrow doesn't bother to hide the delight on her face, bright blue eyes dancing with gold in her excitement. This is all very good, very exciting information for her, but there is something fundamentally wrong about Matoba's understanding in the first place: ]

But there's no way a simple fire would've have been enough to dissolve that seal.

[ She would know, as would he, if the seal were holding back a being so powerful it had torn a hole in existence. ]

What happened before the fire? Something else must have changed inside the church.

...Yes. [Surely, that should be the case, right? It had been Matoba's suspicion too, when he'd come across it- the remnants of that seal's magic that he could still feel when he'd touched what was left of the glass, how easily his own seal had gone back on. Even though there was really nothing left at that point...]

I'm afraid that the church had been set ablaze just a few days after I arrived, so I don't have a great deal of information about that. [Matoba muses, raising a hand to his chin.] But to my knowledge, other than those who had tampered with the hearts in the glass, there was... That coffin. The one which seems to have borne some aspects of this island.

[He holds a hand out to the sky, as if one expecting rain.] The blades, the blood. I've been led to believe it is a result of a number of ill-informed sacrifices made to that coffin. Ah, and ... the boy.

Do you him? I'm told his true name is "Raven". It seems he has no recollection of his former self ... Ah, but that happens, with half-baked revivals of the dead. [He puts his eye back on Sparrow's, with her sparking blue-gold.] He's practically no different from a soul that's been forcefully reattached to a puppet body, as he is.

[ Man, she doesn't want to go out talking to other people about this, like she's the one who's asking for information. Sucks, but she'll just have to work off what Matoba has right now— and if everything goes well, she'll be there in person to see what they all did to that church. ]

Huh. If by "true name" you mean the name Crow gave him, then yeah, I knew a kid like that. He's gone though: Crow personally took care of him.

[ Crow isn't somebody she messes with. As with Lark and Swan and all the others, Sparrow received her name from him too, and that's about as much to do with him as she'd like. ]

Serves you guys right, though, throwing blades and blood over here on our side! You know how many people died because of that? I hope Raven's zombie gives you all hell.

[Personally. Matoba's eye narrows. Just why would a child need to be dealt with personally? Had he really only died in a house fire...?]

[His suspicions rotate back to that notebook, and the words from the back of the photo he'd been told about. He didn't want to believe it so easily, but...]

[More importantly.]

Please don't lump me in with the Sightless ones, [Matoba's tone goes dry and stringent again; clearly this is a matter that weighs on him heavily!] I have more common sense than to test throwing random objects into a sacrificial vessel. I had not yet awakened in the village when all of that took place, so take your complaints to the proper individuals, if you please.

[Starting with those IDOLS. But that does remind him of something.]

... You are aware of that growing hole that has opened up in this island, aren't you? They're all off feeding it once again. [...] Is that the doing of that thing from the church?

[ Those idols........... She knows who he's talking about. She's seen them sneak into the church in the dead of night to bleed in that damned hole. ]

I dunno.

[ She doesn't know everything. Has her suspicions, yes, although covets them. ]

That "thing from the church" isn't on this side, if that's what you're asking. I'd know if it were, and I would've dealt with it. Those guys are feeding some other eldritch horror— which, you know, I'm kinda surprised you haven't already collapsed the entire thing in if you're so against it.

It's not. [Matoba hums. Well, that confirms that much, at least... And means that it narrows down his hunting grounds. That was a good thing, as far as he was concerned- it would make the search a little easier.]

[As for void-kun...]

It would be rash of me to act before I have the facts, [Matoba replies matter-of-factly, with a small shrug of his shoulders.] This place and its residents are proving quite useful to us. I don't like the idea of feeding into some greedy monster, but if satisfying that thing will assist in us eventually being freed from that village, some sacrifices are necessary.

That's why I decided to seek you out, dear Sparrow. [A smirk curls his lips.] I do not know every form magic or every ayakashi that may grace such an unfamiliar place. I need context.

--Are you not bothered by it? [He tilts his head, trying to get a gauge on Sparrow's thoughts.] That bloodthirsty thing in the church basement. It seems rather detrimental to your safety on this island, no?

Nope.

[ There's no elaboration on that, flippant as much as she is confident. She's not worried, and maybe that says something of her opinion— it's the same with Crow, she thinks, that unflappable man not always having all the answers but people taking comfort in him all the same. ]

They've already given too much for me to do anything about it anyways. Who knows, maybe it'll grant their wish? It's not like the goal of gods and demons is to wipe everybody from existence- more like the opposite.

Hmh. The sorts of "wishes" that ayakashi bless humans with... Do you think they are always what's truly desired?

[Matoba has his own complicated feelings about the gods. But one thing he's certain of is that what they call their benevolence is not always wanted.]

[Then again. Sparrow's flippant attitude towards the island's fate, and the existence of them here... Maybe they already had a complicated existence beyond what he would call humanity.]

I will see what I can do to find you on your path back to the village, [Matoba agrees, and holds up a finger.] As thanks for your information. But, what happens once you return... I make no promises.

Is that acceptable, Sparrow?

[ A laugh escapes her. Both he and she know the more broad, the more grand a wish is, the more easily it can be twisted. That's why you shouldn't rely on gods and demons, why you should do what you can on your own, and if you do need the help of another being, you ask very specific questions like "How do we find this girl named Ala?" or "Has this heart been used in a ritual?" She's not stupid; she knows. ]

Of course. That's "home" after all. Over there, I'll be in my domain.

Is that so. Well, then.

[Something like that was more promising than threatening. After all, if Sparrow was this talented, she would be quite the useful one to have on-hand, right?]

[No fear. Just plans. Matoba bows his head respectfully, or at least in the show of it.]

I look forward to it, Sparrow-san. The day when I can see your power.

Ah, and I will get you that coffee. I haven't forgotten.

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cambium - 2023-01-16 00:50 (UTC) - Expand

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CROW

SWAN

ROBIN

LARK

RAVEN (née HAMTARO)

MAGPIE

SPARROW

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