They come crawling out of the elevator shaft and in from the walls of the Tower just after midnight on August 11--shadowy black humanoid shapes with white, wide grins. Attracted to the residents of the Tower, they trail after favored people. Sometimes only one or two shadow children will follow a person around, but others may have dozens.
At first, they seem eerie and vaguely familiar, but harmless. As the week continues, though, the shadow children begin to change. They begin speaking, first quietly, then loudly, but always in the voice of someone the person they're following would remember from home. Each one has its own unique voice, although only the resident they've attached themselves to can hear them. Their words and tone vary, but are always warped. Frightened, angry, sad, accusatory--they whisper or cry or shout blame and doubt at their chosen resident, tapping into their insecurities related to whoever they seem to be, to their situation at home, and to their behavior in the Tower.
No matter how the shadow children behave, they all say the same thing, though in their own way-- "I'm from your world, your world, we're all that's left, look what's happened to me, this is all your fault".
This is what remains of the souls that were torn apart and ruined in your own universe. Only one person is taken from each world, and this is what happened to all the rest.
During the middle of the week, however, some unfortunate residents may find the situation getting worse. What was destroyed was their past and present--and also their future. Some unlucky residents will be trailed by those who they do not yet know and now never will, those who do not yet exist and now never will be. They will not tell secrets of the resident's future, but they will shout and cry and scream at never getting to experience it. This does not have to happen to every character, but it may happen to some of them.
Those followed by shadow children will slowly have their energy drained over the week, represented by their collar becoming lighter and lighter in tone, as well as increasing lethargy, listlessness, and power loss. Once a collar is fully clear, the character will die. They will not be revived until the event is over.
Characters may be saved from this fate by others in the Tower--the only way to guard against the warped bonds of a dead world is with the new bonds of the Tower, and shadow children can be temporarily driven off by others who they aren't following. The more a character is attached to the bonds of their dead world, though, the more powerful the bond in the Tower has to be. Forming new bonds works toward this as well. Still, a misanthropist will find dealing with the situation much, much easier than someone with an innate connection to their worlds, who will have quite a difficult time with this.
At first, they seem eerie and vaguely familiar, but harmless. As the week continues, though, the shadow children begin to change. They begin speaking, first quietly, then loudly, but always in the voice of someone the person they're following would remember from home. Each one has its own unique voice, although only the resident they've attached themselves to can hear them. Their words and tone vary, but are always warped. Frightened, angry, sad, accusatory--they whisper or cry or shout blame and doubt at their chosen resident, tapping into their insecurities related to whoever they seem to be, to their situation at home, and to their behavior in the Tower.
No matter how the shadow children behave, they all say the same thing, though in their own way-- "I'm from your world, your world, we're all that's left, look what's happened to me, this is all your fault".
This is what remains of the souls that were torn apart and ruined in your own universe. Only one person is taken from each world, and this is what happened to all the rest.
During the middle of the week, however, some unfortunate residents may find the situation getting worse. What was destroyed was their past and present--and also their future. Some unlucky residents will be trailed by those who they do not yet know and now never will, those who do not yet exist and now never will be. They will not tell secrets of the resident's future, but they will shout and cry and scream at never getting to experience it. This does not have to happen to every character, but it may happen to some of them.
Those followed by shadow children will slowly have their energy drained over the week, represented by their collar becoming lighter and lighter in tone, as well as increasing lethargy, listlessness, and power loss. Once a collar is fully clear, the character will die. They will not be revived until the event is over.
Characters may be saved from this fate by others in the Tower--the only way to guard against the warped bonds of a dead world is with the new bonds of the Tower, and shadow children can be temporarily driven off by others who they aren't following. The more a character is attached to the bonds of their dead world, though, the more powerful the bond in the Tower has to be. Forming new bonds works toward this as well. Still, a misanthropist will find dealing with the situation much, much easier than someone with an innate connection to their worlds, who will have quite a difficult time with this.
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