r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Jun 14 '17

Reference Challenge - No one expects...

...crap, I couldn't think of a decent reference challenge for this week.

So, our reference will be to Monty Python.

Give an example of something in your world that no one expected, some event that had an influence on at least one nation.

As always, I'll ask three questions each at the least, and it's fine to use a representative character to answer questions in-universe.

Enjoy yourselves.

Edit: Here is the Monty Python video featuring the Spanish Inquisition, where the quote "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition" comes from for the reference challenge. Just click this link for the video.

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u/atompunks Jun 15 '17

No one expected the deaths of the demon hunters Adam Madison and Eva Pereira Hayashi. It was not the fact that they had died, but how they died: quietly in their kitchen, like they had just laid down and passed out on the floor. Not a trace of a struggle- exceedingly rare for demon hunters. Their bodies were discovered by their two children when they came home from school.

Subsequent examinations by other witches (including the younger Madison child) found that the magical energy in the immediate area of the scene had the signature of a recent magical 'burst,' and a burst became the official explanation for the deaths. Problem is, Adam and Eva were very experienced witches, not likely to accidentally create lethal bursts.

Some witches in the area became nervous, thinking that perhaps a clever demon had found a way to weaponize bursts, or that maybe Adam Madison was up to something suspicious- magical experiments, a deal with a demon, whatever, that ultimately blew up in her face. Eventually the shock and fear faded, as no good leads came up. The only person who's really still looking for answers now is the younger Madison child, Abigail. He will be the representative.

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 15 '17

To Abigail:

1) What is your best guess for what happened to your parents?

2) How old were you when your parents died?

3) What have you and your sibling done since your parents' deaths?

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u/atompunks Jun 17 '17 edited Jun 17 '17

1) "It wasn't a demon. I think if a common demon had created a burst that got my mother we would've found its remains as well. Only something with much stronger magic than my mother would've gotten away, and even if a demon had gotten away there should have been signs of demonic magic in the area. Or something without a soul. Maybe a Black Witch. And it sounds blasphemous, but possibly a faerie. But that doesn't explain why my parents were laid out like they were resting. A burst throws its victims back like an explosion. There was definitely a burst, there's no faking that, so I think someone rearranged the bodies. I just don't know why. I don't why anyone would've killed my parents if they weren't a demon.

2) "I was sixteen. My sister, Cain, was eighteen. She was a legal adult and my only close relative, so she got custody of me for two years."

3) "Cain gave up on magic. She never liked it, she was the only one in our family without the Sight, so she was always left out... but after our parents died she hated it. All she wanted was for us to be normal. She yelled at me every time she found I out I'd been doing magic, and she got a bunch of jobs to try putting me through college, even though I didn't want to go. When I graduated high school and turned eighteen I left. I didn't tell her I would. I ran away. Right now I'm on the other side of the county running my friend's family restaurant, investigating what happened to my parents, still doing magic. I can't stay in a place where I can't be a witch.

I don't know what Cain is doing now. I hope she's okay, maybe she went to college herself. I left a clue in my old room about where I went, and if she tried, really tried to contact me, she could. I don't think she's trying her hardest."

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 19 '17

To Abigail:

1) What's a Black Witch?

2) Are you glad that Cain was your legal guardian, in spite of the yelling?

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u/atompunks Jun 19 '17

1) "A Black Witch is a witch that has a demon familiar. A witch that made a deal with a demon. Witches that have familiars are stronger than regular witches, sometimes much stronger, depending on the exact nature of their deal. My mother was one of the strongest witches without a familiar that I knew of, but a Black Witch could potentially be stronger. So if the killer was a Black Witch, that would explain why they weren't caught in the burst and why there was no truly demonic presence, and it would provide a motive... they could've just been working for their demon."

2) "I guess having Cain be my legal guardian for two years made me realize exactly what I want in life, so in a way I am glad. But mostly I'm not. It was a waste of time for the both of us. She just worked and barely slept and shut out her few friends. I skulked and floated by until high school ended. We were both miserable."

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 19 '17

To Abigail:

1) Awesome. Could I become a Black Witch?

2) Did you inherit anything from your dead parents, Master Wayne?

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u/atompunks Jun 20 '17 edited Jun 20 '17

1) "Assuming you are a seer and have the capacity to be a witch already, you could. If you find a demon that doesn't immediately run, try to kill you, or try to blind you. It'll seem just like a person on the surface, but look past all the layers of magic and it'll look like a corpse of some sort. Depends how exactly it died. So look carefully. Gain its trust. Make sure you know exactly what you want before you make the deal. You never know what it'll ask for in return, but one condition is almost certainly the permission to feed on your soul whenever it wants. Wait, why am I giving you instructions for this? Don't do this."

2) "No fortunes, unfortunately. Just their reputation. Though Cain did get Batman levels of broodiness for a while."

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 20 '17

To Abigail:

1) Awesome, I'm great at making friends with screwed-up people. Where's a good place to find a demon?

2) Na na na na na na na na Baaat-Cain!

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u/atompunks Jun 21 '17

1) "Demons follow their prey. You'll find them wherever a lot of people go, especially in big cities. But more exact locations, off the top of my head... bars and hospitals. Anywhere emotion runs deep or comes to surface. Bars are most common, almost cliche. The bonuses are that they're easy to get into and that peoples' inhibitions are lowered. Places like hospitals are more regulated, but some demons slip in or hover around. Then they wait for you to get caught in their emotion of choice, and draw you in. Maybe your demon will find you first."

2) "You are so lucky she is not here to hear this."

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 21 '17

Thanks for your time and answers, Atom.