Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

[devilyouknew]

Hey, I can't help that I-- Oh, not me.

[Takizawa hears the sounds of the approaching creature once he stops struggling, and in ceasing his flapping he's able to return himself to his original shape, albeit laying on his back. He hops up quickly, brushing himself off.

He doesn't have as much to offer in the way of combat the way he usually would. Most of what he'd done had relied on strength he no longer has - and he doesn't exactly have any training. His erratic style is what threw others off, but this monster isn't going to know any better.]

Alright, [he mutters under his breath to himself] one more time.

[He has to change his thought process. This isn't going to work that way his abilities usually worked. He'll have to get imaginative.]

Knives! [And with that, his hands turn into knife-like blades. This could become an issue if he has trouble changing them back, but for now it's something to work with.]

[kingofunification]

Ah. [He nods, a sympathetic grimace on his face.] The first one must have been quite the shock.

[Claude wants to ask why the age gap, but he has a feeling Dimitri doesn't know that answer. This world doesn't seem keen on giving up its secrets that easily. It would have to be something to ponder later.]

Well, I guess I should be flattered that you recognized me, even from the back. [An attempt at raising the mood, easing his lips back into a smile.] This world not treating you too poorly?

[kingofunification]

[That goes without saying. Beyond being on the other side of the war, some of those names they had definitely left behind to be buried in a shallow grave...

He tries to clear his head of those somber thoughts, focusing on the task at hand. He had to make sure his own life was secure before he began to grieve about the past, and "what ifs".]

And this blight? [Claude looks up, his steps becoming more cautious as they approach the lights of an unknown town.] How exactly does it manifest?

[wordsinthesoul]

[For him, it's been a little while…. But it's not as though he's forgotten who Alphinaud is, either, and he drops his hand after a moment- doing his best to smother a grin as Alphinaud's ears bounce. It is adorable.]

Ah, well. I'm sure the rest of you will follow in time. [That's… probably not a problem, as a Puca.]

How are you feeling? [Does it ache, in other words?]

[kingsroads]

[ This is some dumb bullshit??? Strange looks confused for a moment as he tries to cast a spell again (it doesn't work) and then tries one more for good measure (same result).

There's an annoyed expression on his face before he realizes Alucard's already making a break for it. So naturally, Strange decides to chase him down. ]

Dammit, wait a moment! I still have more questions!

[ Strange is probably not going to be able to catch Alucard. But that's not gonna stop him yelling! ]

[duckflails]

...Oh.

[He tries to redirect himself.]

Then where's the way out of here?! [He says as if this is some kind of a trap.] ...And which way to that Coven, anyway?!

[strongspirited]

How typical. Nobody has ever heard of us. [Sypha snorts a laugh, patting Wen Ning on the back.]

We're scholars, and we try not to be noticed, so if you haven't heard of us, that means we're doing good.

But what is a Cultivator? That sounds mysterious. Like a code.

[Is it a code?!]

[bravers]

It's not like that. You have to learn for yourself, or it doesn't mean anything. You imitating someone else's feeling isn't real.

[The entrance to the coven looms, now. But he lingers- his pace slowing, to get that point across. And something else.]

Look. you've told me you're my enemy from the get-go. I'm not saying no, to bonding. But I need to know you better first. It's up to you whether you want to make a life for yourself here, or if you want to keep clinging to something that doesn't matter anymore.

[finesseblade]

Mm. Then you can imagine my shock the first time it happened.

[ He tilts his head to one side, fixing her with the appraising look of one solid golden eye as she approaches. Part of it is just his own damn instincts gauging threat levels, even when he doesn't need to. Part of it is just his own natural inclination to try and figure out her current state of mind.

He's begun paying more attention to animal body language since he started having these monthly changes—a side effect and a personal goal at once. Hers says stress. Hell, he has a cat. He'd have figured it out even without paying any special mind.

He whuffs out a short bark to draw her attention. ]

Relax. Steady yourself. You'll still be you, so long as you keep your focus, and embrace that you're this—stronger—for the night.

[boarddyd]

[Rather than shocking, when Dimitri met the first of his classmates, he didn't even notice the gap... He's dumb of ass.

Although melancholy is tugging at him, Dimitri raises his head with a smile.] No, it isn't. Those who come from other worlds - mirrorbound - are well taken care of. You should have no trouble finding a place to stay and a means of income.

I'll admit, it's a much easier life. [No politics, such a relief.] I'd ask you what you planned on getting up to here, but I doubt you'd tell me.

[Dimitri offers a bit of levity of his own - he is curious, but he also trusts Claude not to GO START A WAR so he doesn't need to know all the details.]

[cryptsleeper]

Give or take a decade, from the sounds of it.

[Do decades matter in time that long? Alucard had never given the matter thought before, and yet here and now? He clearly must, and that he doesn't like at all. The world is still a thing he's learning, yet he'll be experiencing it not by years, but other measures.

It isn't something he wants to focus on. Maria is right in finding the fire far easier to deal with, but it also leads to other memories. Worse ones. So Alucard closes his eyes, focusing on Maria's words and tone alone.]

Knowing myself, this all seems right.

[That had been the plan after Dracula's death after all. Go to sleep and remain there, tucked safe under Gresit and free from the world. The grief. All the horrible nasty bits, and yet again, it seems humans are the ones that prevent him from doing so.

That the world denies him that release says so much. As does the fact that Maria doesn't want him to do it. There is affection there then, or at least the potential for it.]

Then I cannot possibly disappear from you now. That much seems obvious.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's not fleeing. But he is moving very swiftly along, forcing Strange to at least put some real leg work into it.]

You can ask literally anyone else!

[aremnant]

[ He's quiet for a long moment before he rests his head against Cloud's shoulder, a distant but thoughtful hum leaving his lips as arms hold tight around the blond for support. ]

You're... so confusing, brother. [ He murmurs that tiredly. ] You don't remember. But we fought. You and I. Because you were in the way of bringing Mother back. But just like when you defeated me, you didn't leave me alone when I was weak. Like now... just like right now. I didn't understand why. But now I wonder... if you felt then as you do now. Maybe you felt sorry for me. For a... fellow puppet.

[ Because Cloud was once that himself and that alone is a similarity they will always carry with each other. ]

If I reject Mother like you tell me to... then you're all the family I have left.

Prey

[timenace]

[ For all his (admittedly limited) talents, being able to read meaningful glances has never been one that Sougo possesses. It's fortunate for him that Felix opts to clarify what that look means, though the word "shades" is enough to have the kid snapping to attention and peering in the same direction.

It's a shame though, being a Witch who hasn't bothered to learn magic that could enhance his senses, Sougo isn't really seeing or smelling anything right now. He doesn't doubt that Felix here is noticing something he isn't though, and rolls his shoulders back as he gets ready for what is apparently approaching. ]

You can tell where they are?

[ He can certainly follow behind, even if he has no idea how to suss them out. ]

[wordsinthesoul]

That's probably not inaccurate- though certainly Thancred regards himself as grown-up. …mostly. He's still a little fluffed up, but most of his feathers settle into place. "We've all been strangers here- 'tis only right that we should help look after each other." Even if there's been disagreement about what shape that should take, exactly- and probably it's best if they try a few different things. "Then- where would you like to go first?" From the look of his clothes- well, an ordinary clothes shop might present some difficulties. Perhaps they'd have better luck working with fabric.

[zewu_jun]

[He doesn't really understand the insistence, but seeing how it seems to soothe her, he's happy to share the food. Any comfort that he can offer is important. He takes a small bite of the strawberry she gave him to continue encouraging her to eat, looking at her fondly. Ah, big brother, is it?]

It is good. I am glad we can eat this together. You aren't uncomfortable are you?

[With no shoes again and Lan Xichen not sure if she has eaten or slept properly, he's worried about Sae's comfort.]

[exsoldier]

[ Feels like forever. It makes Zack wonder at exactly how long it's been for Cloud, though he isn't able to get the question out before Cloud stumbles into further explanation. Zack doesn't mind sitting back and listening, as this entire situation is still overwhelming for him and it's frankly nice to hear Cloud talking so much, even if it is about some kind of Bond with Aerith.

The Bond concept is something that Zack still only vaguely understands, but for all that Cloud's worried that he might be upset, that's not it at all. For one thing, he'd been dead and as far as Cloud and Aerith knew, that wasn't going to change. For another thing, it sounds like the Bond was made out of necessity, platonic rather than something deeper. Even if it was, Zack wouldn't be upset. ]

Hey, listen to me. [ Zack's voice takes on a more hushed tone as he reaches out for Cloud's shoulder once again, but this time it's to grip it and give him a solid shake. ] It's not like I expected Aerith to wait around pining for me for years and years when she didn't even know what happened, right? I'm just glad that somehow the two of you found each other. That's... pretty incredible, honestly.

[ It's a relief to know that two people Zack cares about so intensely had been able to meet and lean on each other, even if Aerith had ended up in the same place he did when all was said and done. ]

And I'm glad you were looking out for her, too.

[ With that, Zack pulls his hand back and the smile he gives is lighter. There's a lot to sift through here, but he's always been good at latching onto the bright points. ]

So you're a... monster, I guess? Sorry, still getting used to the nomenclature around here.

[spirialink]

Huh? No, I won't turn into a monster. I'm what they call a "witch" here, so I get to stay fully human. You, on the other hand...

[He stares at Hisui for a second.]

...I dunno about you. You still look like you, at least. [kor was usually too busy staring at Kohaku to really bother staring at Hisui and make note of his finer features like the shape of his teeth.]

[ruinedempire]

[A thin smile crosses Rufus' face, far from being genuine, but practiced enough that the former president maintains his refined appearance despite it.]

Of course. Who doesn't want to speak with the famed war hero of Shinra Company?

[Perhaps not the best time to make a potentially provoking comment, but well, he really can't help himself. It helps that he can feel the fear that used to be gripping his body slowly fade away.

It's almost strange to think, but despite being the well-known nightmare that almost destroyed the planet, Rufus didn't actually encounter Sephiroth when he fully lost his sanity. Speaking with him like this should feel normal, perhaps even familiar in a way, but it still feels wrong... like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Knowing Sephiroth's future definitely plays a large role in that.]

How about a question for a question? I'll even let you ask the first one.

[He's so generous.

It doesn't seem like Rufus is willing to bend much on his suggestion, the offer floating in the air as he looks at the other man.]

[barbeardian]

[ Ghosts are hard and need magical things. And Pike, he definitely needs Pike if they are going to be fighting ghosts in this place. That's how it works.

Okay, but he really was not expecting that answer. ]

Oh, shit. It worked.

[ He is a genius. Just call him Master Negotiator Grog from now on. Vex is gonna be so proud! ]

Okay, okay. So, like, you just wait here, right? I'll be right back. Just stay there!

[ His voice goes up in pitch with excitement, heavy feet hitting the ground as the goliath bounces up and down on his toes gleefully before rushing to the stand and getting the biggest, brightest, most feather-plumed hat the vendor has. And the poor seller is so startled by the energy and size of their customer, that it doesn't take long before Grog is back, happily producing his prize. ]

TA-DAAA! The best they had! Try it on. It's gonna look great on you, killer.

[crestfallenfor]

[Ever pragmatic, even in the face of... all this. Something he could appreciate about Claude - especially now - so it isn't much of a surprise when he asks about how the cwyld manifests.]

It... doesn't quite kill things, though what it does is likely worse, and it manifests in different ways depending on what it's infected.

[Here, have some infodump, Claude:]

Everything in an environment - the plants, mostly, but even the ground and the rocks - grow and become charged with this odd, unsettling magic. Everything turns black, except where the growth makes it crack apart, which glows with that magic.

Monsters and wildlife turn black, too, first. Then they slowly become disfigured as the infection consumes them... I'd say it's like the shift into a demonic beast, but as far as I can tell the process is much slower than that. The end result is similar, though, since the infected is unrecognizable at the end. They're... basically dead at this point, and there's no cure once it passes past the discoloration stage...

Witches and humans are similar, but... the influx of magic can also make them overload and, well, explode, instead, and take out everything around them with them. It's hard to tell if that'll happen, but if it gets to that point, there's nothing that can be done anyway.

Luckily, it can be cured if it's caught quickly enough, and the environment can be purified, but it's... risky.

[Does that speak of personal experience? It sure does. He'll even pause in his walking to dig out what looks like a pocketwatch at first glance, but... is what shows on the glass changing as he touches it? It is - and he eventually finds what he's looking for, turning to Claude to show him an image of an arm, skin blackened from the hand to up just past the elbow in creeping tendril patterns, veins looking raised and painful and just starting to glow.]

Looks like this, in the early stages, on a witch.

[pastregrets]

Yeah, just like it. I'm surprised you're here, actually? I'd somehow thought if you came you'd absolutely be a Monster, too.

[Omi that sounds weird.]

[pastregrets]

I'm glad he found you. Juza's been helping me out more than I want to admit, so I'm not even surprised.

[He laughs fondly.]

Well, at least you're here now. Not that it's a great thing that you're here, I guess, since this is all so weird. But if you have to be spirited away anywhere, you're safest with guys like us.

[A grin.]

No more impulse buys, though, okay?

[gynvael]

[ Concern draws his brows together. ] You can't leave.

[ It's not a question. It shouldn't even come as a surprise—why else would she still be here?—but maybe part of him was hoping against the odds. How deeply has her magic been affected? She's powerful. He's not exactly easily influenced by another force, either. The changes pushed upon him should be impossible, but here they are. He doesn't even know where to begin figuring this shit out.

When she steps closer, so does he. He reaches out, meaning to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. ]

Only about the horns. [ His response is wry. It still doesn't completely hide how he feels. He's been changed before. He's not interested in going through another round of it against his will a whole damn century later. ]

[barbeardian]

[ If Grog notices the tension when he moves, well, he mostly assumes it's because the Strange Mystery Lady is going to yell at him and make him pay for that table. But once she asks for kindling and seems to relax, he brightens up immediately. He can bring her the wood and it's all good, right? ]

A priestess? So you, like, serve a god an' all that, yeah? I've met a priest before. My buddy Pike is a cleric and she knows all kinds of priests and stuff.

[ Probably? Okay, he doesn't know who she knows, actually, but since she is a cleric and has done plenty of traveling and temples are everywhere--she has to know a bunch of priests and priestesses. Right?

He dusts off his hands as she takes the wood, looking at the fire with appreciation. ]

I'm Grog! Oh, uh, sorry about your... [ What was that pile of wood anyway? ] Toy stool thing?