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

[exsoldier]

[ For a guy like Zack who makes friends easily and is something of a social butterfly, he tends to pick up on moments when he completely botches something. Not that he usually lets it deter him that much, but he can sense the way that she closes off as soon as she realizes what's happened.

He does have a lot of questions, but he also somehow wants to make this up to her, even if it isn't his fault. ]

Well, sure. Like your name, how we met, what exactly it is I don't remember...

[ He sighs and shakes his head to himself. ]

Kind of a lot to ask, though. We should find somewhere more comfortable to talk, don't you think? And let's just say I'll owe you one.

[ Not that he has anything other than the clothes on his back to give up, but he'll figure something out. ]

[holybeasts]

[At the question Maria can't help but glance down. She's wearing shorts today as she typically is used to doing and the length of her furred legs are visible. And naturally her hooves too.]

I think the worst part was really the hooves. And a lot of that was how they happened overnight. It's one thing to step out of bed on feet and another on hooves.

[unsacrificing]

[byleth is also a bit caught off guard when claude raises his voice. it's not like him to lose himself like this, and it's clear claude himself is surprised by it as well. the slip tells byleth that what's about to follow is important, a vulnerability that claude would never allow himself to show otherwise. but since they trust each other so completely, even without being privy to his every thought, claude is allowing byleth to see him like this.]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that I don't think you trust me. I know that you do.

[a smile as he regloves his hand]

I'm grateful that you'd like to tell me, and I'll listen when the time comes. Until then-

[a frown]

-until then, perhaps I can distract myself from the shared memories with something else. Like trying to master that strange fishing game.

[unsacrificing]

It's difficult to hear Dimitri make such an admission. But then again, can he really blame him? What must it be like to hear that you die in so many different futures and timelines? While it may be so that all of them have died at one point, revived only by the power of Sothis, it stings to know that Byleth wasn't there to press his finger into the pulse of time once more, to rewind and prevent and maybe even save.

And even now, he doesn't have the words to console Dimitri.

"I understand your fear. It's not an easy thing to hear." Byleth takes a deep breath, his hand moving to rest on the other's back, comforting in any way he can. "But we should think of this as an opportunity. You're here before that time for a reason, surely.

I'll listen to you, as long as you need. I'm sorry I didn't before - perhaps if we'd spent more time together, you would not have... I know you would have gone on to greater heights."

soren!!!!! and as a dragon...oh how the turns have tabled

[unsacrificing]

Byleth seems to droop in disappointment when the other denies that the doll is his. He'd been looking for the owner of the doll for quite some time, but it truly does not seem to belong to anyone! He's spent so much time on it, he hasn't had the chance to ask about the other items filling his pockets.

So when the other points to his stuffed pocket, his eyes widen in surprise. He'd nearly forgetting himself that he had more than one item.

He pulls out the bright blue feather, handling it delicately between his now scaled, clawed hands. "A feather. Does this belong to you?"

[thatsamoray]

The water got crowded. I didn't want to hang around those wannabes.

[Ignoring the fact that none of them really wanted to be stuck in that situation. It was a bunch of merrow that weren't used to being mermaids. Floyd wasn't the sympathetic type, though. It was like watching Crab and Mackerel screw up even the most basic color-change spell. Like, come on, aren't you embarrassed to be so bad?...]

Can't make legs appear anymore.

[he rolls, making more of a muddy mess out of his lower body]

I thought this place would be interesting but it's just boring.

[holybeasts]

[She blinks a time or two. He's certainly not wrong, is he.]

You do have a point! Neither of us would get very far away at this rate, hm?

[On one hand she's quite glad for that. If he can't just up and disappear then he certainly can't just lock himself away wherever, at least not for the long term. So in a way without her even trying or having to convince him her somewhat selfish wish has been granted.

This Alucard is certainly different though. A bit of conversation in and he already seems a great deal more relaxed and friendly than the other. It's such a change that she finds it rather difficult to call them the same person and that notion somehow makes it a little more heartbreaking that she won't catch up to the other as long as she's here.

She muses on the fire that prickles dueling senses of fear and comfort for a moment or so more, glancing over a brief moment to note the man's closed eyes. Does he not like the bonfire any more than she does? She's not thoroughly sure but she reasons it's a decent enough guess if nothing else.

So Maria turns abruptly on her feet to announce as breezily as someone without a care in the world might:]

If I remember correctly, there is supposed to be quite a bit of food around. How much of an appetite do you have, Adrian?

[The name is still foreign on her tongue but it's a good way to differentiate the two of them in her mind, this Alucard and the one she knows. ... Or doesn't know to be completely honest.]

[unsacrificing]

[he starts formulating a plan on finding out, but the sound of his name brings him out of his thoughts and back to the current conversation. what edelgard says certainly sheds more light on the subject- an alarming one, at that.

he smiles a little, a smile tinged with something bittersweet.]

As you've said, she and I have made different choices. [and as such, are two wholly different people. their only similarity, in his mind, are their names. his priorities had been focused elsewhere when he arrived.

How strange...that I'd need to become a strange monster to assist with the blight. But if that's how it needs to be, then I'll help this world.

[mistwalk]

[ She could perhaps understand being unfamiliar with Doma, especially if he is not up-to-date on the political climate, but then he names his home as a place she hasn't heard of, either. Maybe if the Warrior of Light would come to visit more... Her head tilts, eyes keenly curious. They must indeed be from different stars, for she knows of no such place as Norvrandt. ]

I'm afraid to say I do not. All the same, I'm glad to have met you, Rorik.

[ Different stars or not, he reminds her of home, and that is enough. ]

Mayhap as we walk, you could tell me more of your Norvrandt.

C

[timenace]

[ Tossing himself into dangerous situations and burning his magic like crazy has been Sougo's go-to from pretty much the start. He's gone on expeditions whenever possible, he's hit up outposts to deal with dangerous Witches lurking out in the Wilde, and you can bet this fool of a boy is tossing himself into them once more to deal with the Shades that have appeared.

He's a lot better equipped for it too since the last time he fought, and his abilities amounted to shoving his magic into something like some sort of magical battery. He's taken a couple of months to finally properly study what he's supposed to be doing, and like Momo he's got a lot of pent up energy, though it Sougo's case he's starting to get dangerously close to bursting at the seams.

He's keeping it together well, but as the new moon began to approach Sougo was pretty fast to take up the suggestion to go out and run himself ragged. It's a good place to practice his evocations, though whenever he's run into shades he's fallen back on defensive magic as well. Though there's a little difference between the shields he's been making, and the type Momo has been.

Did you know if you make small ones right in front of a curled fist they work shockingly well in place of gloves or knuckles? Use them on the bottom or side of your feet and you basically don't even need boots or greaves.

The trick is just learning how to make them at the right time without having to mutter things under his breath to summon them. He's still working on that part.

It's what he's likely to default to in just a moment, now that he's heard Momo call out to him, and has frantically waved out the fire he had just set. ]

Momo?

[ He's quickly skittering sideways to avoid being backed into. ]

Do you need help?

[ There's a surprising lack of excitement or fear in his tone given the situation, though he at least has the decency of sounding mildly surprised by all of this. ]

[anotherstep]

[ It suits him just as well that she doesn't ask about his magic any further, because he doesn't want to talk about it, and with any luck, he won't have to use it. Or attempt to, anyway. He hasn't exactly...practiced much. Good thing being a warrior doesn't require much magical know-how at all.

He grunts a response that is more or less a "yes", following her lead and winding back slowly, giving up ground to the Shade as it snarls and advances on him, swiping at his axe with its great, haggard claws. He lets it get closer to landing a blow than mayhap he should, but nothing risked, nothing gained, and the more the creature focuses on cornering him and taking him out, the more of an opening he can give Lightning. ]

I thought a beast like you would be more of a challenge!

[ A little extra aggro can't hurt, either, but he sure hopes she knows what she's doing, because he is running out of ground to give up. ]

[killuwatt]

Hey! What are you implying, huh? [ Killua huffs, dropping his books on the desk as well. He flops on the bed when Gon takes up the desk, kicking his shoes off the edge. ]

...but I mean, yeah, obviously, nothing fun to do in here. It's basically just a bed. No point hanging around unless I'm sleeping or whatever.

[freeing]

I see. I will bring this to the attention of the Coven, but first...

[ The city streets were filled with monsters and witches alike. It felt harmonious, at first glance. How they mingled, how the shops were full and plentiful – but there was a tension that some carried. Some like Daenerys. There's a mask she slides on, one fitting of a Queen giving a ruling in which she must face the consequences of.

This girl, new and fresh, confused as she was on what brought people here but not through normal means.

This stranger handles her words far better than she could imagine – but when she stops to the nearest tavern, one with a bard poised outside singing of mermaidens and their long-lost loves – Dany ushers her inside. ]

Ten months, give or take. It's not often that time feels both long and short... yet...

[ Through transformations and the like, it happens. Daenerys motions for a small two-chair table in the corner, away from a lot of interactions of the patrons. ]

[freecshow]

Heheheh.

[Gon watches Killua get comfortable, then...... ugh, remembers why he's here. studying...

Gon deflates with a sigh, then dramatically throws his shoulders to the books, propping his ankle up on his knee as he stares at one of the covers.]

Okay, so... History of Monsters...

[Gon's back bows as he sighs. throwing the cover open.]

I wonder if I can just skim the index... Like if there's a history "per monster" or something...

[Gon straightens up, seeming to try to get his head on straight to examine the index.]

[confectionerie]

[ ...Ann doesn't see it coming at all, and so completely unprepared for the pinch, she yelp loudly, eyes widening as she slaps her hand over her mouth a moment later. ]

Shit, I hope the guards didn't hear that...

[ And it wasn't all that painful, just surprising! With a groan, she shakes her head. ]

I guess the dream option is out, then...this is real.

[heartsbane]

[ that's something he hasn't dealt with in sometime. religion. Aefenglom and its native inhabitants were far from pious folk, a distant cry from what he was used to in the various corners of home. her words strike him with a sense of familiarity. being a knight comes with a certain sense of appreciation, but he's certainly no follower. her words earn a low noise at the back of his throat in response. ]

So you have had practice before here, then. I hardly doubt you need my council if that is the case. —But we are already here, and the current is nice out today.

[ she is of course given as much distance as she might desire, Jorah too stepping forward across the wooden planks to watch the waters runs against the stilts coming out from the ground. he has always found it easy to lose himself to the sea, and if it wasn't for her question, he could have very well done just that. so much for being a good conversationalist. ]

Aye. Monsters can lose themselves without a bond to a witch. Witches are without the pool from which they gather strength from. I have had more than my fair share of rough moons.

[ it didn't help that he and his queen decided to foolishly bond together as a pair of monsters. she wouldn't find an ounce of regret on his face as he thinks on that. ]

But alchemy can be trusted. As you must know, it all depends on the source. You cannot risk to pay less for your well-being. Difficult as it may be, unlucky fools like myself have to trust the Coven for their wares.

time to... tip... the scalies...?!

[silentsavant]

It takes everything he has not to grab it like it will vanish into thin air if he doesn't. But he manages to restrain himself, extending his arm out like a normal person to pluck it from Byleth's fingers with surgical care. They're both rather scaly, Soren's the color of pitch with burning red at the membranes.

"Yes." He affixes it back to his bow tie, ensuring that it is securely in place. It occurs to him that he might look strange, having shown signs of caring so much about losing a trifle like a feather, but his relief for having been reunited with one of his treasures outweighs any concern for first impressions — not that it was any of the other dragon's business what his belongings meant to him. "I was about ready to concede defeat until you showed up. So thank you."

But it's rather strange, isn't it? A mysterious dragon — an unimaginably rare creature, so it's safe to say this one probably fell out of a mirror — with the serendipity to come to him not only with the item he'd been seeking, but presenting him with another oddball piece of junk? There are more things in his pockets where that came from. Are they also discarded or misplaced belongings? It's enough to make Soren wonder what else he's looking for out of him. He crosses his arms and scrutinizes him further.

"What are you doing, anyway? Collecting people's missing things off the streets for them? If you expect that I'm going to pay you for a job I didn't hire you to do, I would rethink that notion."

[unyieldingmarch]

[That is a little alarming.]

Do you know what manner of creature you're becoming?

[She turns to face the Professor, and there is actual concern there. She's learned long, long ago to be mindful of changes.

She also can't help the faint flash of teeth, elongated canines, that stand out against her too pale lips.]

[killuwatt]

Gon.

[ Killua stares at him, from where he's lain down on his belly, chin propped in his palms. ]

Do you even know what the index is? It just tells you were to find certain information. But then you have to go and read it, you know.

Even if there's a guide to the mention of every type of Monster, how will that even help you get through it faster unless you already knew what you were looking for?

[timenace]

[ That question seems to surprise Sougo more than the sudden appearance of a guy he doesn't know in his living quarters. Unless they've really changed up how they're doing things, new arrivals are usually given pretty thorough rundowns of the situation.

He could be someone from this world, of course, but he's not exactly dressed in a way that would suggest he's local. ]

Eh? They didn't tell you after you left the mirror room?

[ Not the proper name for it, but don't worry about that fact. ]

[killuwatt]

I wasn't sneaking up on anyone.

Jeez... what a rude welcome.

[ Fine, huh? Sure. Definitely. Killua rolls his eyes. ]

My name's Killua. And you're right. It doesn't matter to me at all that you're sitting there bawling in a bush. Why should I care?

[freecshow]

I know that!! [Gon whines back, having half a mind to whip a boot off his foot into Killua's face. that's more or less exactly what he was insinuating!]

Like, if there's a history of ...Monster A, and Monster B, maybe if the introduction to each of those monster types will give like, information of those certain types without having to read the entire history!!

Am I wrong?!

[Gon hasn't even started, and he's already frustrated.]

[killuwatt]

[ Huh. Actually, not badly thought-out. Killua grunts. ]

No. That all tracks.

Knock yourself out. I'm taking a nap.

[ So much for helping Gon research... ]

[freecshow]

[Gon huffs LOUDLY. fine! fine... like he really deserves to demand anything of Killua, as is certainly his natural instinct, which he suppresses.]

Fine. Do that.

[Gon slumps onto his palm, elbow on the table as he angrily pours over the index, trying to will himself to focus. even aside from being pettily irritated, the last thing he wants to do is study—by himself!—besides!!

studying is always hard, but—! Killua's right! there!! how is he supposed to focus?! and maybe Gon's not in the mood to nap, but it seems like such a waste of lost time... maybe Killua doesn't think so, and that's fine. that's fine. jesus. he needs to focus...]

[killuwatt]

[ Killua doesn't answer. He grabs the pillow instead, burying his face in it and blocking out the light.

The truth is, he's barely slept at all for several days, too anxious about being stuck here, too worried about his sister, desperate to learn as much as possible to improve his situation in this place as quickly as he could. He's still coming to terms that maybe he really will be stuck here for months, possibly even a whole year, and he can't exactly spend the whole of it awake and chasing after the entirety of the Coven for answers.

But even though he doesn't feel like sleeping here on his own puts him in danger, there's something a lot more comfortable about being in the same room as someone else again.

...in the same room as Gon.

He still can't believe Gon is here. He still doesn't know what to think of it, or how to feel, and even the relief seems complicated. But if he tries not to think about it too much, if all he focuses on are the sounds of Gon's breathing and occasional frustrated huff and page-turning, then at least for a few minutes, everything feels like it might just be okay.

Gon will give up on the books in half an hour, maybe a whole hour if he's stubborn enough. Killua will take over then. For now, he lets his eyes close and does exactly as he announced he would, curling up around the pillow and falling asleep. ]