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

yeah, if it comes to that I'm good for it!

[wordsinthesoul]

It's certainly a very unusual one. Thancred ignores the looks, focusing on leading the way. The more normal they act, the better, probably.

He could probably take to the air, although he's not sure what difference it might make- perhaps a little easier to see him.

He turns to look at Hythlodaeus at the question, eyebrows raised- but it does make sense to ask that. "Much like yourself, I suspect. I caught a glimmer of something, and sought to investigate- only to find myself pulled through, into the Looking Glass House. And that seems to be the case for all of us who are strangers to this land- save the location now, it seems. Thus the term 'Mirrorbound'."

[strongspirited]

[Sypha picks up on the 'Anymore' and snorts.]

As you say, Isaac. He's here though. And Dracula is not.

[Maybe this is a case of mistaken identity, but maybe not.]

[ooc: totally okay! it's a pandemic state of life.]

[strongspirited]

Some people become vampires, with fangs and the ability to become a bat. Others become wolves during the full moon, and still others become dragons or faerie creatures.

[She sounds sympathetic, too.]

You could also be what they call a witch and need time to acclimate to the local magic.

[killuwatt]

[ Killua definitely notices.

Their legs barely touch, but the skin to skin contact, however brief, sends a tiny jolt tingling all the way through Killua's body. The casual contact is such a surprise, he almost forgets to answer.

Killua stays very still. ]

All right. Then if you've had enough to eat for now, we can just... go. Or whatever. Who knows if it'll even be fun?

Either way, there's lots of the city I still haven't seen. We can look around and compare notes.

[foolsguard]

[ oh heck no this is even worse

Rule number one of shady markets is to trust no one. Rule number two is to not pick fights. What does this guy think he's doing?! He's gotta act quick if he's gonna keep this from getting bad! (Sure, he doesn't have the best track record himself, but at least he wasn't directly confronting the shopkeeper...!)

Which means he hastily reaches forward and grabs Asbel's arm, tugging him aside while wearing the most anxious smile on his face. ]

Ha ha, hey uh, s-sorry about my friend here he doesn't come here very often but we're late for an appointment or something so we'll just be going okay okay bye!

[ Tug tug. Yeah hi mister rabbit knight please just walk away from this instead of taunting the shopkeeper? ]

[freecshow]

[Gon isn't sure what he feels well in his chest, but it isn't anxiety—something pleasant that makes Gon sit up a little straighter, his smile growing and eyes softening. the hunt sounded fun, but...

exploring the city with Killua was appealing for ways Gon doesn't bother to look at hard enough to quantify off cuff. maybe because it proves there doesn't have to be some hard purpose to them spending time together. there's a healing sense of hope in that sort of sentiment.]

Mm! Actually, that sounds really fun. We can always do the Hunt when it's an actual full moon, instead. Maybe it's better we just relax a little before that, since we have no idea what that's even gonna be like.

ten years later

[loverboi]

Uh...good question. It's been a few months, I kind of lost track.

[ he looks up, puts his index finger on his chin and hums thoughtfully. ]

Around three or four months? Something like that.

[glitzandglamour]

Once more, Mettaton's ears spring up at prospect of having Hythlodaeus in his audience, excited. And how different he is from Hades, as a person! Far more like himself in his cheer, just as he was told. (As if it were an insult.) Though he knew this, it doesn't fail to amuse him that they'd be friends. Hythlodaeus' energy is radiant, much like his soul was — that bright soul he saw, compared to the deeper, solemn hue (untempered, as it was in that particular memory) belonging to Hades. Mettaton has the unique privilege of having seen Hythlodaeus' soul just as Hades could perceive it, given that the memory was from his perspective.

Seeing souls isn't uncommon to Mettaton, coming from a race of beings who interact with their souls.

"Well. You might be in luck... given that I've been working with a number of troupes, freshly emerging from their secrecy." Mettaton waves a hand. "The reason it was banned. Some Witch worked a little manipulative magic, upon his audience. His act went up in flames! Literally. Things were on fire. He lost control of his magic! But I don't see how that should have ever stopped me, a Monster... Here, in this world, I can't perform much in the ways of magic."

So okay, Witches and their magic might be tenuous and easy to overdo in the passion of theater, but how is a Puca supposed to carry the same risks? Mettaton never understood it. Would a Monster go feral in the middle of a performance...? Would the emotion be enough to get carried away? Nobody's ever suggested as much, so he doesn't spare much care for it.

Nevertheless, the robot reaches for Hythlodaeus' hand to grip between his own, wearing an energetic smile with a daring glint in his eye.

"Anyway. I'd love to have you, darling! I could never turn away a new fan," he responds simply, ears flicking, cocky as he is. "So early on in theater's revival that chances for performance are slimmer than I'd like... And I find I've fancied being part of a cast, rather than on my own. But! Go to the Entertainment District as the sun begins to set. You'll find all manner of advertisements for nightly shows, when the evening's young! You'll usually find me... considering I scarcely tire. I have boundless energy, perfect for showmanship. Ha-ha."

[supersoldier]

[The remark is not a reply he would have normally expected, automatic and almost knee-jerk. Sephiroth wonders what it means for her, that word “monster” and all of its normally unflattering connotations. Why she’s quick to call herself one, conflating — or maybe not caring about— the context a Monster subscribes to in this world, versus what it means in others.

It isn’t shameful to be a monster on this planet. It isn’t worthy of disdain or disgust; it’s a natural part of the world, a normalcy in their differences, the bad associations stripped clean or never in place to begin with.

But he doesn’t know her. Doesn’t care to start another argument that would act as a waste of time and breath. His efforts are better spent responding to the latter, offering information that she can twist around to her own liking.]

Unlikely. They don’t know who comes through the mirrors until they’re here. If an organization’s goal is to conscript what amounts to a resource pool, it’s reckless to assume everyone will be willing. Or a non-threat.

[killuwatt]

Hmm. [ Killua seems to consider this. When Gon sits up, it's easier to move his knee away very slightly without seeming like he's doing it on purpose, since he doesn't want to alert Gon to it. Gon probably didn't even notice. This is so stupid.

Focus, Killua.

He shrugs. ]

Yeah, sure. I don't care. If you wanna see how things are tomorrow night, it'll still be there.

You've spent some time exploring around here, right? Where should we start?

[freecshow]

Yeah!

But... Hmmm...

Some of the stuff I thought was pretty cool I'll probably have to show you some other time, cuz they might be closed by now...

[Gon's never thought about it before; something like touring Killua around, or entertaining him... it used to be that Killua seemed to have fun just because he was with Gon, and less because he was specifically being shown anything. the only time Gon can remember it vividly being that way was when Gon took Killua to Whale Island. a stunning tour of mundanity, which Killua really liked...

but it's tricky, cuz he's also easily lead to boredom.

either way, Gon's not particularly anxious about it. he steps into his boots.]

But there's a couple things I can show you.

Petra Macneary | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Monster ~ Naga

[islandhuntress]

i. Goblin Market
You are not telling truths!

[Petra had stupidly bought a potion a few days prior, hoping against hope that it would do what the merchant claimed and might stop, or at least slow, her changes. It had been foolish and it had only been a few coins but it bothered her that these merchants were outright lying.]

If I had been drinking this it would have done nothing except give me sleepiness!

[The merchant looks a little nervous if only because of how loudly Petra is protesting, waving one of his potions in his face.]

ii. Sunbathing
[Luckily for Petra, the window of her room faced mostly East, meaning she caught the first rays of the morning sun. She'd developed something of a morning ritual, first standing in front of her closed window, absorbing the heat from the sun's rays without going outside and exposing herself to the potentially chilly morning air. And then, when she felt warm enough, opening the window and crawling out to make her way onto the extending rooftop of the first floor that was conveniently under her window.

Here, she found, was the best spot to lay out and fully soak up the morning sun. She'd even gotten herself a nice blanket to lay out first. So far, her changes were limited to talons and a forked tongue, both of which she kept well hidden, though she'd recently noticed a few patches of scalier skin, especially around her hips. For now, though, she had legs and was willfully ignoring the changes that were likely to come sooner rather than later.]

iii. A Wilde Hunt ~ Growing Pains
[The strong, irresistible pull of the moon this month feels so much more demanding and primal than her first month here. The time she'd spent filing down her nails is lost in an instant as her talons return and she can't help but give in to the urge to hunt.

The night isn't dark, illuminated by the light from the moon, but even if it was her new senses make it easy to navigate. She can sense body heat and, with the flick of her tongue, she can taste the smell of prey in the air.

Once outside the city, the tight, dry itching of her skin feels a million times worse and she stumbles into a dark patch of trees, as she starts to scratch and pull skin away, apparently making quite a bit of noise and attracting attention. She hears someone approaching.]

Don't come any closer! [She warns, voice wavering, the hint of panic and horror edging into her tone.]

ii

[bravelyathome]

[Bernie's gone outside to get some flowers when she sees Petra. Without thinking, she flies up to her. She's feeling a little lethargic because she gets cold pretty easily in her small form. At least she thinks that's what's happening. Whatever the case the sun looks nice where Petra is.

And flowers would look so pretty in her hair...

Hovering in front of her, she offers a shy smile, her arms full of flowers.]

Um...may I sit with you?

IV b

[electrod]

[ As it turns out, there is a limit to harpy's flight. Or rather to harpy's stamina, because flying is tiring. Being grounded though naturally opens you up for all kinds of attacks— first shade and now a... whatever this antlered mass of fur is ]

—oh fuck this... [ But wait, this is not another attack, it's a cavalry coming, a sweeping rescue, and Reno jumps away allowing the chimera (must be a chimera, right?) to take on the Shade ]

Go get it! [ It would be a good moment to leave the scene, a tactical retreat, but he's still pissed. And being pissed (and kind of feral) makes him more prone to reckless actions. So instead he tries that innate wind magic (nothing like really casting a Wind, but hey, it will do) and sends a cutting flash of air in the direction of the shade. (so hey, still contributing to the fight) ]

[killuwatt]

[ Already, Gon has explored enough of this place to want to show him things...? At least, that's how Killua understands it, for better or for worse, and suddenly his heart is beating faster.

He tries to quell the strange feelings welling in his chest. No. This is just reconnaissance. This is a practical step to take to understand their situation. Of course, having a bit of fun while exploring is only natural, but--

There's still too much awkwardness between him and Gon. First, they need to come up with a plan for dealing with this immediate issue-- and of course the looming probability of Gon's transformation. Killua reminds himself not to lose sight of that.

...but perhaps it's okay. It's not as though he's not taking things seriously just because he's curious to see what Gon will show him. ]

Sounds good. [ he concedes, getting up as well and setting aside anything that remains on the plate so he can put his shoes back on too. ]

I'd like to see what you've found out about this world so far from your own exploration.

[ Both to learn about it... and to see what sorts of things have caught Gon's attention specifically. ]

[freecshow]

[Gon happily leads Killua out from his temporary dwellings, and seems to pretty naturally find his way to what he considers more familiar parts. he shows Killua the outside of those shops that are indeed closed, explaining the wares inside, and the people he'd met—and while however innocuous it may seem, Gon's already built up an impressive inventory of these things. and for his simple nature, he's also never one to forget anything, even minute details—for better or for worse. it's come in handy before as much as it's come to Gon's detriment.

there's a tailor, an oddities shop that Gon seems particularly interested in, and some other things... and Gon leads Killua to the harbor, though he's sure he's been before. he explains what he's learned about port fare in this place, and how it differs from how Whale Island deals its tradings...

and, of course, Gon complains through a sigh that everything is closed. it's not that Gon is remiss of his time spent with Killua, of course. Gon blinks, suddenly seeming to remember something as he's chatting with Killua, and lifts a finger to point behind Killua's shoulder. it's bustling, but everything directly outside of that apparent part of town is...starkly empty, like unless you're in it, you're away from it. seems they've wandered somewhere else familiar.]

Ah, that place is open, though.

Not that I think it has anything useful for us right now...

[in the future, maybe some seedy leads or similar could be pursued there...]

[bravelyathome]

Sylvain's interested in healing!

[Surprise, this is about Sylvain. She lingers back so that way people will know to talk to him. Because oh please oh please oh please don't talk to her. She doesn't think she could handle that.]

So maybe...healing...things?

[bravelyathome]

It's really nice! He even told me that it's my home as long as I want it to be! So it's really safe and warm.

[She's clearly found a safe spot with Sylvain based on how she's talking. Like being around him is like having the safety of her room.]

[knowledgeordeath]

[He's walking the hallways when he notices the room that Keith is in happens to be open. So he's paused to look at him. The bandages would be concerning but it's clear he's not crippled. Which means either a foolish choice or a tactical decision.

Kolivan does note his reaction though.

Keith doesn't remember him either then.]

...

[Mmm. This does keep things complicated, doesn't it.]

[knowledgeordeath]

You are not the only one who was there.

[So he knows why she has a right to her anger. She's past it in his time but he knows not to rush her now. Let her be angry as long as she feels she needs to be. He can handle it just as he always has.]

Providing details of your future will potentially alter it.

[And that's the only hint he plans to give her. That he's from her future.]

[knowledgeordeath]

Very little. My arrival was deemed unexpected and an unwelcome surprise.

[It's what happens when your allies are from the past before they knew you were allies with them.]

I have heard talk of witches and monsters.

[marmoron]

.....

[It's a Galra. A giant Galra that could probably snap him in half if he so chose and clearly isn't in the mood for answering questions. Keith's eyes narrow in dislike, grip tightening even further on his knife.

There's a metric fuckton to unpack here though, like the fact that the intruder isn't attacking him, and maybe that's just down to momentary confusion or the fact that he has no idea he's come face to face with a paladin of Voltron? But whatever the case may be, Keith's eyes stay fixed on their silent guest's knife for a whole host of reasons. It's kinda hard not to notice that they both have the same emblem and a similar design. Stomach sinking slightly, Keith kicks the feeling away from him as hard as possible to bring his eyes back up to the stranger's.]

If you don't want to tell me who you are, tell me where you got that knife.

[knowledgeordeath]

[As if he needed the confirmation, there it is. Kolivan frowns, more so than he already has been, and turns to continue heading down the hallway. There's little point in talking here and he could be continuing to learn the layout of the house instead. To ensure that he's aware of the various entry and exit points.

So far he's vastly disappointed in how secure this place is. He's going to have to make some adjustments to make sure he keeps the Paladins safe. After all, he can't continue his other duties here and they are vital to the outcome of the universe.

Of that he's certain.]

[trost]

Seems like they want us to help do some pest control. Cull the numbers before those 'Shades' reach the city.

[ It definitely makes sense to encourage the witches and monsters affected by the moon to blow off steam this way. This would kill two birds with one stone. The city has fewer inhabitants going feral, and the Shades are kept at bay. Jean doesn't particularly like putting himself in danger, but if it will protect the people inside the city, that gives him a bit more motivation. ]

Have you ever killed anything before?

[rootstalks]

[ He's right, there really isn't much to follow. A list of participants. He had been involved, or why would he worry that he had been underfoot, and... Jiujiu, but Wei Wuxian.

She meets Zixuan's glance, and lowers her eyebrows a fraction. He will be better to prompt Jin Ling. ]