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

[stopfen]

It is...One time we met a man with dark skin and one of the others asked why he looked like that...

[Complete deadpan at mentioning the story. Onyankopon, bless him, is one of the calmest people they'd ever met and just laughed at the bunch of white kids. Because for the longest time Mikasa had been the only non-white person within the walls. That they'd met anyway...

But she huffs, keeping low and out of his way. Having to get closer to the post as she ran out of ribbon. Still a little more before she could tie it tightly though.]

There's a lot of worlds. Apparently a lot of them have magic like this place or strange technology. It's hard to remember it all.

[When you from the 800s, then learn it's really the 1920s, but then teleported to whatever Aefenglom was.]

[fairyherder]

[ he's perfectly capable of believing his uncle forcing his own hand at this point, really. but for now, he stays right where he is, doesn't want to show himself scared or weak or anything of the like, though obviously he knows his Xiaoshu knows him inside out. so he swallows, takes a breath through his nose, tries to calm his nerves a little and looks down.

tears are prickling at the corners of his eyes because he's missed his uncle terribly but the betrayal hurt and he's just. conflicted. and he absolutely does not trust him anymore, which is the worst part. ]

...my parents... they... if—

[ it's not like there's a point in bringing it up, because it's not like his uncle doesn't know what he did. but he just blurts it out before rubbing at his eyes. ]

You were... I felt safe with you. ... ... ... ... I miss that.

[fairyherder]

[ he already knows you're a three-year-old, Wei Wuxian. you can't escape the label, sorry.

he's about to retort, but then he falters as Wei Wuxian mentions his mother and grows quiet, eyes widening at the touch, his dog ears absolutely perking up though he fidgets, flusters, mouth opening and closing, before he pushes the hand away, trying his best not to puff up, but ends up shaking his head anyway. ]

That's... that's not possible to tell just by looking at it. It's just a nose.

[ he's secretly a little pleased though, and steels himself not to let it show on his face because it's not like he appreciates it or anything! ]

[islandhuntress]

Of course. [She laughs softly, tilting her head slightly to smile at Bernie.] I would not be saying it if I did not.

White is looking very good against your hair.

[She settles back, arms crossed under her chin, idly toying with the corner of the blanket.]

Bernie. You have too much kindness. [A faint blush colors her cheeks.] Are the flowers looking good?

[fairyherder]

[ her clothing is strange to him too. it's not quite... the same cut he's used to. though yeah, the similarity is there, somewhat.

he falters a little as she bows, and he quickly returns it with a polite clasp of his hands over his sword to bow back, despite his earlier shouty demeanor. he mutters a little, though not unkindly. ]

Ah... mm. Jin Ling.

[ and of course they're not, it's clear as a day. he's not afraid, definitely not! he can do this, it's not the first time he's wandered into some unknown area or situation. ]

I noticed that.

[doublesharp]

[Riku may not directly pull away, but he does sound a little exasperated as he laughs fondly at the squeeze. The mention of the other idols, however, does startle him enough to pull back a little bit.]

Wait, really?! I haven't seen anyone! I'll have to find them and let them know I'm okay! But...

[He probably shouldn't, but he furrows his brows in concern anyway. It's kind of hard to help.]

Three months? All on your own?

[He's sure that Momo has made tons of friends - it's Momo, after all. But not having Yuki around in particular must have been hard...]

Um... If it makes you feel any better, I saw you the day before I showed up here. But I don't really know how that works...

I already love their dynamic so much!

[purposefulnonsense]

The note of fondness that carries along his new friend's voice inspires warmth, the feeling rising from within his chest and spreading pleasantly along his arms and to his fingertips. Mettaton looks happy. That, in turn, makes Hythlodaeus happy.

"Then we shall have to do things together that will allow you to experience all of those things in abundance."

And then he adds, softly and with a hint of affectionate humor, "You have a lot of catching up to do."

[twilightskey]

[He watches the dog nose at the door, chuckling, but nods.]

That's right! In here.

[He opens the door for her. The ice cream shop is much colder inside than outside!]

[gunsmithed]

Unfortunately, yes.

[ His expression takes a turn towards the bemused at her clear disbelief on the subject. For someone who apparently fights demons in her spare time, he wouldn't have thought dragons that remarkable. What a strange world she must live in. ]

From rather closer-up than I'd like. [ Percy pauses for just a second. ] There are no few of them here as well, you know. You're more like to run into one than not.

[chaoticbeauty]

If I were the vindictive type... [ Her tone carries sarcasm but no malice, fully self-aware enough to know the truth about herself. If they'd been from the same time, she most likely wouldn't still be standing here. ] ... I might wish for you to grow something else as payment for leaving me to wake up alone in Rinde.

[ Her fingers wander, tracing patterns as she talks. ]

But, I won't be cruel. Not here. [ Not when they will more than likely need each other. She should promise to not intentionally let her magic build-up through non-use to see if it fuels her spells... However, she'd be lying to him. ]

We'll find a way out and I'll do what I can to slow down any other transformations before they take hold. [ She wasn't even sure if she could, but she'd certainly try. ]

[gunsmithed]

[ He's not quite sure what he was hoping for with the question, but that hollowed-out look on her face was most certainly not it. That hurts, when he knows he's the cause. It takes him a moment of silence before Percy suddenly inhales deeply and lets it out again in one quiet word. ]

Good. [ Good that no one else had followed him down. Good that they'd finished what he couldn't. That's all he could have asked for, in the aftermath.

Except that they're in the aftermath now, staring at each other through a chasm no one could have seen coming. And Percy smiles just a little because some things are too ridiculous even for Vox Machina. ]

I'm given to understand that time can work a bit...strangely, here. Like the Feywilde, a bit.

[islandhuntress]

Look, kids, just because you tried the potion and it didn't work, doesn't mean it's my fault. You gotta believe in the contents. Obviously, that's where you went wrong! The stuff is legit, you just didn't try hard enough.

Now if you'll both excuse me, I've got a... uh.... an important meeting. So, the shop's closed.

Oh. And no refunds.

Now scram you two.

[Petra frowns, turning the bottle in her hand, seeming to consider what the merchant has just said. Clearly, she shouldn't believe him but... maybe there was something 'magical' that a look at simple ingredients had missed. But Hubert was a witch. Wouldn't he have sensed it?]

I... I am not believing you... [She doesn't sound nearly as sure of herself as she'd meant to.]

[purposefulnonsense]

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Thancred. My name is Hythlodaeus." As for Thancred's question to him, Hythlodaeus responds promptly, though he is as unhurried in his speech as he is in his stride.

"I serve, in city from which I come, in the Bureau of the Architect, so I am familiar with designs for a variety of different concepts." A delightfully wide variety, as it so happens, but going into that would risk pulling their conversation towards other subjects.

[lightblooming]

( For a moment, Aqua can't help but watch how his expression falls - her own doing the same. Still, she forces a small smile at his words - wanting to reassure him - to hopefully cheer him up a little. )

It sounds like you have someone to protect.

( Whether it be someone he hardly knows - or a dear friend, or even family. )

... It hasn't been as dangerous here lately. ( She speaks honestly, looking away from Gon. ) For a while, there were some dangerous groups looking for monsters, but... they've been taken care of.

[freecshow]

[Gon feels his heart sort of hiccup in a funny way when Aqua says that, and Gon straightens with a frown, almost fidgeting. he wants to say that he does, but can he? can he say he has someone to protect, when he's so much weaker than that person now?]

Mm... [he agrees ambiguously, content to just listen to Aqua instead of move that subject any further.]

Looking for monsters? What do you mean?

[exsoldier]

[ While Zack had guessed that Lightning wasn't going to want the towel back, it had still felt right to offer first. It's also worth it just to see the face she makes, honestly. Since he doesn't think that he'll make a great expression if he walks into a bar with a damp towel in hand, he ends up dumping it into the next garbage bin that they pass.

While Lightning sounds pessimistic about Zack's chances of getting any real answers, the fact that there's someone to ask at all is more than he'd been expecting. He kicks himself when she manages to get the door before him, but walks in with a nod of thanks and then quickly secures a table for them.

It's only after they're both seated that Zack picks up the conversation again. ]

The way I see it, it's at least worth a shot. Who are these people?

[ Even if it ends up being a dead end, he'd rather say he tried than just assume his memories are gone forever. ]

[exsoldier]

[ Offering help to a person in need is something that feels second nature to Zack. It's the reason he'd joined SOLDIER in the first place, though his actual missions with Shinra had often been less about helping people and more about burying the company's secrets.

So it's nice to know that he can do things the way he wants, now. He may not have any experience tracking dragons, but... ]

Well, can't say I've never tracked a dragon before, but I used to be part of a military organization. Picked up a few skills along the way.

[ The way he sees it, this woman isn't really in a position to be picky about who helps her, but he doesn't point that out. Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest and grins at her. ]

And if we find him, I get to see a real-life dragon. Kinda hard to say no to that!

[exsoldier]

[ "Somewhat shady" is one way of putting it, and Zack can't help but laugh at the term coming from Rorik, who (itchiness aside) carries himself with so much dignity. ]

Well, you're not wrong...

[ Zack also begins to eye the vendors. The fact that they're goblins is already kind of a point against them, but Zack also spent enough time in the slums to know a scam when he sees one. Those people had just been doing what they felt they had to in order to get by, but...

In short: not cool, man. ]

There have to be other parts of the city with more reputable businesses, right? [ Zack returns his attention to Rorik. ] We can go look, if you want.

[exarchal]

[ overflow! ]

[beguiledcard]

[ He shakes his head, giving her a small, reassuring kind of smile. ]

I know you do... [ regarding the part about trusting him ] It's another world, apparently.

[ Lightly, he runs his fingers through his hair and frowns upward, into the middle distance. ]

If you want, I can show you where I live as soon as it's safer to head that way. Then you can take your time processing.

[ Not that he really thinks those guards would do anything bad to her once they knew the story...? But no need to add more to the plate of things for her to process, for now. ]

As for Akechi, he said the last place he was before winding up here was... Shido's Palace?

[ But the look he gives her might not give an especially reassuring feeling. There's a clear look of questioning in his own gaze and in his tone. He's clearly waiting to see if she has any recognition. ]

[coagmentatio]

[ That goblin is getting one seriously considering Look...

Clearly, Aiden is wondering if maybe he should use show this asshole a thing or two about the consequences of not backing off. But the blond's words have him sighing in a resigned kind of way. No point in making himself a wanted guy in a strange world, even if he doesn't really care all that much about what happens to assholes... It'd be a pain to have to fight everyone in charge around here, is all.

Tch!!! ]

Yeah, whatever...

[ With a huff, he turns and proceeds to storm off. ]

[divarication]

[ At this point, Riley doesn't really care much about the goblin anymore.

It isn't quite how he hoped it would happen but his mate is here and alive. And a teenager! Even if he knows that Aiden is capable of taking care of himself for the most part, there's no way Riley can let him just walk away.

So when the teen storms off, he has the blond rushing to catch up. ]

Ah, wait up! [ Going to walk alongside him, tilting his head to look at the other's face while they walk. ]

This is going to sound very strange though considering where we are, maybe not unbelievable but... I know you.

[omnicrafter]

Would it hurt more if it had been deliberate? Wishing for her to be mended like that? Is that... really what the Amaurotines would have wanted? She recalls many were said to have been divided on the issue, that as much as half of them thought the world should belong to the newly born instead of those that had made their decision already; even so, she can't help the pang in her chest.

"No... I'm all right. I appreciate the concern, though." There is a flicker of sadness in the smile she wears as she shakes her head. "I suppose you'll hear of it sooner or later. Doubtless Hades will tell you if no one else does. I... I don't really think it's right that you hear it from me, anyway."

[coagmentatio]

[ That last part has him blinking, and then wincing ever-so-slightly... ]

Yeah? Well, considering who my dad was, I can't say I'm surprised. [ sighing and rolling his eyes a bit, and then he finally gives Riley a proper look ] At least, that's what I'd assume if not for earlier. You called me 'Aiden'... I only recently started calling myself that. Aiden isn't a very common name on Daeseon.

[ . . . As he's walking: ]

It was created based off of the meaning of my parents' names put together - 'den', like a home... 'ai' being taken out of 'chain'. So... 'chain of temporary homes'.

[ He should not sound proud of that, which might be why it's so faint and short-lived. He sighs and folds his arms over his chest, frowning at this guy. He kind of hates that he made him... talk... so much? From the way his voice sounds, this is likely super rare. ]

Anyway, how did we meet? And when...

[divarication]

[ He tugs on the scarf around his neck - clearly a nervous habit as he doesn't look very conscious of the act. ]

I don't know your parents... [ Spoken softly and gently. At this point, Riley does know Aiden's birth name but his mate had said it was fine if he kept calling him by the other name. ] There's only one Aiden that I know of, he looks and smells just like you.

[ Only older. But, you know.

A quiet sound. ] That, I didn't know.

[ How does he say "you lost a lot of memories" to an angry teenager? Ah, his face turns a little bit anxious now. ]

You came to blow up a warehouse full of wolves, I was there. I was afraid one of them would wake up and they... do terrible things to people - I didn't want you to get caught. [ Silver eyes look away but his words are truthful, though not the full truth. ] As for when, that's a bit trickier. You were older by maybe ten years?