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

Yusuke Kitagawa | Persona 5 | Vampire

[heartsy]

( very unusual arrival )

[For those who have monster changes that show or even perhaps if you are a witch with non-human traits, you may be one of many who are called out to in the midst of all this chaos.]

Please wait just a moment!

[A short-haired young man will catch up with you and proceed to observe those changes with a sharp eye-- and perhaps a slight disregard for the personal space typically offered between strangers. His eyes and his voice are filled with wonder as he hums thoughtfully, before chuckling with delight.]

Yes. Yes... this bone structure, this stance-- it's wild, it's peculiar... but it has a breathtaking beauty to it. This is art.

[If you attempt to move, he will stop you.]

Stand still. I haven't finished. I shouldn't just commit it to memory, I need-- yes...

[He appears to be digging for some paper and a utensil.]

( the goblin market )

[In his explorations, it's only natural that at some point, Yusuke would come face to face with the Goblin Market in all it's shady glory. Curiosity easily gets the better of him and he inquires about the odd wares for sale. Having them explained feeds his curiosity-- but only makes it worse. He has seen some unnatural things, but this kind of magic was different... mysterious... And that helps keep the strange tiredness and ill feelings at bay.]

I see, I see... and what is this?

[Yusuke nods and continues to browse the unique items to the seller's delight. There are so many strange things, he's curious to see them all-- there could be items that would prove to be useful to his art.

...perhaps someone should stop him from spending all the money he just got on questionable merchandise...]

( wildcard )

[Any other crazy thing...........]

( goblin market )

[fabrications]

[ Akechi hasn't come here in search of anyone he knows. He's here for his job, as a matter of fact, and he's not particularly interested in socializing. Still, there's some people you just don't ignore, and former tenuous allies are one of them.

Especially not when said allies seem interested in the shady offerings of this particular market. Akechi watches Yusuke browse an ask questions with some skepticism, but he speaks up after a moment. ]

I'd be careful about what you buy here, Kitagawa-kun. The merchants can be rather dishonest.

[heartsy]

[That voice certainly garners his attention. Yusuke's eyes widen slightly, going back and forth between Akechi and the merchant; who was only just containing his irritability at having potential business scared off.

After a moment, Yusuke takes a step back from the displays and crosses his arms at his waist.]

I see. So there are fakes even amongst magic and monsters.

[It isn't surprise, rather-- disappointment. Turning his attention back to Akechi, he continues, with a bit of healthy caution and skepticism. He can appreciate the warning, however, so he's willing to do his share of listening.]

You seem to know a bit about it already.

[fabrications]

[ The merchant gets a far too pleasant smile from Akechi as if to say, What?

And then he ignores the merchant and focuses his attention on Yusuke. ]

It's a somewhat regular fixture here. The City Guard tries to keep them in check, but I suppose they've been busy as of late.

unusual arrival with a twist

[beguiledcard]

[ Okay, no, he can't deny there's now a part of him that's jumping to agree with how beautiful something/someone is.

But even that isn't enough to stop him from tearing his gaze away to stare at the familiar face. ]

Yusuke...

[ But after the short-lived moment of surprise, he's closing the space enough to... ... watch him draw. He seems happy to do it???? Or maybe the happiness of being able to stand this close, at all, is enough. Or maybe he needs a moment to think about what he'll say next.

It's a mystery!!!

It's "yes".

... Also, he might get distracted with counting the lines if given the chance. ]

[heartsy]

[Once Yusuke gets it in his mind to do something, tearing him away from it would prove near impossible to begin with. If he had even heard Akira, which it's arguable whether he did or he didn't-- there was no sign of it, the way he continued his sketch.

The fae that had been dragged into this mess was at a loss for words, torn between looking to the other boy who seemed to know this weirdo and ask for help... and not wanting to listen to Yusuke's weird scolding again for moving.]

...hmmhmmhmm.

[Yusuke laughs softly, clearly pleased.]

The sketch is complete-- would you like to see it?

[While the offer is directed at his subject, this might be just the time to get his attention properly.

Or. You know. You could just look at his picture too. That's fine also.]

[beguiledcard]

[ He's going to LOOK AT THE PICTURE...

... Because it is beautiful, as always, and there really is no denying he's absolutely missed seeing what Yusuke can do. He's only been here a month, sure, but it's still a month longer than he'd grown used to at least hearing from his friends. His team. His family...

Akira can't help the small smile he's offering the fae. ]

He doesn't mean any harm.

[ Very gently, very subtly, he bumps his shoulder against Yusuke. ]

Right?

[ There... A proper attention-grabbing attempt has been made. ]

[beguiledcard]

((Now that the comm is locked to members again, I've set this up! No pressure, of course; I just wanted to let you know I'm super okay with backtagging!))

>> very unusual arrival

[izanyagi]

[Yu still has trouble walking around with the changes but he turns around to see if they need help. There may be a cat on his shoulder when he looks and...

???]

Uh sure...if you want.

[He will even strike a pose because if he's asking he might as well help out, right?]

[heartsy]

Much obliged.

[Yu is doing him quite a favor, being so helpful. This way he can focus on getting the perfect composition for his sketch.]

Now-- If you would be so kind as to move your right foot just a little further back, please.

[And Yusuke is very comfortable giving directions, even to a stranger.]

unusual arrival

[plasticasshole]

[Connor's changes are mostly on show in the form of orange and blue scaled arms and hands, with slight webbing between the fingers. He tilts his head, looking more interested than put off.]

Do you need something?

[heartsy]

[Most might not qualify it as a need but-- Yusuke is not like most. To him, this might as well be just as important as water or air. Moments of inspiration are beautiful, but fleeting.]

Yes. I would very much like you to model for me-- for my artwork.

[plasticasshole]

Your artwork... you're an artist?

[Connor seems extremely interested all of a sudden- but then he realises he's being asked to model, and brings a hand up to his chin thoughtfully.]

I've never modelled before, but I can try. Um... here?

[Connor has no problem with where he does this, because it means he can pick this guy's brains over art... but there are people trying to get past them, and looking extremely grumpy about them standing there.]

goblin market,

[confectionerie]

[ Of course she would find Yusuke here, some place he probably shouldn't be...not that Ann isn't here for the exact same reason. She's not cut out for this witch life, and so, okay, maybe she was looking for a little extra help boosting her magical abilities. Anyway, why she came here isn't important, what's important is that Yusuke is here, and as excited as she is to see him, she's also...a little worried, too. ]

Yusuke!

[ After calling out his name, Ann jogs right up to his side, her expression shifting as she glances at the vial in his hands. ]

Hey — what've you got there?

[ IT SURE DOES LOOK QUESTIONABLE. ]