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

[redload]

There's no telling what this really is.

[these are his wise words... hardened by years of experience and overall not paying too much attention to his surroundings and letting himself go with the flow. even if, well... a straightforward puzzle is easy to handle, but there are not signs currently of his being able to figure this one out with the information currently available to him.]

[one would say it might be easier for him to actually be stuck in hell.]

But it's a good start as any. Nico, right? Goldstein's grandkid.

[trulygifted]

That's me!

( Nico's smile is lop-sided and broad because hey, the Dante remembered who she is! Fingers crossed it's because she made a good first impression with that gift, and because Dante holds a fond spot in his heart for her grandmother. In Nico's humble opinion, Nell was truly the best of the best. )

My daddy left us for dead when I was a kid, and Nell took me as her own in after momma died. I've always done right by her.

( Her smile softens to something smaller, more fond, as she remembers Nell. She'd had a real family with the Goldsteins, and she'll be forever grateful for that. She glances over at Dante as her expression brightens up some more: )

And don't think she didn't tell me about you. Fixin' up your weapons? That was just about one of her favourite things to do.

[redload]

[to be fair, it's hard to forget someone like nell—at a time when he was a teenager, younger than nero and nico are now, with a suicidal edge and a temper when it came to mistreating guns, nell had been a motherly figure when he lacked one (when it was too painful to think of his own mother in any kind of way). nell never did speak much of herself or her family, their interactions usually short and heavy with some kind of appreciation for each other, though never quite crossing the distance towards honesty.]

[which is why it's somewhat surprising to her nico say that nell mentioned him at all.]

I see.

[it's something of a quite mutter, an uncertain rub at the back of his head as he takes a glance at nico. looks absolutely nothing like the nell he remembers—but he figures the woman had a big heart, adopting and all that.]

She was good to me.

[the details he decides to spare on nico, dropping his hand and keeping on, down the street.]

Shouldn't Nero be with you? I thought you two were inseparable.

[trulygifted]

Yeah, I'm kinda worried about that too. It's why I was so glad to see you—I figured you might know where he is.

( Her brows knit into a frown as she pulls Dante's jacket a little closer around herself. )

He's gonna get himself into all sorts of trouble without me around to make sure he's properly geared up. Or to rescue him, for that matter!

( Nico likes to hide the depth of her fondness for Nero behind a tall wall of derisive sarcasm, which mostly manifests in cussing him out, suggesting he'd be useless without her weapons, and generally teasing him for all hours of the day. The truth? She cares for him like a brother, and concern has been churning up her stomach since she arrived here alone.

Well. Almost alone. )

I mean, who does he even think he is? Gettin' himself a fancy new normal arm, like it's gonna be better than my creations. How's he supposed to bust demon ass with one of these?

( Nico raises her own fist, which is significantly smaller and less, y'know, full of grandpa Sparda's blood than Nero's. )

[redload]

[nico's downright in her honesty, and although her words pack a punch and are rough around the edges, she definitely shows a generous amount of concern for his nephew. it's unsurprising, really, from what little he knows about their partnership—but even his own partnership with lady had been somewhat similar at the start (and even now); rocky, pushy, churning about insult and skepticism despite the fact that there's no one else the two of them would trust the most.]

[that much is somewhat nostalgic to witness, but it's her further commenting that has dante stopping and turning back to nico rather abruptly.]

He's into that?

[clearly, time to push past the emotional and serious stuff. he makes a face of disgust.] Gross.

[trulygifted]

( It takes a second for Dante's joke to land, but when it does? Nico wrinkles her nose in disgust before snorting with laughter. )

C'mon, shut up.

( But she's grinning—it appears dante's attempt to introduce a little levity into their situation has worked like a charm. Nico punches his arm for the second time today (lightly this time) and offers a roll of the eyes, because honestly, guys are all the fucking same. Always with the fisting jokes. )

You know he'd never do that to Kyrie. You think me an' him are inseparable? You better hope he doesn't show up here, 'cause if his lady-love ain't with him you're gonna be in for a real eye-opening experience.

( She raises her eyebrows. )

Maybe it'll be for the best if he just stays put.

[redload]

[that's gotten a laugh out of her, at least, and dante can't help but feel pretty cool about that. he'll even allow the punch to his arm to go without much of a complaint. usually it's trish laughing up loudly with his lame jokes and lady telling him off for being disgusting.]

[the mention of kyrie (who's that?) makes him pause a bit before oh, he remembers. the girlfriend.]

[he waves his hand about nonchalantly at her mention of how nero would lose his mind without her around.]

Let the sappy lovebirds be by themselves. We got this. Don't we?

[nico seems easily excitable, and maybe this much enthusiasm will put her in a good mood all around.]

[trulygifted]

( That just gets another snort. )

I mean ... do we?

( She makes a vague gesture around them. )

'Cause no offence—believe me, you're probably the coolest person I ever met!—but I don't feel like I got this, an' you don't ... ( A sheepish smile tilts her lips, because ... How to put this delicately. ) You don't much look like you got this either.

( Backpedal, bACKPEDAL!!! )

Unless you got some kinda plan you ain't tellin' me about?

[redload]

[nico keeps going, and going, about her uncertainty and how she doesn't think she's got this. and then, obviously, putting the spotlight on the fact that dante doesn't, either. it would bother him, really. but he's used to people just taking a look at him and just thinking he's not that capable at handling much of anything.]

[they said he couldn't run a business, and yet the devil may cry has been open for business for nearly two decades.]

[he turns on nico when she backpedals, his expression serious.]

The best plan... [a pause for dramatics] is having no plan at all.

[there's no punchline]