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

[radishlobbyist]

[ A clock tower does seem very fancy and official, so she nods. ]

Let's go.

[ As they walk, she keeps watching Wen Ning out of the corner of her eyes, searching for signs of more smoke or discomfort. ]

Are you feeling better now? Are you in pain?

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ While walking, Wen Ning makes sure to keep his hands tucked inside his sleeves to shield his skin from the sun, and keep the brim of the hat pulled low enough to block out any sunlight but not so low that he can't see where he's going. ]

I feel much better now. No pain anymore. I'm still really thirsty, though. And... [ He isn't sure if he should say this next part. But he knows Jiejie will get it out of him eventually just by giving him one of her patented Looks. ]

...And I keep hearing things, I think.

[radishlobbyist]

[ That... is not good.

She stops in the middle of the street, a woman walking behind her bumping into her and snapping at her, but Wen Qing doesn't even pay enough attention to her to retort with sharp words of her own. Her attention is complete on her brother, her eyes wide. ]

You keep hearing things. [ Her voice is quiet. Quiet enough that hopefully she can keep the fear out of it. ] Since when? Has... this happened before? At home?

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning keeps walking a step or two before he realizes Wen Qing has stopped. At which point he turns around, face oblivious as ever. ]

N-no, not at home. It only just started this morning. Or... Maybe last night. But only since I got here, anyway.

[ He frowns, trying to think of how to better explain what's happening to him. ]

I'm not hearing voices. It's just... Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Like a heartbeat. Like... lots of heartbeats.

[radishlobbyist]

Oh A-Ning...

[ Her face wants to crumble but she holds herself back with the sheer self-control learned over a lifetime - and it takes all of it. To see Wen Ning in such a state and know there is nothing she can do about his change hurts so much more than knowing of her own. ]

It must be that you are changing. Your hearing is already getting better. [ The doctor in her wants to ask a hundred questions and start examining him on the spot but she needs to be a sister now first. She reaches for his hand. ] We are all changing. It is nothing to fear.

[ Or so she says. Because she needs to say it, not because she believes it. ]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Nodding, Wen Ning accepts her words as fact, because that's just the way things have been for most of their lives. Wen Qing knew what she was talking about, even if Wen Ning didn't.

There's one thing, though, that bothers him. ]

Are you changing too, Jiejie? [ He looks her over for any sign of anything different. ]

[radishlobbyist]

[ There aren't any visible changes yet but at his question, she still shifts uneasily, a hand reaching up to scratch at her ears, which have started bothering her as well with an itch. ]

My back aches. There are... developing growths. [ She shifts, eyes averting. ] I'm assuming I will turn into something with wings. But I don't know what. I just hope it won't be dangerous to others.

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning frowns. Growing wings when you had none before sounds like it would be painful. More painful than just some sizzling in the sun. ]

If you lose control of yourself, I'll stop you from hurting anyone. You can count on me.

[ It's the least he can do, after everything Wen Qing has done for him throughout their lives. ]

[radishlobbyist]

[ In the first moment, her little brother's confidence takes her aback. Then she smiles, grateful and more than a little sadly. ]

You have always been the braver one of us, A-Ning. I wish you didn't have to be but...

[ He's a real fighter now, after what he has become, and capable of taking her down if she turns into some winged monster. It is both painful and reassuring. ]

[ She steps towards him, arms open to hug him. ]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ He opens his arms to hug her, of course, bringing her close, careful not to put any pressure on her back where the wings might be growing. He tucks his face into her hair, thinking about how much he's missed her, the past decade and change. ]

If I can protect Jiejie, then I'll be as brave as I need to be.

[radishlobbyist]

[ Wen Qing doesn't know yet of the fate that is awaiting her or that her brother alone will survive, she assumes that he must be from her own time at the Burial Mounds.

And yet still, she hugs him tightly, sensing that this feels more meaningful to him than their short separation explains and simply blaming it on them being in an unfamiliar place, with scary changes happening to their bodies. ]

I know you will. As you have always been. You and Wei Wuxian, you protect us every day, A-Ning. That makes you a hero to all of us.

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ She may be able to feel through the hug, the way he deflates slightly at her words. He protected them every day, until the one day he couldn't. Until the one day he was used like a weapon by an unknown master, and set into motion the events which would see to the downfall of the final remaining members of the Wen Clan.

Except-- Oh! He has to tell Jiejie!

He pulls back, face reinvigorated with a smile. ]

You'll never guess who I found! A-Yuan, all grown up! Hanguang-jun saved him and raised him as part of the Lan clan.

[ It doesn't even occur to him that Wen Qing may not understand why A-Yuan needed saving in the first place. ]

[radishlobbyist]

[ She just... blinks at him, utterly lost between one second and the next. ]

What? [ She grips his arms tightly as if she could squeeze the explanation out of him. ] What are you talking about? Why would A-Yuan be grown-up? Or saved by Hanguang-jun? I mean, it doesn't surprise me that he would offer a place with the Lan to him, he seemed quite taken with him but...

[ But she's still confused. ]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning is confused by her confusion. He looks her in the eyes, face solemn and worried. ]

It's... Time has passed. So much time. [ If Jiejie doesn't know, then Wen Ning has to tell, loathe as he is to ruin their happy reunion with such a sad topic. ]

After Qiongqi Path... After what I did, the Wen clan decided we would surrender ourselves to the Jins, for punishment. [ His face falls, remembering that terrible time. The guilt he had felt when he came to his senses and saw the blood on his hands. ] They said they were going to kill us all. They... [ His voice grows quiet. ] ...They did kill everyone. Everyone but me.

[ He almost doesn't want to mention what they did to him instead. ]

And A-Yuan, because he hid away in the Burial Mounds after everyone had gone. Hanguang-Jun found him there, and brought him back to Cloud Recesses, after we were all gone.