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

[arturiarex]

[ She twirls lightly on one foot, wings still spread out behind her. She's never tried, honestly, because she's never wanted to indulge the changes that have been made to her body. But tonight? Tonight it feels liberating rather than stifling. ]

It felt so... freeing.

[ She's not given to emotional outbursts, not really, but she can't help the exultant smile that creeps over her face. She comes back toward Felix, arms and wings outstretched. She almost feels like a child again. ]

But you can still outrun me, can't you? That's what you're good at - running.

[finesseblade]

On foot, certainly. Four legs are faster than two, if I stoop down.

[ He grunts, and as if to demonstrate, drops down to all fours, ducking beneath one of her outstretched wings. The feathers feel strange brushing against his back, quills combing through his dark fur, and when he comes out the other side he sniffs curiously at the tips of them. Instinct guides him more than anything to explore now.

He's reminded of something Ingrid told him once, about pegasii, and what it felt to be atop one. She reminds him a little bit of Ingrid—not just the way she looks, but her attitude, her stubborn dedication to foolish ideals.

He and Ingrid aren't really so different. Felix knows that. ]

But you have the advantage of the sky. There are no barriers up there; you can move as far and fast as the wind allows you, and see everything on the ground from a falcon's viewpoint. That's a powerful advantage, if you can master your wings.

[arturiarex]

[ Saber is a little confused as she watches him sniff around and slip under her wings. Maybe a little wary. But she's also happy to indulge him. The full moon gives her a sense of joy, of excitement, to be sharing this with another. She reaches down with a hand to feel the fur along his back, curiously letting it run through her fingers. ]

I haven't tried yet; I've been busy. But perhaps I should practice when I'm not beneath the branches of this forest.

[ She gives her wings a little flap. They don't lift her off of the ground, but she's not trying for that. ]

That would be something - to be able to fly at will and without the use of technology.

[ She shakes her head. ]

Listen to me - finding joy in this. I wouldn't have thought I would, when I arrived here. And you - you seem... happier than I've known you.

[finesseblade]

[ For once, he accepts the careful stroke of fingers through his fur with little more than token grumbling, shaking his head and letting out a sharp whuff. then he's turning his golden gaze on her, blinking slowly, ears perking up in curiosity.

After a moment, he drops his head, whining gruffly. ]

It's... pleasant, to run free out here. To lose all inhibitions, if only for a moment.

[ And isn't that hard to admit? He thinks he's reached his quota on self-expression for the night. No more feelings.

Well, maybe one more feeling. He tilts his head to the side, peering at her with a single eye now. ]

Does it not feel the same to you? To forget about past and future, and revel only in the wind and the moonlit sky?

[arturiarex]

I... don't know.

[ She admits that with a slow sigh. Apparently she's not entirely done with feelings. ]

I've always prided myself on control, so letting myself go - it is liberating, but also disconcerting. Like I'm walking a tight rope and one wrong move will send me tumbling. Does that make sense?

[finesseblade]

[ He watches her for a moment, and then grunts. This again. But she's not wrong, and he nods his head. ]

It does. I feel the same.

[ He's tried control, ever since he got here. It doesn't work. This is the only full moon he's felt truly at peace since he arrived. ]

But we're walking that tightrope no matter what we do. We must simply learn to balance—or fall.

[arturiarex]

I've fallen once. I have no desire to do it again...

[ But the harder she tries to control herself, the more she seems to slip. It's disconcerting. ]

Honestly... I don't know if I want to let go. Or if I'm simply being recalcitrant because of my pride.

[finesseblade]

[ He watches her for a long moment, quiet and curious. He has no comment or criticism here—he's just as familiar with pride, and it's because of his pride that he still struggles to adjust to this form.

He tilts his head to one side and asks, simply: ]

Did tonight feel like falling, to you?

[arturiarex]

I - no.

[ She goes silent for a long few heartbeats, considering the question and her answer to it. ]

...I am not sure what that means, though. Do I really feel that? Or is the moon affecting me?

[ Too much doubt. ]

Do I really feel what I think I feel?

[finesseblade]

[ See, this isn't working, he can tell. Felix grumbles, a deep noise from the back of his throat, and leans over to headbutt her shoulder—not to knock her over, but just hard enough to shake her on her feet. ]

You're overthinking it, [ he growls. ] Quit worrying about the hypotheticals and focus on the reality. You haven't hurt anyone tonight, or felt the urge. That's what matters.

[arturiarex]

[ Overthinking her own self is sort of what she tneds to do, but the gentle headbutt does seem to at least get her knocked out of it for the moment. ]

You're right.

[ She admits that with a deep exhale and then a small, controlled smile. Probably the widest he's ever seen on her. ]

Let's enjoy it while it lasts. Will you run with me?

[ She lifts her hand and holds it out to him, wings spreading behind her. ]

If I'm going to let go for a while, I would prefer to do it with a companion. [ She isn't sure she can call him a friend. Although perhaps she would like to. ]

[finesseblade]

[ Satisfied he's managed to distract her from the direction of her thoughts for the moment, Felix settles back down, and this time when his tail sweeps back and forth behind him he doesn't bother to stop it.

He snuffs at her outstretched hand, snorts, and then lets out a short bark of a laugh, shifting his balance restlessly back and forth between hind paws. ]

Then I will go with you.

[ He tilts his head, tongue lolling out of the side of his jaws, that glint returning to his golden eyes. ]

Go. You won't lose me. I could run for days.

[arturiarex]

Then follow.

[ She actually smiles - and then laughs. For the first time in a long time, she laughs, her face lighting up with amusement. ]

Let's go.

[ She turns and takes a few steps and then breaks into a run. She's angling downhill, running through the trees. There's no room for her wings. At least not yet. ]

[finesseblade]

[ He'll let her have a running start then, to the count of ten. One... two... five...

When the heady mix of instinct and moon-drunk excitement finally overwhelms him, he tilts his head back and howls, a long, lone note that echoes through the trees.

And when his count hits ten, he takes off running on all fours, a bolt of shadow speeding at her heels. He can't fly, but he'll keep up with her for as long as he's able, and if she manages to take wing this time, he will not be sorry to have witnessed it. ]