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

goblin market

[quintessent]

[((ooc:: handwaving that they've already run into each other, for variety's sake. lmk if that's not cool.))]

[It's good having Shiro back, even if he doesn't remember being back, Allura already feels more at ease having him here. Someone steady and rational for her to lean on.

Quite literally in this case - a unfortunate test of a potion that was promising something very different catches her off guard, and very suddenly she's finding it hard to keep her footing on the solid ground, slipping and sliding until she very nearly topples into her friend.]

I think they're all swindlers, [She's already flustered, this is like the slipperies all over again, but she is definitely not old enough for that.] Terrible - who would sell something like this?

[galrarm]

((ooc: that's more than good with me!))

[ It's good to have some of the team here. Shiro isn't sure what he'd do without them; he relies on them, just as much as they rely on him. If it weren't for them, he'd be having a much more difficult time.

And then-- oof. He catches her without any difficulty, and he sets her upright again. But he definitely keeps close to her, in case he needs to catch her again. No falling princesses here! ]

People looking for a quick coin or several. [ He's basically hover-handing her at this point, but he doesn't mind. ] Are you alright? Let's get you somewhere you can sit.

[quintessent]

[She’s grateful for his silent support. He always had a way of knowing what needs to be done without making it any more or less of a fuss than it needed to be. In this case he was sparing her some of her pride by silently setting her on her feet when she needed it. Still, she’s supposed to be the experienced one here, and she huffs.]

I am fine, Shiro. [Said a little too shortly, and she can hear it, immediately taking a softer, more apologetic tone. At the same time she has to hold onto his arm to keep her legs from slipping out from under her.] Truly. Thank you.

[She might be getting the hang of it now. At long as she keeps a hand on his arm to keep her steady.]

It’s not unlike when my magic was getting out of hand. [In that case, she was literally floating off of the ground. Good times.] Speaking of, have you given any thought to bonding yet?

[Leave it to Allura to get Right To Business right away.]

[galrarm]

Anytime, Allura.

[ They're friends, after all! He gives her an easy smile, and keeps that arm within reach. Even if she's the more experienced one, it's still gotta be troublesome to not be able to stand steady. He's about to comment and ask about the magic when--

Oh. Yeah, right to business. But that's one of the things he appreciates about her. Shiro nods. ]

I've considered it. It's hard not to here.

[ He doesn't mean that as a criticism or anything, just a fact. Bonds are central to the way of life here, which isn't a bad thing. It's just-- different. And for Shiro, who's friendly and easy enough to get along with, who wants to help, but who also keeps things locked up tight if he doesn't know someone well... He feels at ease enough with Allura to admit-- ]

It's just finding someone I'd feel comfortable enough with.

[ It's not that he wouldn't want to help anyone who needed it, it's just... Usually, he might throw caution to the wind to help someone when they really needed it--because as level-headed as he is, Shiro can still be impulsive in a pinch--but this is different. Heavier. ]

[quintessent]

[She should have known better than to drink mysterious potions from even more mysterious salespeople, but she did, and by the ancients she's going to not let a little slipperies get her down. She'll figure it out even if it means she has to use Shiro as a crutch for the next half mile.

But for now she's good. Upright.]

I understand. [Nodding.] When I first arrived, I'd hoped that I could just... control it on my own.

[Something they've literally been warned against, but she had a background with magic. Surely she had a leg up on people arriving with no experience with it.]

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

[galrarm]

[ That-- doesn't surprise Shiro, at least. He clears his throat lightly; Allura's hoping that she could do it on her own... Well, that's a way they're pretty similar, isn't it? For all his emphasis on teamwork--genuine as it is--Shiro... certainly tries to take things on himself. By himself.

He doesn't have any excuses here, though... ]

I'm glad things seem to be under control now for you, at least. [ He's not going to mention how #relatable all of that is. Nope. ] There's an advantage we have, at least--teammates we know and trust.

[quintessent]

[She’s predictable, if nothing else, but she’s grateful that Shiro doesn’t judge her for that (outwardly). Old habits die hard.

And in the same way, she hoped that her failures would help Shiro not do the same thing. She nods at his statement.] With both Keith and Lance having monster transformations, you should be able to bond with either of them without any trouble.

[Said plainly, as if Lance or Keith wouldn’t have any issue bonding with Shiro. Why would they?] I’m afraid I won’t be so much help for you. Though witches bonding isn’t unprecedented.

[]If she had her way originally, she’d just bond with Keith, Lance, and Shiro and be done with it – all three of them would benefit) but there’s benefits to branching out as well. Having a bond with Keith is helpful, but she can see the benefit in bonds where there isn’t so much interpersonal baggage at stake.]

[galrarm]

True. And I've definitely considered it, but I'm sure that's not surprising.

[ It's obvious why--he's just said as much, after all. He trusts them, and Allura. The thought of bonding with her isn't a bad one, far from it, but all the same.... He isn't sure how that works, necessarily. Well... there's no better time to ask, actually. ]

Witches bonding isn't unprecedented, but not commonplace, I'm assuming.

[quintessent]

Not very- oh! [She got a little too comfortable with the slip'n'slide style of walking and has just a slight slip up. Which is corrected by just holding onto Shiro's arm more tightly,

Ahem, trying again,] Not particularly. And monsters bonding with monsters. It seems like people who do that are doing it because of the other benefits that might arise.

[Ahem. Romantic ones. But she's not using that as an example,] Lance has told me that he can make someone breath under water, if they were to bond with him.