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

!!! the best boy!

[sparkstrikes]

That axe isn't gonna do you good for long.

[Her head turns and she eyes him and his axe over her shoulder. Her fingers grip at her sword tighter, and the Shade growls as it takes a step back to land on all four of its legs again, growling as it does and looking like it's preparing to charge.]

Draw its attention, but we're gonna need magic to kill it. You got some?

[Lightning doesn't mean to sound condescending, but if he's going to put his life on the line beside her, she doesn't want his blood on her hands if things go south.]

[anotherstep]

I've faced off against worse before.

[ Which isn't really a meant to be boasting so much as a statement of fact, but he is reasonably confident in his abilities to be a damage sponge. Then again...that was also helped by some abilities that allowed him to take more hits than the average person could.

Her question earns her a gruff sound in return, as he readies himself to move when the shade gears up to charge him. ]

Just what I got where I came here. [ Magic he is not fond of, his tone implies. ] You?

[sparkstrikes]

I've got some. Not a fan.

[There's no more time for exchanges because the Shade that had been preparing to charge at them does, and she fully expects and trusts that he'll keep his word in drawing its attention as she shoves him one way while she dodges in the other.

On the bright side, this thing is slower than some of the other creatures she's fought... but it's bigger and can easily swat her head from her neck if she lets it. It's going to take a lot more to take it down, but she thinks they can do it if they play it fast and smart.]

Think you can draw it into some thicker trees?

[anotherstep]

[ It suits him just as well that she doesn't ask about his magic any further, because he doesn't want to talk about it, and with any luck, he won't have to use it. Or attempt to, anyway. He hasn't exactly...practiced much. Good thing being a warrior doesn't require much magical know-how at all.

He grunts a response that is more or less a "yes", following her lead and winding back slowly, giving up ground to the Shade as it snarls and advances on him, swiping at his axe with its great, haggard claws. He lets it get closer to landing a blow than mayhap he should, but nothing risked, nothing gained, and the more the creature focuses on cornering him and taking him out, the more of an opening he can give Lightning. ]

I thought a beast like you would be more of a challenge!

[ A little extra aggro can't hurt, either, but he sure hopes she knows what she's doing, because he is running out of ground to give up. ]

[sparkstrikes]

Don't speak too soon.

[Lightning comes at it out of the shadows from behind, with the only light being from the magic she's tried to imbue into her sword. It crackles on contact, causing the Shade's skin to sizzle before it tries to maul her with one of its giant paws. It nearly grazes her, and she can feel the heat of its poison on her skin as she dodges backwards.]

I think... we need to find a way to trap it. No way this thing's going down without a fight.

[She pulls the trigger of her gun to try a bullet, but without the magic, it's useless. It sinks right into its skin and is eaten away into more black sludge just as easily as it had left the barrel of her gun.]

Just fighting it off isn't gonna work.

[But with nothing but trees around them, it puts them in a tight spot.]

[anotherstep]

[ That was close — too close for comfort. A few ilms closer, and those claws could have sliced right into her arm. He swears under his breath, leveling another swing of his axe at the Shade's foreleg in attempt to regain its full attention. Hold aggro, Ardbert!! ]

Then I'm all ears, if you've any ideas.

[ He's admittedly not the ideas guy, even if he's good at putting plans into action. He casts as quick of a look as he can spare at the forest around them, looking for something that might lend itself well to a trap. ]

The underbrush — if we can get it deep enough in, it might tangle itself up.

[ Hardly foolproof, but it's all he's got right now. ]

[sparkstrikes]

Hit the nail on the head.

[Lightning nudges hers in the direction of the trees, where they're thickest, and extends her sword once more when she sees the Shade winding up for another hit. She leaps in, knocking its paw away from Ardbert and at the same time, grabbing him by the arm to pull him into a run.]

Let's go.

[The further they go, the harder it will be to move, and even Lightning finds herself stumbling over the tangled roots jutting out of the dirt. She keeps the bear engaged with shots from her gun, as fruitless as they may be at taking it down. All she's doing is pissing it off more – it swipes the branches out of its way easily, and if they don't keep moving, then it'll do the same to them.]

I need you to keep distracting it.

[anotherstep]

[ Though he's not expecting her to pull him along with her, he's nimble on his feet, and follows her lead, hefting his axe onto his shoulder. Keeping it pissed off is good — the more wild and enraged it gets, the more likely it is to be blinded by its anger and get itself stuck. At least, that's what Ardbert hopes will happen — if it doesn't, he's out of ideas.

A quick nod. ]

I'll keep him off you.

[ And to that end, he hooks his axe into an overhead branch as they pass beneath it, using his weight to snap it down and right into the Shade's maw as he pulls his axe free. The beast roars ferociously, and for better or for worse, only hastens in his pursuit of Ardbert. ]

But we might not have much time!

[sparkstrikes]

[Sorry she's so bossy in battle.]

Yeah. Figured as much.

[There isn't a lot around here that can buy them any more time than what Ardbert can with his distractions, and once he brings the axe down onto the Shade, Lightning breaks off from him and vanishes into the trees, putting as much distance between herself and him as she possibly can without allowing him out of her sight.

Her fear is that the moment she triggers her magic, the same thing will happen to him as it did to Zack. That her lack of control will be what brings them both down with the monster, and better only one of them than both, right?

Hopefully he can handle the bear a little longer.

Fingers wrapping around the handle of her sword, she tightens her grip and shuts her eyes. She has no idea how she's supposed to do it besides focusing what little magic she can feel into it, because that'll be the only way they destroy this thing for good and stopping it from terrorizing anyone further. The lightning crackles across her sword, but shocks her in the process, the sharp pain enough to make it clatter against the ground, and the sound draws the bear's attention away from Ardbert and back to her, hiding somewhere among the trees.]

Damn it—

[anotherstep]

[ It only takes a moment, and that's always how it is, isn't it? The tide of a battle can change in an instant. He doesn't see her, but he hears the crackle of energy, and the sound of her weapon dropping. And her unarmed is enough to draw the bear's attention away from him. ]

Oh, no you don't, you little shite—

[ Gritting his teeth, he swings his axe at the Shade once again, but it's not enough now. He has to turn to another method, though if he had been upfront with himself at the start, he would have known it would go this way eventually. It's the only way to defeat these things, isn't it?

He swings his axe, but this time, to his side instead of towards the Shade. Lunging forward, he sinks one of his gloved hands into the creature's gnarled hide. Probably not the best idea, but he can worry about the consequences later. Instead, he focuses on gathering his own magic, fledgling and wild though it is, until flames start to blossom between his fingers.

Only then does he draw back, once he's certain the Shade has caught fire. He can only hope these things burn.

Otherwise, he's just started a fire in a forest for no reason. ]

[sparkstrikes]

( overflow! )