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

[boneofsword]

Likewise. [Archer ignores the accusation as he takes in Kirei's appearance. There are no visible changes so he can't tell if the other is a Witch or a Monster, and there's no feel of abundance of mana. He doesn't let his guard down despite that, just like in a presence of a deadly snake.

His question isn't unexpected. Archer thinks of Rin as he's last seen her, trying to smile bravely despite tears, and hopes she's happy.]

No, she's not here.

[Someone else is, though, and that someone is Bonded to Archer. Given his own and his partner's abysmal luck it would be fitting if Cú felt how unsettled he is and ran straight into the man who has been a Master of his Lancer incarnation.]

[livingimpaired]

I see.

[ A pity. But he doubts that she would not have found a means to flourish in this place. She is someone who was able to hold onto her grace and dignity despite everything -- he smiles despite himself. The feeling that he has is not akin to pride; he has more sense to feel something as pure as that. ]

You also, then? [ Kirei has come across a few Servants now, and while the novelty of encountering one has faded a little; the feeling of fire burning one's back has not. ]

How is it to be free of the Holy Grail War, Archer? I wondered how it is that you Servants must feel. You are beings that are summoned for a short period of time, and have no desire to cling to life... yet you all have a wish for the Grail. [ Or else, they would not be able to be Servants in the first place. ]

Does it feel as though you have won after a long fight? Or does it feel like you have simply been rewarded? Or ... [ He takes another step forward. ] ... do you perhaps been pushing these thoughts away to live peacefully in this world?

[boneofsword]

[Huh. That smile borders on creepy. Archer doubts he'd ever be able to understand the connection between Rin and father Kotomine since it's as twisted as the priest is. He raises a brow when he adresses him and focuses on keeping his poker face.]

That depends solely on the wish one has and the timeline they've been taken from. [his answer is neutral, tinted with his typical veneer of sarcasm.] Some have won their war while others are in the middle of theirs. Finding one's own sense of purpose after being summoned countless times to fight for others can be liberating.

[a beat.]

Does it answer your question, Overseer?

[livingimpaired]

Not particularly, but I will accept that answer, Archer.

[ He has gained some piece of information that was lost to him. Indeed, he became aware that people from various worlds were being pulled to this city. They are pulled from various time periods. But the piece that he was missing is that they do not all come from the same timelines. ]

So, the situation we now find ourselves in... we can either discuss the discrepancies in our timelines or let that matter go. [ He adds: ] I am in favor of the latter over the former.

[ He cocks his head slightly to the side. ] But since we are in an extraordinary situation and not yet had a chance to chat yet... I will let you decide.

[boneofsword]

[Archer inclines his head. In both timelines that he knows of Kirei Kotomine is dead. It is possible that in alternate timeline he survives. There may even be a timeline where he wins the war.]

As you wish. [he turns his head slightly to glance at the display of various potions and ingredients. This gesture shows something until now hidden in the cowl of his cloak; a pair of earrings, one eerily familiar and the other shaped from some kind of blue crystal.] After all, Fate will always secure the desired outcome.

[livingimpaired]

Indeed.

[ The priest smiles. He believes the outcome that he's working towards is the most desired one. If it is wrong to ask the questions that he's asking, if it is wrong to wonder why it is that he is the way he is --

-- well, he has already made his decision on what he will do if it is "wrong." ]

However, fate can only take things so far, Archer. You must also have conviction to walk that arduous path.

[boneofsword]

[Such wording has Archer raise a brow. Isn't it the greatest irony coming from Kirei Kotomine?]

That depends on the strenght of your conviction. Are you willing to walk that arduous path if it's going to lead you endlessly forward?

[livingimpaired]

I'm only human, Archer.

[ The priest decides to answer honestly. ]

There has to be something at the end of my journey. That is what humans want for themselves... an answer that all that they've endured and lived through had meaning. That there is more to this life than simply our suffering.

[ He smiles. ] I would not be able to walk a path if it only lead me endlessly forward. But, again, I am human. If you are likening yourself to me, you probably are already broken.

[boneofsword]

I have been human a long time ago. [he points out with a shrug.]

There is saying 'Be careful what you wish for'. Perhaps you should take it to heart.

[livingimpaired]

Is that so? [ The priest smiles, seemingly amused. ]

I'm afraid that my heart wouldn't listen to that kind of advice. [ He's hilarious. ]

[boneofsword]

[This makes Archer chuckle a bit darkly. The thought of Kirei having a heart is hillarious.]

Humans love to follow empty ideals or foolish wishes, thinking their lives or their suffering has some importance. Yet they're nothing more than toys for the gods, who are pawns in hands of fate.

[livingimpaired]

[ He frowns at the answer that he is given, and feels a moment of anger settle inside of him. ]

I can't say that my life will have too much importance, but I will not say that our suffering is not worth anything, Archer.

[ He closes his eyes for a moment before he opens them to look calmly upon the Servant. ]

There are useless people in the world, but there is no one that is worthless. There is meaning in every life even if that meaning may not be something of grand importance. [ This is what the priest truly believes. ] Even if we are but toys and pawns... we also have made our own decisions.

[ Kirei Kotomine repeats himself firmly. ] We have free will. [ He lets those words settle before continuing: ] If you are saying that you are nothing more than an empty vessel that has never made one real decision in your life, I fear... I really don't understand how you became a Heroic Servant.