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

[taciturnly]

( ...dead? for how stoic lan wangji’s facial expressions usually are, his eyes don’t hide much of anything. it hits him hard, like a brick in the face. has he always been so easy to read, or does he know because he, long ago, experienced the same pain? still does, when memories feel heavier, when old demons resurface, never completely vanquished.

the question is particularly loaded, and the answer a complex one. explaining to him the realities of aefenglom now, while his headspace is an utter mess, seems irrelevant, at least for the time being. he finds himself desperately wanting to reassure him instead, to heal where it actually hurts, a sliver of hope. people come and go, and his younger self could vanish as quietly as he arrived. he needs to know. just in case, go back home with the knowledge that this ache he feels, everywhere his blood runs, deeper, won’t be forever.

so he nods, contrite despite his best efforts. ) For sixteen years, he will be. ( and the weight of his absence will burn a hole through his chest, but... ) Justice will be served. When he comes back… ( his gaze swivels down, a long inhale as his focus sharpens, magic flowing free and eyes much softer as they meet his again. ) Tell him. ( how you feel. )

[cultivatingrabbits]

[ he inhales on a shudder, because the words from his other self are only enhanced by the look in his eyes, a look he cannot do anything but trust because he knows himself, albeit perhaps not all of this older self. still.

Wei Ying is coming back? the idea is ludicrous, impossible, but if anyone would be able to topple death, to laugh it its face, it would be Wei Ying. the odds had always somehow been against him, but he also always challenged them, did what he wanted to.

...then again, he let go, he asked Lan Wangji to let him fall. so did he want to come back? he'll never forgive himself for not holding on tighter. ]

Tell him...

[ he loses some of his words at that, something he's never really had a problem with, considering he doesn't speak much in the first place. but how does one tell another person about how he feels when he's still battling to understand the weight of his own feelings in the middle of his grief. sixteen years... but it will happen?

his shoulder sag and he swallows. everything feels overwhelming right now. ]

[taciturnly]

( it’s a lot. he knows. he doesn’t expect him to make peace with everything now; it’ll be years before lan wangji finds a modicum of reprieve, and the circumstances of aefenglom made it a lot easier for him to realize that his longing wasn’t one-sided. for now, his younger self is on a high of raw emotions; lan wangji only needed him to know that there is hope, no matter how helpless and forlorn he may feel.

he nods slowly, encouraging. and then his arm drops, hand carefully curling around the other’s, a gentle tug. ) Your wounds must be attended to. ( cleaned mostly, followed by more soothing, magical care. ) Come with me.

[cultivatingrabbits]

[ does he deserve that tending to. he honestly doesn't know what he had in mind for when he went to the Cold Springs, not after all that... but he can't very well let himself fall further, not now with the small sliver of hope he's been given, even if it's difficult for him to grasp it yet.

so he inclines his head, a short small nod of his head, and shifts to stumble back onto his feet, stubbornly trying his best to keep his balance himself without leaning on the other. he can... he will manage that much, no matter how much his legs want to give out. it's not the first time he's been incapacitated like this. ]

[taciturnly]

( he’ll allow that much. a sliver of pride, to prove himself adequate, capable in the midst of pain and confusion. he’s always been stubborn, resilient, and if lan wangji knows better than to coddle him, he hopes he realizes one day, sooner rather than later, that leaning on a trusted shoulder is perfectly acceptable.

especially if said shoulder belongs to someone who truly loves you.

so he walks beside him, letting him find his rhythm, until they reach a small cottage where tiny winged bunnies hop around, a dozen in the green grass of the front yard. the circumstances are beyond bizarre, a troubling trip down memory lane… and yet there’s an odd sense of peace to be found here. another chance to make amends, maybe. with himself.

he stops in front of the door, a gentle gaze. ) Three months ago, I was thrown into this world. ( a pause, and then, looking skyward as he quietly appreciates how things have changed. ) This is our home.

[cultivatingrabbits]

[ it's a slow walk, would probably be faster if he did let himself lean, but this is also part of the punishment... at least the part of the punishment he put on himself further. perhaps not necessary from anyone else's point of view, but then again, the circumstances didn't let himself feel like he deserved anything less. he's grateful for the understanding. of course there would be one, if they're the same person.

he's been mostly studying the ground while walking, so once they reach the cottage, the view halts his steps carefully. bunnies. ... ... with wings? if anything would put doubt in his mind whether this is an illusion or not, this would be it.

... nevertheless, it's a calming presence, and he lifts his head as the other him starts speaking, unsure what to make of it all. home. this is their... oh. the other him and Wei Ying has a home. together. ]

A home.

[ it does look like a gentle, peaceful place, though he knows nothing of this world, doesn't know if there are dangers or not. nevertheless, they are together and that's what matters. doesn't it?

the thought both warms and makes him jealous. and he resolutely stomps on the jealousy before it has any opportunity to bloom. it wouldn't do him any favours, wouldn't help. maybe Wei Ying does come back... and maybe he doesn't, but least one version of him won't live with the grief all his life. that thought is, at least, giving some comfort, even if minor. ]