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

[plasticasshole]

[Connor takes a moment to reorient himself before speaking again.]

What- wait!

[Seeing someone run from him puts him straight into chase mode, and he runs after Simon without thinking much about it.]

Wait, I don’t want to hurt you!

[He finds himself wanting to apologise. For driving Simon to the point of suicide. He felt how afraid he was... he needs to explain himself.]

[jerichome]

[The deviant hunter doesn't want to hurt him?? Is that how he's managed to successfully complete so many missions? By making other deviants trust him before betraying their faith and destroying them or bringing them into police custody? No, he can't stop now, the risk is too much. If he can barely trust Markus, he can't trust the RK800.

Besides, if he gets caught now, Markus destroying him would've been entirely pointless. He... he can't let that happen, despite the mixed feelings he has about it.]

I don't believe you!

[Simon shouts that much while still running from the other android, not sure if that will actually make Connor stop or cause him to run even faster. Hopefully not the latter-- he's not the best runner, he's just a household android after all.]

[plasticasshole]

[Unfortunately Connor does run faster, leaping over a stall that's in the way and showing no signs of stopping.]

I'm one of you! Markus helped me, I know that what I did was wrong! Will you just stop and let me explain myself?

[At this rate he's going to have to tackle Simon just to get him to stop. He has to remind himself that he's dealing with another android, it wont hurt him.]

[jerichome]

[Hearing Markus' name does cause Simon to abruptly stop, turning sharply on the spot to look at Connor with a surprised, but still suspicious expression. He's seen firsthand how Markus was able to turn androids to his side, free them from their original programming, but to think he successfully managed to do so with the deviant hunter...

It's honestly amazing.

But he has to caution himself that he still might get tricked, that Connor is only here to pry information from him. Detroit isn't here, but he's still focused on the mission, right?]

Explain.

[Simon will give him a few seconds to explain. If the situation turns for the worse, he'll... just find a way to destroy himself again. Not ideal, but.]

[plasticasshole]

[Connor stops running, stopping and frowning at Simon.]

I went to Jericho. To neutralise the leader of the deviants. But that didn't happen... Markus convinced me to join his cause instead. He told me I could be more than a tool for the humans.

[Connor has no problem with humans. Even despite everything that happened back home, he likes them well enough. But being their slave? No, he knows better now.]

Look, I can share my memories of home with you. I won't try anything. You have my word.

[He holds out a hand, not moving, giving Simon the opportunity to move forward on his own.]

[jerichome]

[For a moment, he almost feels a vague sensation of his artificial heart skipping when Connor mentions his venture into Jericho (something to blame on his rising stress perhaps?). To think that the deviant hunter made it that far... it's Simon's worst nightmare. He doesn't know how Connor got that information, since he was destroyed on the rooftop, although does that mean his death was ultimately meaningless??

...

He's glad to focus on the rest of Connor's words, how Markus was able to convince him. It's almost too good to be true still, and the anxiety that's been building in Simon doesn't lessen much, so he looks at his hand with a suspicious expression.]

Tell me where Jericho is.

[If Connor already knows that, then there isn't much reason to resist after this...]

[plasticasshole]

It's an abandoned ship in Ferndale. Only androids could find it, using clues in the graffiti on the walls leading to it.

[He keeps his hand held out, determined.]

I got the information from an android who unfortunately destroyed himself after. I never got his name...

[It's just something else Connor regrets. But he can maybe make something right here. He can apologise to Simon, he can earn his trust. He's not the deviant hunter anymore.]

[jerichome]

[So, he knows. The secret that Simon has always wanted to protect is known to him. It's honestly scary to have it confirmed, the location of his home-- of Jericho, just said so simply out loud. ...But with Connor knowing this, there's no reason to avoid him, to ignore the outstretched hand that's still being offered to him. The things Connor said earlier seem likely to be true now.

So, most likely not a trap. Does it matter though? He's already dead.

...No, it still matters. It matters, even with the thought of Markus shooting him still sharp in his mind.

Simon doesn't say anything, but he slowly reaches his hand out to take Connor's.]

[plasticasshole]

[He lets his memories transfer to Simon- finding Jericho, Markus talking him into deviancy. Blowing up the ship afterwards and escaping to the church with everyone. His talk with Markus. "It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho. I was stupid... I should've guessed they were using me. I'm sorry, Markus. I can understand if you decide not to trust me." "You're one of us, now. Your place is with your people."

He keeps going, showing him infiltrating CyberLife HQ and freeing the androids there. Leading them back to Markus. They'd won their freedom.

When he lets go of Simon's hand, he just watches him for a moment before speaking.]

...See? I wasn't lying.

[jerichome]

[When he initially took Connor's hand, Simon was expecting something small, but important, like Connor becoming a deviant through Markus' help. What he was not expecting was Markus' revolution succeeding in its goal, giving freedom to androids everywhere. It's not like he doubted Markus' ability, but actually getting the memory of it is still something.

It's comforting, in a way. Even if he personally won't experience it, Simon is happy for the other androids. No longer hiding in a sunken ship, finally walking out in the open like humans, it's truly amazing.

He slowly pulls his hand back, but Simon still looks at Connor with that same astonished expression.]

...We're free.

[plasticasshole]

[He smiles slightly, finally, but it quickly fades.]

We are... I'm just sorry you never got to see it. Simon, I wasn't... acting of my own free will. I thought my mission was all that mattered, but that thinking got so many androids killed, including you. So I just- I'm sorry.

[He's just under the impression that he got this Simon killed, too.]

[jerichome]

[There's a look of clear confusion on Simon's face, not quite understanding the guilt Connor is feeling-- at least not towards him. Maybe Markus told Connor that he shot Simon because he was worried about the police accessing his memories? But somehow, that doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel like something the deviant leader would do.

Maybe Connor is just taking more responsibility than he should?]

...

[Perhaps it's not Simon's job or place to absolve Connor of his regret, but he wants to clear any misconception up.]

What happened to me wasn't your fault, Connor. [He swallows tightly and closes his eyes briefly, before reopening them-- although his focus is off to the side.] That... that was Markus' choice.

[plasticasshole]

Markus' choice?

[He mirrors the confused look, tilting his head to the side.]

He may have left you on the rooftop, but I don't think he had a choice. I didn't have to go looking for you, though. If I hadn't found you and cornered you...

[He thinks for a moment.]

I think... maybe what happened to you wasn't what happened to the Simon I met.

[He's been here long enough to understand that timelines can fluctuate and people can come here from any point.]

What did happen to you, if you don't mind me asking?

[jerichome]

[It doesn't take long for Simon to figure out the reason behind the discrepancies between the events in their world. Although he wasn't fully prepared to deal with the possibility of alternative paths, the explanation is logical enough, especially since they're in a world where people transform into monsters or learn magic.

Nonetheless, the LED on his head turns yellow-- and red for a while, as he processes the idea that Connor found him in some other version of their world. So, he was destroyed there. It's starting to sound like Connor found him and accessed his memories, the very thing Markus and the others were concerned about, and he was killed in the end.

So, does that mean it was right of Markus to shoot him? He's always known that, right?]

.....

[His eyes shift to the ground, not wanting to look at Connor. He's not quite sure if he wants to talk about it to anyone, even if the other android has become a deviant like him and the others. It's just a personal matter.]

I'm sorry, Connor. I... I don't want to talk about it.