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

[heartsbane]

[ if she refuted him, he would have taken no offense. Jorah remembers the problems that come with trust in such a place like this. there's something different about speaking to a stranger in King's Landing or Volantis than there is in Aefenglom. he could smell ill intent on most anyone before making a decision to continue an interaction, where-as everyone here was a blank slate. —sans vendors like this charming fellow, who would always be as blatantly obvious in their motive regardless of universe.

none of that matters, as she accepts his invitation and prompts a tug of his lips in return. he gently patted the top of her forearm before taking the two of them a small distance away, not before tipping his head over his shoulder to see the frustration and dismay of the seller. a hot gust of air breathes through his nose in satisfaction as he turns his attention back to the red-haired woman.

this particular area of the Goblin Market was nestled in the crooks and crannies of the Harbor District, so he brought her to one of the various piers that were around every corner. aside from the creaks of nearby boats being docked nearby, they were alone. sunlight was sneaking through the clouds enough to be a cause for concern, but there were nearby canopies for Melisandre to notice if it grows too uncomfortable. ]

I hope I did not come off as if I was forcing a decision upon you. By all means, once we are done speaking, I will gladly escort you back to make the sell if you believe it is still worth your time.

[voktys]

I bend to none but the God I serve. ⟪ her tone is warm, with a hint of a smile to her as she leans slightly against him where he holds her arm, a nudge to indicate no hard feelings. still, she realise that her words held no clarity on the matter, so she adds: ⟫ Your advice will be taken with gratitude. Not once have I seen a good outcome to a taste-test of strange alchemies.

⟪ the pier seems to please her, and if he steps to a more polite distance, she'll move forward slightly to get a better view of the clear waters. the canals of asshai were notoriously dark, and the seas before dragonstone oft wild with strong winds. still, she's gained some appreciation during her time, especially when and where the light reflects. the lightness of her manner changes, though, when she speaks again: ⟫

It will have all the airs of darkness, will it not? The change, if it progresses without the aid of bonds?

[heartsbane]

[ that's something he hasn't dealt with in sometime. religion. Aefenglom and its native inhabitants were far from pious folk, a distant cry from what he was used to in the various corners of home. her words strike him with a sense of familiarity. being a knight comes with a certain sense of appreciation, but he's certainly no follower. her words earn a low noise at the back of his throat in response. ]

So you have had practice before here, then. I hardly doubt you need my council if that is the case. —But we are already here, and the current is nice out today.

[ she is of course given as much distance as she might desire, Jorah too stepping forward across the wooden planks to watch the waters runs against the stilts coming out from the ground. he has always found it easy to lose himself to the sea, and if it wasn't for her question, he could have very well done just that. so much for being a good conversationalist. ]

Aye. Monsters can lose themselves without a bond to a witch. Witches are without the pool from which they gather strength from. I have had more than my fair share of rough moons.

[ it didn't help that he and his queen decided to foolishly bond together as a pair of monsters. she wouldn't find an ounce of regret on his face as he thinks on that. ]

But alchemy can be trusted. As you must know, it all depends on the source. You cannot risk to pay less for your well-being. Difficult as it may be, unlucky fools like myself have to trust the Coven for their wares.

[voktys]

⟪ her idea of 'distance' seems to mostly extend to no longer directly touching him, though she's soon enough stepped close again, as if to spy into the waters to see what he sees in the same spot. she is hoping for fishes, signs of life that tell her how well or unwell the city is – asshai's canals hold plenty of fish, all of them malformed, with too many eyes or too many fins, and poisonous, of course, to anyone who is not a shadowbinder. ⟫

It would be foolish to discount the words of one who has experience beyond the vague hope that things may be quite similar.

⟪ and if that is a 'hope', it's not one she truly wishes to fall back on. her powers may be great, but they come at terribly steep costs. ⟫

See, the bonds are different. ⟪ then, a frown, a tilt of her head, a faint smile. ⟫ In some ways. There is power in the joining of two people in passion or pleasure in mine own world, too, the kind that can be harnessed for all manner of things. ⟪ because discussing sex magic atop a pier is an ordinary habit.

at the rest, she is quiet, mulls it over. to trust the coven seems to strike her as particularly risky. ⟫ And they have yet to betray your trust?

[heartsbane]

[ considering these piers will sometimes find Aefenglom's inhabitants posted up with fishing rods on hand, there should be a form of wildlife seen living close to the docks. the smell is atypical of a harbor, constantly bouncing between the smoke of the neighboring factories and of the salt in the sea. his nose has been deaf to it for sometime now. if that might bring a sense of comfort from sheer similarity alone, Melisandre will be pleased.

there's nothing like talk of sex to pull a man's attention away from what he is doing, though. the water no longer has his eyes by the time she talks of her experience in the matter. his brows perk up in a brief spike of interest, all before settling on the bridge of his nose. ]

I see. [ something she says strikes a chord with him, as if he has heard of similar magicks long before arriving in Aefenglom. he doesn't show it in his face, but there is a pause before he continues. ] If that is the bond you hope to pursue while you are here, I would say you needn't concern yourself with alchemy. Plenty of... fish in the sea, as they say.

[ it was fitting, okay. at her question regarding the Coven, though, any semblance of a smile turned into a straight line on his face. ]

That is complicated. Since I am apparently using idioms — I do not wish to bite the hand that feeds me.

[ and with that, he remembers an important thing — a lack of proper introductions. there's a light bow from Jorah before folding both hands over his belt line. ]

I am Jorah Mormont. Would you be so kind as to let me know your name?

[voktys]

It is the alchemies for temporary bonding I am curious of the most. ⟪ she, too, is watching him now, curious and inquisitive and a little amused at the way she had stirred his interest when she spoke of the matter of sex – unaware that it was, in part, his own knowledge of magic that drew it in the first place. ⟫ How much they can do, what they feel like in action, how much harm and hindrance is in them, and how much use. I need to know the taste of the fruit before I purchase the... fruit tree.

⟪ there's discontent at her own idiom – outside of her faith, she is no use with them, and can't match him in the causal use.

easier it is to offer a polite inclining of her head, and a blink at the name. 'mormont' is, it seems, familiar, and it is. there was a lord commander, the one before jon snow, who carried the name. there are bears, too, bears on banners that she had learned during long hours of preparation for her journey to the strange lands that made up westeros. ⟫

Jorah Mormont. ⟪ she could, of course, merely ask, but why ask when she can pass the asking on to him by giving an honest answer: ⟫ I am called Melisandre, of Asshai by the Shadow. I hope our meeting is blessed in the Light of the Lord.

[heartsbane]

[ well, then. that's a lot to digest in a small period of time. while he would have loved to use his vocabulary to continue their battle of idioms, she parts knowledge on him that takes immediate precedence.

Jorah has remained reserved with his words and thoughts up until now, but she can certainly see cracks beginning to form by the time she says her name. it's the words that follow her name, rather, that sends his neck forward as if she's passed on terrible news. he cannot help but bring his fingers through the hair that has filled along his jawline, his mind being pulled into various directions all at once.

it takes a moment to finally gather the words in response. he clears his throat and ties his hands behind his back in an attempt at refraining from bothering her with the various emotions that washed over him. ]

This may carry little weight for you considering your short tenure here, but — I know of your Lord of Light, Lady Melisandre.

[ he doesn't know how to feel. it's been... ten months, perhaps, since he and Daenerys have emerged from the mirrors in Aefenglom. in those ten months, he has never found a soul from either Westeros or Essos. there is no telling how much time he had spent trying. Jorah, as she will quickly learn in due time, is no spiritual man. was this a blessed meeting? fated, even? the thought makes him laugh dryly through his nose. ]

Continuing with idioms, this has been a true twist of fate. I hail from Westeros. I am intimately aware of the Asshai'i. It is... very much a pleasure to meet you.

[ more than she'd probably understand. ]

[voktys]

⟪ the thing is – she does not understand, not in his way. westeros is mere days in the past for her, and while his manner, his experience when he speaks of this world, has her thinking it might have been months at the least for him, their positions are far from the same.

and yet, her manner seems to change, her smile turns to a mortal warmth, there is more openness to her standing now than there was a mere moment ago. 'tis not relief at sharing a world, necessarily. it is that any of those whom she has not converted herself regard her with plenty of suspicion, often over years, thinking her foreign at best and a blatant threat at worst. not that she would deny being either, not that she hasn't put the trappings of power at the forefront of the nature she displays with some consciousness behind the action.

'tis still pleasant to meet one who seems to share her delight in the meeting. this has happened a few times now, in this world. she must pay much mind not to get terribly used to it. ⟫

Priests own few possessions, but I count this pleasure among mine own. ⟪ she inclines her head, still smiling. ⟫ To meet one from the lands I have spent the last few years in, to meet one who knows of Asshai, and one who does not seem to be fearful of the truths of it. It makes you a rare sort, good ser. ⟪ she actually reaches for his hand, eager to ask all the more questions now: ⟫ Pray tell, how many months have you lived here?

[heartsbane]

[ he understands it will be hard for her to empathize. that doesn't change his pleasant demeanor over the newfound knowledge. it is good that Melisandre does not know these feelings, even though he is sure it will come in due time if she stays around long enough to notice the same. then again, she already knows what it is to be a foreigner if she has experienced the whiplash that comes from Essos to Westeros. funny how they've learned they shared so much in such a short period of time.

perhaps he'd be more restrained in finding pleasure at their meeting back home, when someone like her would be an immediate and apparent threat to his khaleesi. she's fortunate to find a more lax Queensguard, one ignorant to any good or bad decision she has made. Jorah doesn't attempt to maintain any proper caution or distance in this moment, relishing in what he believes to be excitement over telling Daenerys who he met today. ]

Hah! As someone who is familiar with both lands, I believe you can understand that the truths in both are enough to haunt anyone. But... I do still find myself homesick.

[ homesick for Bear Island. homesick for Meereen. bad memories follow him through both, but they were still sought after in his heart. ]

It has been roughly... ten months, I believe. Time finds itself being stretched more than the norm when dealing with the things that occur here.