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

[weiward]

[he doesn't need to sit. suddenly wei wuxian feels like he has enough energy to run around the city. twice. but she would be more comfortable, so wei wuxian nods before guiding her way from the stalls and the crowd. he wants to squeeze her hands in return, maybe hold onto them tight enough that she can never leave again, but he's especially mindful of his claws.

wei wuxian sits down after she does, beaming at her.]

Everything is fine here. I'm a puca - a monster rabbit. It's all Lan Zhan's fault. [but he laughs as he says it.] We're Bonded, and we're gonna be wed, and this is the best gift I could've asked for.

[he closes her hands in his, eyes shining with tears as he presses a kiss against them.]

[rootstalks]

[ Given that her own hands are starting to grow soft scales, and claws of her own, he can perhaps be a little more at ease. ]

I don't believe that-- [ That someone as upright as Lan Wangji would knowingly turn you into a monster rabbit, she wants to say, but then he keeps talking, and she gasps. ]

Bonded to Hanguang-jun, and to be wed? Oh, A-Xian! [ He looks so happy about it that any reservations she could possibly have had are banished immediately. She waits for his grip on her hands to loosen again, so she can move them up to his face and stroke his cheeks and forehead, and back into his hair. She blinks away her own sudden tears, and tries to look as stern as she can at short notice. ]

You have to arrange a meeting, and I want to know about your plans for the wedding.

[weiward]

[he's happy. he's so happy. he's so desperately wanted to share this news with her. he's dreamed of saying the words often enough that a part of him is afraid that this is just another dream, and he's going to wake up and find her gone again.

but her touch is solid and real, always a balm to wei wuxian no matter what he was going through. and when he blinks, she's still there.]

Of course! Lan Zhan will be happy to see you again too! We're just at the beginning, but I want to do it right. Chifeng-zun is helping me. Can you believe I'm worried about being honorable? But Lan Zhan has been through so much for me, I can't repay him with anything less.

[he rambles until he has to stop and catch his breath, but then it's almost as if he can't get it back again.]

Shijie...I've missed you so much.

[has he said that already? sue him. he could say it a thousand more times and it still wouldn't do justice to the ache he's felt in his heart.]

[rootstalks]

[ She listens seriously, even if her mouth keeps twitching back into a smile. Chifeng-zun's involvement gets a nod, because even if he's... not particularly well-known for his ceremonies, he's more than respectable enough to preside over her brother's wedding. The honor owed to Lan Wangji gets another; she's had to watch the man rush this way and that for him. They owe it to each other.

When he runs out of breath, she catches hers. Still carefully running her fingers through his hair, and smoothing his clothing, and marveling at the change in his energy. She has to swallow before talking, overcome. He deserves good things. She's so glad. ]

It's good that you're doing it properly. You shouldn't look back on it and have any regrets at all. If there's anything I can do, just say.

[ She pauses, though. She's understood a little of this world. So if he's Bonded to Lan Wangji, and it's his fault A-Xian is a rabbit... Her voice drops, not quite into a tone for gossip, but... ] Is Hanguang-jun... also a puca? [ Please warn her now, because she doesn't want to laugh in his face and cause offense. She needs time to gather her usual poise when everyone is walking around sporting animal ears. ]

[weiward]

[he's not surprised that she understands. of course she does. of all the people in the world, she and lan zhan are the only two who've really tried to understand him. even at his worst.]

You can be there.

[oh, there's definitely more practical things that she could oversee - the food, for example, because to leave wei wuxian in charge of it is going to leave their guests with more than a hangover from too much wine. but he wouldn't dare put her to work that way. and he's telling the truth. everything would be made beautiful and perfect just by her being there.

wei wuxian's brows go up at that question, his mouth opening slowly. don't mind him, he's just picturing that. the soft white fur, the elegant ears. a tail as white and fluffy as the 'cloud' in cloud recesses. be still his bunny heart.]

Ah, no, no. Lan Zhan isn't a puca. [his laugh tapers off as he scratches his cheek. is it just him or is the day suddenly warmer?] He's a witch. Physically he doesn't look any different. Except he might seem a little older. But with Lan Zhan it might be hard to text, He's always seemed older than his years.

[rootstalks]

[ That's... that's good. She has a horrible feeling that if Lan Wangji were to have the same soft ears as A-Xian, he'd just wear the besotted expression he's making now for the rest of his life.

Not that she minds, but it might harm his reputation a little.

But, wait. Her eyebrows lift, and she tugs punitively on one of his ears. 'Be there'? What a low bar. ] That I'll be there should be a given now, A-Xian! [ And because she Knows Him, ] I've decided. I'll help with the feast, because I'm sure you haven't told anyone your favourites.

[weiward]

[he's going to be wearing it anyway, especially in lan zhan's presence. his reputation has been through worse things, to the point where he no longer cares.

lan wangji's reputation, on the other hand, is something he takes a little more seriously. rabbit ears probably wouldn't suit him.]

Shijie, you shouldn't have to throw yourself into work right away! You just got here! [but hearing the promise, his stomach chooses that moment to betray him. wei wuxian places his hand against it while giving her his most sheepish smile.] ...But no one in Aefenglom cooks as good as you do. That's a fact.

[rootstalks]

[ She'll learn that soon enough. And find it adorable and mildly hilarious, but then she's biased.

She puts on a more childish lilt, a leaf out of his book of tricks, and even manages a small pout of discontent. ]

A-Li has been doing nothing but rest and listen to the precepts of virtuous mothers for weeks. [ But she's nowhere near as good as him at it, it's clear that she doesn't mind either at all. And back to her normal tone of affection. ] Now I'm growing scales, and everything is strange. But... we're together, so I'll cook for you.

[weiward]

[are you kidding, shijie is even cuter than a three-year-old wei wuxian and he's delighted by it]

It doesn't matter if Shijie grows scales or fangs or anything else, she's still the prettiest girl in Aefenglom!

[anyone say otherwise, he dares them. :|

wei wuxian will make it feel like home for her, the way she makes it feel like home for him.]

Ah, you can save all the pork ribs for Jiang Cheng though. Meat doesn't agree with Xianxian's tummy.

[bottom lip out, chin tucked against his chest, eyes wide and innocent. it's gross, he's gross, throw wei wuxian in the trash.]

[rootstalks]

[ His flattery gets the fond laugh it deserves-- and she brightens even more as he mentions their brother. Even if he had already arrived early - to give her face, he'd argued, already reaching for his nephew - she'd felt his absence in the short time she'd been in Aefenglom. ]

A-Cheng is here as well?

[ Wait, that's important, but what's also important... her smile lilts, like she's not sure whether to be concerned by what he says last or amused at how he says it. She compromises, and reaches up to pat him on the head, right between his drooping ears. ] ... It can't be that pucas can't eat meat?

[weiward]

[wei wuxian smiles and nods at her, happy to deliver the news about jiang cheng. no matter how strange things are between them, one thing can't be touched: they both love and are loved by yanli.]

I saw him earlier. He's also growing scales.

[it must be a yunmeng thing. after a lifetime of growing up near the water they become a monster that's comfortable in it. it makes sense, as much as any of their changes here do.

his pout returns, exaggerated enough that she won't worry too much about him. he mourns his appetite for meat, but at least it wasn't alcohol.]

But at least I have you here now to make vegetarian dishes delicious and not like bitter medicine broth.

[wei wuxian shudders, and somewhere lan qiren disapproves.]

[rootstalks]

[ She wants to chide him, because she knows that's a dig at GusuLan cuisine... but when she's heard their complaints, and been in the kitchen tents during the campaigns with stern-faced cultivators and servants in white making broth that was so unseasoned as to be unfit for... well.

She would say that there were several reasons she'd stepped in back then, and leave it at that. ]

I'm sure I know one or two dishes that you'll enjoy, even without meat.

[ She makes a mental note to write down the recipes, significantly more than one or two, and gift them at the wedding.

Unfortunately, the mention of A-Cheng has brought her down from the heady relief of seeing him again. After all, she was barely out of the mirror when she ran into Zixuan and A-Ling, and heard... No. She doesn't want to bring it up so soon. She dismisses the worry again with a slight shake of her head. ]

Is he well?