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

[holybeasts]

[That reply is enough to draw an amused sound out of Maria. He doesn't exactly look surprised or anything but that isn't so unusual. It really is dark enough where she can make out little beyond his natural pallor.]

I'm glad to see that on that point we can both agree. I told him he was at least stubborn enough to be a Belmont if nothing else.

[That said they're coming across the food stalls now and Maria seems keen to peep into every one. And she can't help her crow of delight when she finds what she was looking for. Heck, it might be the self-same crepe stand from last year but either way she seems vastly pleased.]

This is it!

[cryptsleeper]

Oh, he's a Belmont alright. [There's fondness even if his tone is dry. Trevor is a great many things these days, and they always bounce between a Belmont and a total pain in the ass.] Mind, this place decided to go the ironic route and make him into a vampire.

[She may well know that, and well, it doesn't matter. The food stalls come into view, and the mix of fried dough, bonfire air, and spring breeze melt into something absolutely divine.

He follows behind, never more than one or two steps away.]

--Which crepe then?

[holybeasts]

[She blinks at that bit of news. And then she outright laughs. It's probably not nice of her but after how he'd ruffled her feathers so to speak, she's not shy about finding the moment funny.]

I thought he looked pale. When I asked though he acted like I was going to eat him.

[Okay maybe he didn't but she's going to claim so anyhow because it makes her feel somewhat vindicated after being called a liar.

What had she had last time? She looks over the offerings, pursing her lips a moment.]

Oh definitely one of the fruit ones.

[She glances back to him now, head tilted just a touch.]

Would you like one too?

[cryptsleeper]

[It's definitely not nice, if the flicker of disapproval on Alucard's face is anything to go by. He and Trevor went through too much heart ache because of that, thank you. In fact, he decides to leave that alone entirely, and focuses on the here and now.

And the crepe-y, because that is the here and now. Alucard considers, and nods.]

I'm not especially hungry, but please get whatever you'd like.

[There's that quiet undercurrent of offering to cover the cost.]

[holybeasts]

[The flicker of disapproval goes unnoticed unfortunately. Perhaps if she knew Trevor beyond her first impression -- or at the very least his exact connection with Alucard -- she might have been a little gentler.

... Though then again maybe her lack of fear over the idea of changing so gives her far too cavalier of an attitude?

Either way Maria doesn't catch on to the undercurrent until she's already got a crepe in hand and payment made.]

Mm, I understand. I'm not either but there's always room for sweets.

[And it's better than the bonfires. That piece goes unsaid. She's doesn't even turn to look at them now as she plucks a blackberry from her crepe, casting her eyes down the line of stalls.]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's quick enough to insist on paying for the crepe, and as they walk away, he's cautious as they move. There is nothing worse than walking into someone and losing all of one's food.]

Then your stomach is far more powerful than my own.

[Alucard's stomach is also a more savory creature.

There's nothing but endless food ahead, but Alucard does know the area. He hums softly, considering:]

I think there's a plaza up ahead with a central fountain that makes acceptable seating, if you don't want to try and eat and walk.

[No bonfires. Just soft gurgling water.]

[holybeasts]

[It would almost be a battle of payments if Maria was any less distracted by sweets and the vendor anymore willing to indulge such. As it is all the blonde can do is cant her eyebrows upward in a curious expression given her mouth is full rather quickly. It's not enough of a shock apparently to warrant more reply.

Once she's not thoroughly enjoying the taste of mixed fruits, she seems intrigued in expression and tone.]

Oh? I do remember there being at least one fountain.

[Was it a central one? That sounds about right. Somehow despite how recent everything seemed to her there still seemed to be some fuzziness to it all. Like a half-remembered dream in a way? Hm.

That said she complies silently, bending her steps in whatever way he directs.]

Eating and walking isn't a problem though. I'm more nimble than you may think!

[She boasts in a jovial enough tone to show she's only half-serious about that. That said she plucks out a strawberry this time, seemingly devoted to both eating this poor crepe as is and plucking it apart at the same time, and adds with a tone that sounds casual but an expression directed to the confectionery that is calmly serious.]

I know this is odd and I do appreciate you indulging me, you know. Not that I'm being dishonest or anything like that but -- I suppose it would be easy enough to think that.

[Is she apologizing somewhat? Perhaps. He keeps striking her so often as equal parts of familiar, from looks to manners. Even the insistence on paying seems logical to her when she considers the type of man even the stoic and cool Alucard had struck her as being. She had teased him about being a gentleman after all.

It's strange. And she must be even stranger, not just to Adrian here either.

Strawberry obtained she glances over briefly as she continues.]

You can ask me what you like. If you're curious about anything that is.

[cryptsleeper]

cont'd

[It's a quiet enough spot at any rate, populated by a few others doing the exact same thing as Alucard and Maria: sitting down where it's quiet, close enough to food stalls if needed and far away rfom most of the hustle and bustle of the celebration itself. If the more relaxed air around Alucard is anything to go by, it suits him.

It's interesting watching Maria's crepe approach, which seems more focused on examining the individual compontents of the thing rather than deating it all in one fell swoop. That it isn't already a mess feels like a small miracle.

Alucard leans back a little, hands splayed on either side of him to support the weight. His eyes move from Maria to the stars instead, and he's quiet for a moment.]

I didn't think you were.

[It would require too much effort to make up a tale such as what Maria has already shared with him.]

I'm not sure that I should have the answers to what lies ahead in my future. Nor that I want to know.