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Basement Bonanza Log
The House
The house is much like the rest of the housing around it. Victorian style with some side yards, an outside that's desperately in need of paint, and wild, fancy architecture. Along the side is a fenced yard containing a small kitchen garden, complete with a recently added chicken coop in the back.
The front door leads to a small foyer, whereas the side door by the garden goes straight into the kitchen. In the kitchen, there will be a number of foods available for anyone chipping in to snack on, with options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. (No blood, sorry vampires, but if you get peckish you might find someone willing to let you have a bite.) Shinjiro will aggressively shoo away anyone who shows up just to get food without actually contributing. It's for people who help only!!
The interior is weird, as to be expected. They've made it mostly liveable, most of the furniture in the living spaces in new, but there's still Victorian Classics such as too many patterns and portraits of strangers on the wall, and bad wallpaper in surprisingly cozy places. There's even a restroom on the ground floor, complete with fireplace by the tub. People taking a break are welcome to tool around on the ground floor, where things are markedly more normal. Any attempts to go upstairs, where the residents bedrooms are, will be dissuaded.
There's a dog to pet (Koromaru, an incredibly intelligent white shiba inu) or a Petal Wolf (Bela) or, if you want to risk a few fingers, Fie's hyena (Alfin). The hyena occasionally breaks out into mad giggles in other people's voices, occasionally parroting contextless statements in perfect mimicry of the people who live there. Scrounging around somewhere will be Louis's cat, Juniper, and then there's the coop full of chickens outside, a snapping turtle in the pond...
But you people aren't here for the relatively normal living space.
THE BASEMENT.
The air is cooler in the basement, and with that soft scent of wet stone. It's not disgusting or overwhelming, despite how locked up and sealed the area had been, and for who knows how long. More than anything else, it's just dark. They've carried a few magitech lanterns down to the foot of the stairs, at least, in initially scoping it out to try and see what's down there: and even from just stepping off the stairs, it's clear to see that this is some sort of wild magical hoarder situation.
Walls are packed with everything from displays of oddities and curiosities to books and containers of liquids, the labels long since faded and peeled, to even rusted lockboxes, worryingly rectangular and human-lengthed, each with stiff, sturdy locks. In another corner, there's more shelves cluttered and overflowing with wet specimens preserved in jars. Many are completely unidentifiable. Many are absolutely identifiable, and it's unclear which is worse. There's everything from animals to plants to fish to even pieces of monsters or humans/witches alike.
Scattered throughout, there's lumpy sheets covering what can only be assumed to be furniture, as well as household items, baubles, trinkets, books, scrolls, and just general things crammed in any and every nook and cranny that can be found. If there was any sort of organization, it was lost well before the prior owner stopped their collecting.
In one corner, there's an iron spiral staircase that just leads into the ceiling, going nowhere. A few iron Maidens and sarcophagi can be found stored away, some of them haphazardly fallen over.
It's absolute chaos of junk layered on top of junk, pinned down by even more junk. And it's clearly going to take a lot of trips up and down those stone stairs to even begin to unearth some of the wild things stashed away.
Maybe if you're lucky, you'll unearth a friend to help light your way.
The Stuff.
I've gone ahead and written up some examples for people to run wild with-- and for anything else, feel free to either make things up, OR request something in the top thread!
Some of the Major Attractions of the Basement include:
An Iron Maiden. - Unlike many others, there's no spikes visible within. In fact, it looks almost welcoming. There's a faint enchantment to it, gently pulling at the senses of whomever gets too close. It's plush, and soft inside. Doesn't it look warm? The rest of the basement is so musty and damp and cold. Surely taking a rest would be fine.
Once someone steps into it, however, the doors close shut, and the victim is forced to rewatch their most embarrassing memory. When said memory has played out, however, they are released, no worse for the wear, and immune to the Maiden's Seduction for the next several days. Good thing you're the only one who saw that memory..... right??
A helpful (if creepy) teapot. - This teapot has one job, and it will perform it. It will serve you tea. It will not stop until it has served you tea. No, it doesn't even know what tea is. It also doesn't seem to care if you have a container to hold a beverage or not. It. Will. Serve. You. Tea.
...However, who knows what liquid is actually within it. Feel free to use this skittering, crawling friend for anything. It could be as benign as incessantly following your character like an annoying and needy dog. It could be as horrifying as using force and chitinous claws to make your character ingest something. (Which could be delicious tea. Or could be anything else. Up to you!)
A speaker of secrets. - A jarringly hideous piece of taxidermy, the ravens screech the secrets of whomever touches it. Sometimes they're wrong, though. It's anyone's guess if they're yelling your deepest secrets, or if they're just making things up. Anyway, here's hoping whoever you're with doesn't just think you're using it as an excuse. (Or, if what they speak is true, hopefully people believe your excuse. Good luck carrying this thing all the way up and through the house.)
Vaguely Insulting Dishware. - What it says on the tin. The text seems to shift and change to insult you, specifically, and often times very passive aggressively.
A beautiful, floral chair - Like a flower in full bloom, this is another object that anyone nearby could find themselves magically drawn towards. It even smells soft and sweet- almost like fresh rain and honeysuckle. It's pristine looking, in comparison to all the objects around it, covered with dust and debris, and looks soft and pillowy and inviting. It's wide enough that someone could crawl onto and drape themselves across it.
At which point the petals will pull closed, enveloping them in a sweet cocoon of which they come out.... different. The effects are, as always, up to the player, as is the duration of them. (Transmutation spells are finite, of course, and the effects aren't strong enough to last more than a few days.)
A giant crystal. - It'll take a team to move this humongous chunk of rock-- Or maybe just a duo of dragon or chimera. The first person to touch it, however, will find that it is not only reflective, but it projects. The light hitting it is projected in prisms, and all take a form based on the person who touches it. This could be a warped, twisted reflection showing how one thinks of themself. It could be a projection of deepest fantasies. It could just be whatever you're thinking at the moment. Or maybe it's a mockery. Play around at your hearts content!
Potions of any and all type! - You're not the type to just drink mysterious liquids in someone's basement (Unless you are, in which case, go for it!) but so many of these are cracked and worn. It's entirely possible some of them work on contact or inhalation. The effects can be almost anything, from Alice in Wonderland style shrinking and growing, to floating or glowing or transmuting. Perhaps one is a mood enhancer! Another could be poison. And a third could make the tips of your fingers grow hair. It's a mixed bag.
Cursed jewelry of any and all types - Same thing as the potions, these can be enchanted to have effects as minor as making your hair always look perfect (though there's a smell of cod liver that won't go away--) to as major as clamping in and biting through the skin, drinking your blood to fuel its dark powers. (Said dark powers could be anything from animatronic taxidermy coming alive to mimic your every move, to a spell to charm everyone around you, to the ability to speak with termites.) Again, go wild! And if you have trouble getting that jewelry off, there's gotta be some bolt cutters somewhere around here.... right?
There is MUCH MUCH ELSE that can be found! If you would like to be assigned a random Thing, feel free to give me the general vibe of what you're wanting, and I'll come up with something crazy for you! If you would like more than one thing, THAT IS FINE TOO!
FINAL OOC NOTES
In a list format because i'm lazy:
--NO EFFECT IN THE BASEMENT CAN BE GAMEBREAKING. Mind control, dreamwalking, and memory alteration are no-go.
--The contents of the unenchanted books in the basement are mostly nonsense or boring, but you can absolutely find some sort of burn book with hot deets on (non-plot) NPCs
--Any effect will eventually wear off. The process can be expedited with a witch. It's your choice how skilled that witch needs to be.
--"But susan someone else in a previous thread already took care of the item i was gonna use!" it's magic there can be two of them. or it can teleport itself repeatedly back into the basement. i'm not going to keep track and time isn't real.
--Mark any explicit content, plzkthx.
--Let me know if your character is enough of a jerk to try going to the second floor of the house. because a witch lives here and nearly all of them are mistrustful as hell so you know that's not gonna work out. (I'll let you know exactly how, if your character would try it.)
--If you're gonna die, talk to the mods about it first. if you're gonna kill anyone then double talk to the mods about it first.
--Go wild like you graduated from crazy go nuts university
And most importantly:
--FEEL FREE TO ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS! I'm available in the top comments here, though you are welcome to PM me, or shoot me a DM on discord (Soozaphone#3966), or shoot me a private plurk (
howl... a canon hoarder
[ Howl did not respond to Shinjiro's message inviting the other Mirrorbound to clear out the basement, but he arrives at the specified home early - very early. He lets himself in through the front door, as the message gave permission to do, taking care not to be noisy or let any of the pets loose.
If it weren't for the large, enchanted wheeled cart that follows him inside, you might not think he's there to do something as physical as cleaning out a dusty basement. He's dressed in a shimmering blue and silver witch's robe with white runes embroidered along the hem of the hood and cuffs, and similarly expensive-looking clothing underneath. Those who have met him before might notice that his hair color is different shade of blond, closer to the color of straw. ]
Alright. Where's the basement, then? [ Beaming, he leaves the cart in the foyer and steps farther into the house. Is he the first person here? ]
{ 2. MIRROR. }
[ Mid-morning, Howl takes a break, sitting beside his cart to fiddle with some of his lucky finds. One in particular has him captivated for several long minutes: a fairly plain hand mirror. And no, he's not gazing at himself like some witchy Narcissus - he likes to look good, but he's not that self-absorbed - rather, he keeps tilting it back and forth, squinting deep into its reflection.
Eventually, he gets frustrated and starts to walk around the house, approaching whoever might look like they aren't too busy. ]
Pardon me. Can I trouble you for a moment? Would you look into this mirror for me?
{ 3. MOTHMAN. }
[ The basement is covered in cobwebs and is home to the occasional cockroach, but beginning in the early afternoon, a large number of fuzzy black moths have suddenly appeared. They nestle on the ceiling, crawl over the dusty piles, and flutter past people's faces. The moths are annoying at first, but as the minutes go by their numbers undoubtedly increase, and the distraction they cause worsens with them.
The hoard of moths was not in the basement this morning. Where could they have come from? Well, the only person in the basement who hasn't commented on them so far is Howl. He's standing off to the side, inspecting the contents of a curio cabinet. The gaudy, expensive outfit he arrived in this morning is gone. He's now wearing a black warlock's suit instead, a few years out of fashion by Aefenglom's standards. When and where did he get that?
As he picks through the basement, he completely ignores the moths, and maybe even enjoys their company. The longer someone watches them, the more likely they'll realize that the highest concentration of moths are around Howl. ]
{ 4. SUNSET. }
[ The sky is starting to gain a pinkish hue when Howl finally climbs the basement stairs for the last time. He carries a box of potions, powders and herbs in his arms, and when he reaches his cart, he sets the box into it - or, more accurately, directly on top of the enormous heap that can grown on top of it after the cart became full. How he expects to get everything home is a mystery; the second one wheel his a crack in the sidewalk, the heap is sure to spill over.
Whatever it is that he's thinking, Howl is clearly tired. Despite taking several breaks during the day, he hasn't gone into the kitchen once to eat. Having changed back into his own clothes by this point, he has the robe's hood pulled down, casting a shadow over his face. ]
Marvelous! [ As tired as he is, he puts his hands on his hips and admires the enormous cart of junk that he'd claimed for himself during the course of the day. ] You know, there's potential in this. Are other old basements in this city, just waiting to be plundered?
Arrival!
(at least by now his hair actually looks wonderful. It's likely never had this plush, soft sheen to it before. It likely never will again.)
He lifts his head at a stranger coming into the house, though doesn't seem especially alarmed at it. But he does quirk an eyebrow at the magic cart following him and the up-and-at-em readiness to help. And so he'll point in the direction of the door to the basement- an old door that looks half-broken. They clearly had to work to get it open.]
Down there.
[And he'll sit up enough to grab the mug in front of him, blinking as he looks over Howl with those wide, elliptical faun-eyes.]
You need anything, or you just gonna get to it?
[And... he should... probably actually get up. And at least pretend like he'll help, even if it's just to hold a lamp and let the guy go wild.]
Re: Arrival!
I came prepared, so I don't believe I need anything. [ His heeled boots thunk on the floor as he walks over to the young man and offers a gloved hand in greeting. ] I ought to introduce myself if I'm to be in your home for the day, though, shouldn't I? I am the wizard Howl. You are Mr. Aragaki, correct?
no subject
Yeah, I'll show you down there. If you got anything to use as a light, that'd be good too.
[And so he'll stretch for a moment, before hoffing it (literally) towards the broken basement door and the worn out stone steps leading down.]
Thanks, by the way. Like I said on the network, you can keep whatever you want from it. [He keeps walking down as he talks, towards where there's a small light on the ground-- set before a rickety pile of boxes and things. He makes a half-hearted attempt to grab at one of the hairbrushes as he walks down, as though that would slow them for at least a moment.]
I grabbed a box yesterday and some things just kinda latched onto me. So be careful when you're sorting through.
no subject
[ Howl gives Shinji's hand a respectable squeeze, not letting his lack of enthusiasm stop him from giving a proper handshake. Once they begin to descend the dark stairwell, a light glows from Howl's right palm, helping to illuminate the way. ]
Are you referring to your brush and comb? Don't tell me they've been grooming you since yesterday?
[ He manages not to laugh at the thought. This faun doesn't look like he'd appreciate being laughed at. His hair does look very nice, though. ]
2
she can hear heavy footsteps filled with frustration before she is addressed, sitting outdoors on the porch with her eyes closed. they blink open just before her head tilts up to look at the man, eyes flicking to the mirror he holds. ]
Very well?
[ it's an odd request and the tone she agrees in makes that much clear, but harmless enough. she reaches out her hand for the mirror, curious what to expect (her reflection aside). ]
no subject
Thank you very much. Now, I've spent a number of minutes double-checking the reflection in this mirror from every angle and in every sort of lighting, so I do believe my eyes are not deceiving me when I say this. [ Howl gestures at the edge of the mirror's surface, hoping to indicate at the particular spot he's talking about, but not able to see it from where he's standing. ] Do you see something odd, around this area, in the mirror? There's something in there, sort of out of view. From here, I suppose it would be... over your shoulder, on the shelf there? But if you turn around, whatever it is, it's not there.
[ Whatever it is, it's small, metallic and has a string attached to it. A decoration of some kind, or maybe a large piece of jewelry. ]
no subject
as he points out the spot and goes on she lifts the mirror up and tries to catch what he mentions over her shoulder. her eyes widen when she spots it and her head swings back over her shoulder. ]
You are right. [ a clear astonishment in the announcement, her head turns back to check the mirror again. sure enough, the object is still there. ] Is it an illusion cast on the reflection? How can this be?
no subject
That's what I'd like your help with determining, if you can! I don't think it's an illusion. That was my first thought as well, but -
[ He holds a small silver wristwatch above the mirror; wherever he may have been holding it a moment ago is a mystery. But without a whispered spell or a flick of his wrist, he sets it on the surface of the mirror, and it submerges entirely within its polished surface. From where they're standing, it appears to be sitting on her shoulder, but it obviously isn't actually there. It merely looks so when looking in the mirror. ]
I don't think it's an illusion. I think this mirror is an enchanted pocket, and whatever that thing is, I think it's stuck in there. [ He glances at her. ] What do you make of it? Have you seen anything like this before?
no subject
Not like this. [ not with a mirror, that is, or for this purpose. ] Growing up, my mother created portals that would lead to secret rooms in our temple. They were hiding places for us. Creating a hiding place in a mirror for trinkets is clever.
[ of course, it's only clever if you can get them out of the mirror. which leads to her next question- ]
Have you tried sticking your hand into it?
no subject
[ Howl brings his thumb and forefinger to the surface of the mirror, where the watch appears to be sitting on the woman's shoulder, and pushes down on it with a pinching gesture. After a moment, he's able to lift the wristwatch up and out from within the reflection. He lays it in the palm of his hand, showing off its unchanged condition. ]
There were several other objects in the mirror when I found it. If you're in need of a watch, you're welcome to this one. [ Mother, creating portals, in a temple? Sounds like she's got magic in her background. For now, he smiles at her, a suave and charming smile, before continuing. ] It's clever indeed. I've never seen anything like this either, and I've extensive experience with portals myself.
no subject
[ it's mostly in jest, though how he responds could be telling. ]
I never had a watch. I observed time by the suns of my home, but... [ she will take the watch, turning it as the piece rests in her palm. ] It is nice. Are you sure you do not want it?
no subject
I'd earnestly appreciate any help you could give me in getting that last item out. I arrived here fewer than two moons ago. Even if you do no more than offer me advice on where to begin, we could consider it payment.
no subject
[ so the item he pointed out before needs to be taken out. however, it's far away compared to how the watch was placed in close proximity to the 'entrance' of the reflection. so... ]
If you hold the mirror up, make sure the reflection shows the item sitting on a flat surface, could you not walk backwards until your mirror image arrives at the object? Then it would be just like the watch, so close you can pull it out.
[ so long as there is a wall so that the reflection cannot advance off the flat surface, then maybe it could work? ]
no subject
[ Howl taps his chin thoughtfully and gazes at the mirror. ] ...perhaps, that has something to do with why it's stuck?
[ The item is only partially within view, at the extreme border of the reflection. Any attempt to "pinch" it might not work at all, even if you could reach it, since the frame of the mirror seems to be covering up the area you'd need to touch. ]
Mothsss
Mikasa wasn't really paying attention to see where they came from, too busy looking through shelves. The cat, however...In one of the fae's passes, taking another box of things deemed junk upstairs. It reaches out from it's perch and just grabs at the witch's collar. Give more moth plz.]
no subject
[ Howl stumbles from the pull on his collar, his sense of balance still adjusting to this different set of heeled boots. When he turns around, his brows are furrowed with annoyance, but he immediately recognizes the mantis fae standing there. The cat, not so much. ]
Mikasa - ... [ It wasn't like her to tug on him like that. ] Uh... hello. Excuse me, I didn't know it was you. [ He stares at the cat doll, which is staring at him. It appears to have dead bugs crushed all over its face??? ] What is that thing?
no subject
Mikasa just took a moment, blinking at him. Nose wrinkling as her antenna laid flat.] It smells so musty here... [The whole basement, but this corner especially. But that probably explained the moths. But she shrugs, a hand reaching up to help the cat-thing back up.] I'm not sure. It was down here in a box, it's been following me since I let it out.
[In short, meet your new housemate Howl]
no subject
[ Howl peers at the cat, still put off by its apparent attempt to yank him to the floor. He does not like his new housemate, Mikasa. Its smug aura mocks him. ]
I didn't know you were coming to help clean this place up. I could have enlisted your help in bringing more items home. [ After adjusting his collar, ensuring it's laying straight and proper against his neck, he glances back at the bottles within the curio cabinet. A pink and grey moth on the glass stretches its wings before lifting off and fluttering past Howl's nose towards Mikasa. ]
Ah, that's right. Would you look at all these moths, my good dear! [ He quickly steps back, trying to gesture at the moth before it flies off. ] I believe it might be a solution to our disagreement on the ethics of your diet!
no subject
But the moth. It has gained the attention of those compound eyes, even if Howl couldn't see where her focus was exactly. She was clearly watching the flittering bug. Shaking her head when he comments, then frowning.]
I don't mean to...
[She could help it. It just happened.]
no subject
[ He tips his head back and laughs, perhaps just a little too loudly, but whatever embarrassment it might cause needs to make immediately room for the effects of his brilliant, charming smile. He gestures towards the moths around him. ]
These moths - I'm fairly certain they aren't true moths. Natural-born creatures, descended from those first created by Mother Earth. There's quite a lot of magic woven into their bodies, so I'm inclined to believe they're at least partially conjured, if not entirely. If that's the case, I really don't care what happens to them.
[ One of them lands on the back of his arm, just behind his wrist. He holds his hand out to her amicably, offering it. ] Do conjured insects satisfy you? Can you eat them?
no subject
It gets a grumpy huff as the cat doll shakes its head.]
I have been eating them... [Just grabbing the odd one as they pass.] They don't fill me up or anything. [But normal moths didn't either. Something as large as her would have to eat a lot of moths for it to sate her. ]
no subject
[ That's a shame. It could have been a great solution! Howl frowns and watches the moths flutter around him. ]
What if you ate a dozen of them? A hundred?
no subject
Wouldn't that take a long time to eat so many? [And she'd be aware of it, by that point it'd be easier to get an actual meal.]