Intro Log: October 2020

[faileas]

Intro Log: October

I. ARRIVAL 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. A moment later, you feel a tug, and you find yourself stumbling into a dark, musty room. Behind you, a mirror stands ornately decorated with reminders of home wrought in brass and wood: the faces of people you know, and symbols important to you; all things that send a pang through your chest with the desire to return to them. Touching the mirror's surface does nothing but leave the stain of your fingerprints. When you turn to survey the room, you find there are hundreds of other mirrors. None of them are as decorated as yours - they're plain and dusty, speckled with age. Then you realize a second thing: You're not alone. Distantly, the ringing bell of a clocktower can be heard. But no matter its distance, the time is clear to make out: it chimes three times, stark, resonating like a pulse of something in this mirrored hall that you and many others have found yourselves in. For those familiar with magic, they might feel the power of the witching hour upon them, though it will feel different from what they're used to - in fact, everything does. You're certainly not the only ones here, however. On the first floor, with the doors wide open behind them in the foyer, is a small group headed by two individuals. As people begin to arrive, to come from the higher floor, they're waiting - and they're waiting for you, and your questions. Explore the rest of the mirrored halls you've now found yourselves in, or proceed to the foyer? Leaving the Looking-Glass House makes it obvious that the clock striking three was for 3 AM - the night sky is faintly cloudy, but the stars are dim in the face of two moons, even so close to the new moon as it is. The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror.

II. THE WELCOME PARTY Whether you've decided to find a way out of the building you've arrived in, or decided to explore the rest of the Looking-Glass House - and perhaps finding a few familiar faces among the crowd - you feel a pull towards the foyer of the first floor. It's like a firm suggestion, as if to take you by the hand and draw you to where it begins, and the source of it becomes quite apparent upon finding one's way to the front room: a tall, comfortably-dressed older woman and her even taller wolfish companion, along with those which feel to resemble yourselves in a world-traversing sense: Mirrorbound, they're called. "My goodness. In the middle of the month! We weren't expecting you, we weren't!" The woman smiles broadly, with her Bonded glancing over the newly arrived and those who may have followed them in to volunteer explanations and assistance to the newest addition of their Mirrorbound bunch. "Let's get through the introductions, shall we? This here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament, and of course, my Bonded. And I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven -- but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds with a wink. "I know you must all be tired and confused after all that. We're here to help get you settled, dearest. Let me just..." With nothing more than a wave of her hand, rows of seats are summoned; despite their wooden nature, they're all sturdy and comfortable, filling the foyer and spreading out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch. After all, they'll find this just as interesting. The Witches and Monsters that accompanied Nessie and Mhairi move to make room, and some disperse into the building itself to see if there's anyone who needs tending to. Mhairi steps forward as the chairs materialize. "Please, those who are able, join us for a moment. There are many questions that I'm sure you have. We will do our utmost best to answer them, and you may take any that we can't as a promise to find some sort of solution or answer." NOTE: If you wish to handwave interaction with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here. All responses will be summarized answers rather than an IC thread. For those that'd like a more player-based interaction, Aefenglom has its own Welcome Wagon! These are players who've volunteered for the role, and those that didn't sign up may assist as well if they'd feel their character would -- have fun, and make friends. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are -- namely, if they have magic potential or not -- then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night. Feel free to have your characters attend them at any time!

III. THE HAVEN After an hour or two of general chaos, questions that the natives attempt to help with, and injuries tended to for those who arrive in poor condition, it's time to make the trek to where you'll be staying. As you're leaving -- with Coven and/or Mirrobound escorts as guides -- you'll be given a peculiar-looking device. It's a very special watch, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament. These watches are passed around to all the new arrivals, who are given a quick rundown on their functions and encouraged to test them out when they can. They can even do it as they make their way out of the Coven's courtyard and to the Haven. Formerly part of the Aristocratic District, The Haven is just as well-kept and brightly-lit as the district it hails from. The houses err on the tall and ornamental side, large enough to fit several families (or, according to the upper class, their one family, several dozen servants, and guests), especially closest to the Aristocratic District. They become a little more modest and smaller as one gets away from the realm of high society and nearer to the Residential District proper. Newcomers are shuffled here and invited to find somewhere to live, free of cost. The Coven is currently handling expenses for the houses themselves in a program implemented by the Parliament, though if your character wishes to have anything extra -- like maids, chefs, and so on -- they'll have to pay for them with their own earned money. Much of the landscape and fixtures are the same as in the Aristocratic Districts, though it lacks formal emergency services. Much of the housing already has furnishing as well: standard items such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind by the relocated owners for those moving in. Though some are fairly newly-unoccupied, the dust on the floors of other houses suggests they were left long before the new arrivals even showed up -- a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing. Another portion of this district has been opened up to the new arrivals: the barracks, the row of buildings pressed against the very edge of the Bright Wall. As the city's military force no longer has the same presence it previously did, the barracks have gone into disuse, and a cleanup effort has been in place since before the new arrivals came through the Looking-Glass House. For those who desire something a little less opulent, the barracks might just be the answer. The barracks can also be used for business, for a welcome center, a communal space, for anything that the residents of the Haven see fit to use them for -- so long as the legality isn't questionable, at least on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses -- and even some of the smaller ones, or the shared rooms in the barracks -- the Coven put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven a while back. For those who aren't entirely sure who they want to shack up with, they have a small survey for them to fill out and post on the board they've magicked up in the center of The Haven. The board also very helpfully reads aloud each form for everyone to hear in a cheerful, monotone voice. It isn't able to be shut up, nor is it easy to ignore, being imbued with a kind of amplification magic. It simply reads the information you've offered up yourself -- or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs if you prefer! The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up throughout the month as well! While new characters will have to get settled in, you can go ahead and put your name on some by replying to the October's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans or if you have any other questions, just let the mods know here!

Comments

[magisterium]

You remembered correctly.

[He bites his tongue before letting what would be a natural response for him slip; of course she remembered him, stunning as he is— he leaves quite an impression. He smiles as she offers her observation about their current surroundings, nodding in agreement.]

This time, it seems to be quite real— though I suppose the previous encounter was plenty real, despite being in dreams. It seems that borrowing us to handle their little nightmare problem wasn't quite enough. I confess, I've rather had enough of traveling through mirrors at this point. I never thought I'd find myself tired of anything producing a reflection.

[adventageous]

I find our whole experience in the nightmare world difficult to forget, the allies I had there least of all.

[She gives him a smile, letting his ego slide for now.]

It seems they have no shortage of problems here for us to solve, so here we are. Although I'm curious--how often do you travel through mirrors that it's become tiring?

[There may be a hint of amusement in her question.]

[magisterium]

It was rather memorable, I'll give it that. As for the mirrors, far more often than anyone ought, though I confess it's more of a recent development.

[And a course that he would pursue all over again, given the opportunity. There was nothing that would keep him from being at Brennan's side when he needed him, and the greater cause behind it all was not one that he could easily overlook, either.]

One has to wonder why they feel the need to call on people from elsewhere to solve their problems. I've had my reputation precede me before, but never to such an extent. Perhaps they simply couldn't get enough of us after our little nightmare escapade.

[adventageous]

[Well, that answer only serves to give her more questions. Alice files the thought away for later. There are more pressing concerns at the moment, although her tone remains as light as his.]

I suppose not.

Come to think of it, I actually met someone who suggested as much. He referred to me as someone who was yet to arrive. It seems we passed the trial run and get to be here in earnest.

[Hooray?]

[magisterium]

A trial run?

[He arches one brow in response, his smile quirking to one side as he lets out a thoughtful 'hm' in response.]

No doubt we in particular passed with flying colors— of course, I would never settle for anything less.

[Excellence in all things, but make it fashion. You know.]

Either way, we both seem to have arrived unharmed, which I suppose we ought to be grateful for, if we're to be grateful about anything concerning this— kidnapping of sorts.

[His smirk fades, just a touch, letting some of his true feelings regarding their situation slip through from underneath. Though he's intent on handling it the way he handles most everything, he's certainly not happy to be here.]

[adventageous]

[Alice has by now realized that her attitude toward her arrival is among the minority. To varying degrees, many newly-arrived Mirrorbound aren't happy to be here away from home. When she considers the reasons, it makes perfect sense to her--few if any have the luxury of being here as a life extension like she has. While Alice would certainly prefer to be home with the people she loves and cares about, that's not really an option for her either way. She'd rather be here and be useful for a little bit longer.

Of course, all of that is too much to bring up with pretty much anyone at this point. And unlike her confrontation with Lahabrea, she doesn't begrudge Dorian his frustrations. So instead, she gives him a bit of a nod and a sympathetic smile.]

At this point, I'll take what blessings I can get.

[Accurate, but also vague enough that he can interpret it as he likes.]

Were you checked for magic when you arrived here?

[magisterium]

I'll certainly grant you that. I hate to tempt fate by saying it could be worse, but— well, there you have it.

[It certainly could be worse. It's a rather inconvenient time to be away from home, he'll admit, but at least this gives him a reprieve from politics. He's so tired.]

As for magic, I was indeed, though the magic I'm used to is noticeably lacking. Rather frustrating, given how many years I worked to perfect it, but I can hardly scoff at the opportunity to learn something new. What of yourself?

[adventageous]

Much the same. I'm not really able to access any of my old spells or abilities, but they said I have magical ability here. I guess we'll be learning together.

[Of all her missing abilities, the lack of Demon Eyes is what bothers her most. Being unable to sense anything makes her feel rather vulnerable in a way she doesn't care for, and it makes the world around her feel so much more empty.

Far be it from her to complain, however. It could be much worse.]

I wonder at the need to start over--wouldn't it make more sense for us to arrive fully able to wield our abilities?

[magisterium]

It is quite possible, I suppose, that it is not a conscious choice on anyone's part, but a side-effect of being brought here in the first place.

[It stands to reason that inter-planar travel of any sort wouldn't exactly go off without a hitch, although his smile does seem a little bit hollow at the moment. Magic is such an incredibly large part of his life, of him, how he defines himself— that he is said to have the potential to learn a different sort is promising, but while he's certain to enjoy the process to a degree, he does not enjoy the feeling of having a lifetime of work and careful training stripped away from him. He feels scrubbed raw.]

We have both been given the opportunity to pursue that which is familiar to us, and yet wholly different. I'll do my utmost to enjoy the silver lining, but I have a great many questions that no meeting or handbook is going to answer.

[adventageous]

[That makes sense, actually. Alice quietly challenges herself to think more outside of her own experience going forward--there's nothing to accomplish by only looking to the edge of her own nose.

At least she's in good company for that. She gives Dorian a nod.]

Well, for what it's worth I'll be happy to work alongside you to help answer those questions.

[Two heads are better than one, right?]

we can leave this one here if you like!

[magisterium]

[He smiles in reply, though there's a certain degree of weariness at its edges, and he inclines his head slightly as he offers her an arm.]

If you've a mind to do so, then, I thought I might poke around the Coven a bit longer and see what they didn't include in the welcome speech. I would be glad of the company of a familiar face in the process.

[Though he is making every effort not to show it, the circumstances he had left before finding himself here have left him a bit rattled— enough that for once, he really doesn't care to be alone.]