Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It

[faileas]

Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It

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 others have found yourselves in, along with... several items, perhaps even creatures scattered across the floor around other mirrors? 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. 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. "Just a few of you this month, hm? Don't mind the junk across the floor where you came out, someone is sorting that!" The woman sets her hands on her hips, with her Bonded casting a glance at those looking confused - newly arrived - and those who may have followed them in to talk to the newest addition of their mirrorbound bunch. "About time for introductions though- this here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament and my Bonded, and I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven - but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds, winking. "The lot of you must be as tired and confused as the last batch - hullo to those who've joined us, too! - so just a moment, dearests, I'll set all you right up—" 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 interact with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here for a handwaved, summarized answer to your character's burning questions. 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 - if they have magic potential, or if they swing a different way - 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 a trek to where you'll be staying while Nessie and Mhairi continue to search for a solution to the situation. As you're leaving with a few Bonded for guides, peculiar-looking devices - watches, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament - are passed around to all the new arrivals; they're given a quick rundown on their functions and bid 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 - 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 themselves 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 due to its roots as part of a district that already did. Much of the housing already has furnishing due to the speed at which homeowners were relocated; they were given enough time to collect their valuables, but standard furniture such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind for those moving in. Other houses appear the same, but the dust on the floors suggest these houses were left 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 it for - so long as the legality isn't questionable, on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven. 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 reads simply the information you've offered up yourself, or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

IV. Nothing to Be Drone About It While a handful of mirrors in the Looking Glass House at 3 am on the 15th spat out people - new Mirrorbound or perhaps returned Mirrorbound - many other mirrors poured forth items or small creatures, all on their own. The night cleaner resigns himself to a long night as he has to deal with mess and confused folk, but he isn't terribly surprised. It was around this time last year that something similar happened with the mirrors. They may not understand it, but it looks like it may be a pattern, relics of the Mirrorbound's lives reaching out to them from home as gift or curse. The night cleaner fetches Miss Nessie to handle the arrival of a handful of new Mirrorbound, and then returns to start tidying up everything else. Luckily, she assigns him some help in the form of a young Witch named Emmelie, eager to prove herself. Not wanting to crowd the Looking Glass House, in the ensuing hours, she turns to an invention of hers to sort out the stuff littering the room with the mirrors. The goal, of course, is to get each item back to its rightful owner, and she firmly believes in better living through magic innovation! Unfortunately, it becomes clear fairly soon that Emmelie's brass flying saucers, which she had hoped would effortlessly deliver each item based on magical signature matching, could use a little... fine-tuning. The big saucers complete with six segmented mechanical 'arms' to hold the cargo in place are persistent as they zip around the city, often trying to take the shortest path to their programmed destination - whether it means they bump endlessly into barriers such as walls, get stuck on rooftops or in the River Temese, or knock over people, natives and Mirrorbound alike, who happen to be in their flight path. Some of them end up at the wrong Mirrorbound, and bump incessantly into them until they take the offered item, uncaring if they're who it belongs to or not. Of course, some deliveries go smoothly, exactly as they are intended to, but... they're in the minority. By the early afternoon, Emmelie is sending out a voice message that can be heard by Mirrorbound anywhere in the city, her young voice panicked as she explains what happened with her inventions and your mementos of home, adding at the end: "Ahh, it's such a mess! Look, you've got to help me, and please don't tell Miss Nessie, she'll never trust me with anything important ever again! I'll owe all of you so much if you'll just help find and return everything to where it needs to go!"

Welcome to November's combo Intro Log and event! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs. 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 as well right over here at November's Quest Pickup thread. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!

Comments

[darkestbefore]

[ She pauses, before glancing down at the sword she held, then shifting her grip so she could hold it up in front of her. ]

Is it magical?

[noblegarnet]

It's supposed to be.

[He does have a vague sense of the magic around him now that he's here, for whatever reason, and the black sword just seems like... a blank, in that sense. Just a shaped piece of rock and metal.]

I don't think it is now, though. [Small blessings. Still... would he resort to using the Onyx to transform, if it meant he could do something worthwhile against the dangerous things outside the city...? But this way, he doesn't have to make that decision.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She narrows her gaze at the sword for a moment, her thumb carefully sliding over the flat part of the blade, being careful of the edges.

A faint whisper of magic against the metal gets no response from it, at least. ]

It might be now. Or if it is, it's not reacting to my magic at all.

[ That had been potentially dangerous and foolish on her part, but he wouldn't be able to test such a thing in quite the same way. ]

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran would have been concerned if he'd thought there was any risk to her attempts, but as it is, it seems like a logical step, and one he's grateful for.]

It's probably not even a very good sword, now. [Gemstone as a blade? Even diamond could break easily with the right pressure, and he doubts onyx is suited any better for it.] Most of our weapons aren't exactly... traditional.

[darkestbefore]

[ She casts him a curious look at that. ]

I'm assuming that means you don't use them in the traditional manner. [ ...Which is all she's known about, before right now. ] How else did you use them, then? Was it for magic?

[noblegarnet]

That's partly true, but... I meant more about what they're made of. They're kind of like... transformed jewelry, I guess? So I don't think they'd be any good to fight with when their magic is gone.

[He pulls out his pendant from under his shirt, a four-pointed star with the lower point longer than the rest, and a red gem in the middle. It's only vaguely sword-shaped, but the idea is there.]

Most things like this are made of materials that aren't used in weapons, right? You don't really see arrows made of sapphire.

[darkestbefore]

I've never seen that, no.

[ She has to laugh a little at that. ]

Although perhaps that's just because where I came from, we had little enough of that to waste on such things. But it's true, they wouldn't be as durable as the forged weapons we're familiar with.

So if this did once hold magic within it to strengthen it... did you wield it like a regular sword still?

[noblegarnet]

[He lets the necklace fall back to his chest, returning his hand to the straps of the bag.]

Yeah, for the most part. I could bring it to my hand just by thinking, so sometimes I'd throw it, but otherwise I just used it like normal.

[Or he'd summon a bunch and use them as a very sharp rain, but eh, magic nonsense. He turns his gaze towards the blade Yona is holding, wondering and trying not to let his thoughts run away from him.]

I... never saw him use that one. So I don't know what he did with it, exactly.

[In combination with the armor, it's probably clear enough that the sword came as part of the set. The shadow in that nightmare certainly didn't have a blade, though.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She flicks a glance over at him curiously, wondering if she should ask any more questions on that topic, or if he'd rather not think about it.

But deciding to risk it at least a little, she ventures, ] Did he have many, then? Or he just used other methods of fighting?

[ The moments of actual fighting in the dreamscape had been limited, especially since she'd tried her best to restrain him from harming Ferran throughout. ]

[noblegarnet]

I only ever saw his monsters do the fighting for him. [He pauses, brow furrowing as he digs into some of the fuzzier parts of what he now figures are magically-suppressed memories. No, is that right? He'd encountered Onyx before that... on his own, at one point, didn't he? How had they fought then? He closes his eyes to fight off the headache it causes.] I... think.

[He has to take a steadying breath to open his eyes and make sure he doesn't go off course as they're walking.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She glances over at him, a small frown of worry on her lips as he seems confused for a moment, lost deeply in thought far away. She just stays by his side until he shakes his head and takes a deep breath. Reaching out with her free hand, she gives his arm a comforting squeeze. Or maybe just in apology for making him think about unpleasant things. ]

I do remember him relying on that deeply in the dreamscapes, as well, now that you mention it.

[ But they turn down a little side street now, this one starting to filter into the more remote areas of the city holding the small clusters of cottages. She heads towards her own, shadowed by greenery and looking a little overgrown since she hadn't been home to take much care on the outside in recent weeks. But she smiles as she leads him to the front door and welcomes him inside. ]

Here we are. Come in and make yourself comfortable. If you like, you can have a seat in the main room or the study while I make the tea, or you're welcome to just come a seat in the kitchen as well.

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran doesn't blame her for the topic—especially not after it shoved itself into his hands, and his life in general being ruled by related things for so long. But he doesn't know how good it will do him to dwell on it or try to figure it out, right now, even if it unsettles him not to know.

He follows along with Yona without further clarification, putting the topic aside if she doesn't have any other questions about it. It's a welcome distraction when they reach the cottage, and he surveys the home with subdued interest as soon as they approach. He heads in at her direction, taking a few steps around the offered rooms to decide where to put himself.]

Thank you.

[As eclectic as the decor seems, she's clearly put a lot of heart into it... at least, that's the feeling he gets. Or maybe he's just relieved to be inside, somewhere he can try to relax, which is evident by the way he drops the bag in the main room and all but collapses into a soft-looking seat.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She carefully sets the sword down out of the way but near his discarded bag as she watches him sink into one of the seats. Reaching over, she squeezes his shoulder as she moves past him towards the cozy little kitchen at the back. ]

I'll just be a moment with the tea. Are you hungry at all?

[noblegarnet]

[A part of him thinks he should attempt to be a more polite guest than just draping himself across the chair, but he doesn't move from the spot, simply watching her walk through when he feels the hand on his shoulder. He could decline the offer, and he doesn't want to impose, but if she's already making tea...]

Maybe something small... if it's not too much trouble.

[darkestbefore]

It isn't at all.

[ She casts him one more smile before slipping into the kitchen to put together a little tray for them. At least this part of hosting she's long been skilled at, even if she's still learning her way around these appliances.

It's only a few minutes before she returns to where he sits, setting the tray down on the low table before him before sinking into a second chair to his side. The little tray holds a teapot and two cups, as well as an assortment of little treats - cookies and pastries and other little bites to hold one over. ]

I had a little extra in the kitchen anyway. Archer went on a baking spree.

[noblegarnet]

[As tempted as Ferran was to close his eyes and doze off, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea when the nightmare of his situation back home was so close. He simply stares at the ceiling for a while before eventually sitting up and taking another look around at the decor to busy his mind. Maybe it'll give him some ideas...

He realizes once she places the tray down that he could have offered to help, and frowns faintly at himself for being so caught up in his thoughts. He'll just have to try harder. For now, he simply retrieves a cup, placing it closer to himself before reaching for the pot.]

Is Archer one of your bonded? [It seems like a safe guess to make after their previous conversation.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She smiles and inclines her head in acknowledgement as she lets him pour his own cup. ]

He is. He and Caster - they both live in the cottage next door and were some of the first people I met here. They both taught me much about what I needed to know in this world. [ She studies him for a moment, curious. ] Have you found someone to Bond with yet?

[noblegarnet]

[Archer sounded like a normal name at first, but when you add Caster... well, who is he to question it. Things are absurd enough outside of names.]

I'm glad you found them, then. [She definitely deserves whatever good fortune comes her way, in Ferran's opinion. At the question, Ferran nods as he finishes pouring his cup, though the expression on his face is decidedly neutral. Although he likes his bonded a great deal, he doesn't have the kind of deep affection for them that would come from a longer relationship.]

Yeah... I got pretty lucky, I guess. [He was prepared to beg if he needed to, but that ended up not being necessary. Well—maybe he wouldn't have begged, if just because he wouldn't want to force anyone else into it, but the feeling was there.] I heard that it'll probably make the whole process easier...

[darkestbefore]

It will.

[ She readily agrees with that, because she'd pushed her own limits perhaps a bit too far in making her own choices at first. ] I confess I waited perhaps a bit too long, but... [ she pauses, humming softly as she reaches to pour herself a cup of tea, as well. ]

It was a hard thing, at first. Trusting someone with a Bond like that. It felt like such an intimate connection and I didn't know anyone well when I arrived here. It was a little scary, to take the risk of trusting someone that much - at least for me.

[noblegarnet]

[That seems to be a running theme with most of the people he's met and discussed the topic with, he thinks to himself. Waiting a little too long, avoiding talking about what that actually did to them—or the people around them. Not that it's his business now that they have bonds, he supposes...

He hums in response, neither agreeing or disagreeing. It probably is intimate to some degree, by its nature, but he can't consider it like that when it's so essential. It's a strange feeling, but assigning words like "intimate" to it just makes it more complicated than it needs to be. He holds the tea cup between his hands, warming his palms through his gloves.]

I guess it didn't matter to me if I could trust them.

[With Onyx's sword and armor nearby, it's easy for his thoughts to drift in the direction of home. He knows why he felt that way about the situation, especially now that he's had time to think about it.]

Not because I didn't consider it, but... because nothing they could do would be worse than what I'd just been through. Or... worse than me losing control and hurting someone.

[darkestbefore]

[ He doesn't look towards the bundle of items he'd received today, but the words there are still enough to give Yona a little insight. She studies him seriously for a moment, taking a sip of her tea to give her time to process that, before leaning towards him again. ]

This is about the man in your dream, isn't it? Did he make you hurt someone?

[ The level of fear Ferran had been mired in had been impossible for him to overcome. Was this why? ]

[noblegarnet]

I... don't know. [He lets out a breath.] It's... complicated.

[It's less of a deflection and more of a disclaimer, since he continues to explain more of what he means.]

There's—a lot I don't know. He said we have the same power, and I could make people do things I asked that they wouldn't remember later...

[The implication is pretty clear, he thinks, without having to say it outright. It's a pointless distinction, but it makes it a little easier to talk about.]

I was living with him for months... just telling him things about my friends without thinking. Because I trusted him. I only found out he was the person we were fighting just before that nightmare...

[darkestbefore]

[ She absorbs that information with a soft breath, before setting her teacup down and reaching across to squeeze his hand. ]

So it was still very fresh, when you encountered him in the dream, then. [ That suddenly places a lot more context on his state of mind right now.

Sadness flickers across her face, because the implications in what he doesn't say aren't lost on her either. ]

A betrayal like that... it's not an easy thing to recover from. And worse, the fact that he used you as his instrument for it... [ That bastard. Now she wished she had set him on fire. ]

[noblegarnet]

[He doesn't turn to look at her when he feels her hand on his, but he does return the gesture—it's nice, as difficult as it is for him to accept help or sympathy over it.]

Yeah.

[What else can he say, really? It's a horrible situation, and one he doesn't know how to deal with... or if he should try to set it aside as much as possible. She understands how hard it is for him, at least in terms of how intensely he feels about it, thanks to that dream. Going over any more of the details just feels like it would be too much. The reason he brought it up...]

So—just having the option... the chance to mitigate any damage I might do, and keep control of myself. It was more important than anything else to me, even if it meant connecting with a stranger.

[Even his own well being was unimportant in the face of that.]

[darkestbefore]

[ Which was sad, in a way entirely all its own. That person, whoever he'd been, had done more than just betray Ferran. He'd made him fear himself. It only added layers and depth to a betrayal that would wound more deeply than any weapon could manage.

She's not sure what she could say here either. Words can't really ease a pain like this - they'd only sound trite and ring hollow, no matter how sincere her intentions. She keeps her hand warmly wrapped with his, however, her heart hurting for him. ]

I understand your reasoning. I hope... I hope your Bonded can help you feel a little safer here. A little less afraid.