Event Log: September, The End

[faileas]

Event Log: September, The End

I. The Final Journey Those who received certain strange marks a few weeks ago and may have noticed that they move and shift to point in one direction when outside the city will also notice something else, rising and vying for attention inside them — a pull, an urge, a desire to go. Go where? Follow the flower and find it. The urge is strong, a drive to find what's calling them. A drive, also, to tell others about it — specifically the Mirrorbound. There's something calling them all. They know this, even if they don't know how they know. This is their calling, all of them. Even the Coven gets involved, hearing from various sources what is happening with the Mirrorbound. They are excited, since the battle against the Cwyld has been going so well, and will support anyone who wants to go on an expedition or spread the news to make sure all Mirrorbound who are still around (and any old-newcomers) know what's going on. Whether they bring friends to go along with them or go alone, the urge will be insurmountable by the middle of the month. If they resist, they may even find themselves walking out of their own homes in their sleep in a stupor. Using the pull of whatever is calling them and the directional compass of the flower tattoo, anyone who wishes to can make their way deep into the forest. At this point, there are fewer dangers from the Cwyld, but wild animals still abound — more than before, in fact, animals making their homes once again in the restored nature. It's a few days' journey, farther out into the wilderness than the Cwyld has allowed them to go before, but eventually, they find it. In the midst of a wide, grassy clearing — the flower. It's beautiful, vibrant and bright and enormous, taking up most of the clearing. Its whisper is now one that all the Mirrorbound can hear inside their minds: "It is time. Time for you to be happy. Time for you to be free. Home is what your heart desires. Please... come home." Surrounding the clearing in a circle, dirty and worn with time, are odd structures that can at first be mistaken for large, flat stones. Upon closer inspection, one will notice they are, in fact, mirrors. Large, broken, jagged bits of glass where the frames have warped, rusted and encompassed by vines, their reflective properties long-since lost. But there is something about them, still. Once you notice they are mirrors, there's a certainty there's nothing else they could possibly be but that.

II. The Dragon and the Faerie Queen The flower's large, bright petals unfurl, its vines reaching gently for any Mirrorbound who approach. Perhaps someone is about to touch the flower, or the vines are about to touch them… And suddenly, a powerful gust of wind pushes all the Mirrorbound back. "Now hold on just a minute, my lovelies," booms a voice from above, friendly and melodious, androgynous in timbre. "You're lucky I made it back in time." A snow-white Dragon circles the clearing, as if looking for room to land. Slowly, they hover lower, shifting as they do into a more humanoid form with wings on their back as well as their ankles, and small horns almost hidden in their wild, windswept hair. "I am called Caragh," they announce. "Called down from the skies by my brother and sister. They say the earth and water are safe once more. For that, we thank you. But you are about to make a terrible mistake. Following your dreams without question can only lead to ruin." They gesture to the flower, their usually wide-eyed, open and pleasant features darkening into a frown. "We have searched far and wide for the Source of this Cwyld, and now that the tributaries have been stymied, it is clear where the infection stemmed from. Here, beneath your very feet, where the Fae Queen fell and bled, and where she fell into a long, long slumber. Here, her foreign magic seeped into the earth and tainted our waters as it pulled and pulled and fed on the energy of our continent while her brethren kept on taking, playing with the life force of our home until they used it up and fled far away from here. "Only she remains. I heard from my sister that you folk have arrived here without knowing why or how, that you suffer strange dreams. I have no certain answers for you, my friends, but I do have an inkling. Perhaps she, locked inside this prison of her own making and abandoned by her people, has summoned you here. Perhaps it was the world itself, finally recovered enough from their interference, trying to reach for help. I do not know. But these dreams you have seen have brought you here, have they not?" Caragh presses their hands to their chest, closing their eyes. A sparkling-white light begins to glow between their fingers. "You were summoned to this place, chosen by something none of us can understand. It is destiny, my little ones. You are the only ones who can prevent the poison from strangling our world once more. Destroy the Source, once and for all." Their hands begin to pull away, and with them, the light floats like bubbles and stars out of their chest, until they're holding out both hands cupped toward you. In the cradle of their palms are enough small, bright orbs for every Mirrorbound present to take one. "Take this. It is my magic in its purest form, so that you can mold and shape it. From here on out, I cannot go with you… but I can give you this." As each of the Mirrorbound take an orb from Caragh's hands, they will notice the soft light that always seems to surround them is fading, bit by bit. When all the orbs are gone, Caragh — who had until now been hovering about a foot above the grass on their little fluttering wings — slowly sinks onto the ground until they're kneeling in the dirt, supporting themselves on one hand. They smile up at you, warm but tired, an ashen pallor on their lips. "I've given you, quite literally, all that I can. Go in now, and do the same. Your sacrifice will free us all."

III. Heart in Paradise The flower unfurls long petals like a soft carpet beneath your feet. Step inside, hear its voice. It calls to you, a beautiful mirage in the desert, suddenly the only thing that seems real. Step inside, and face your dearest desires. Once inside the flower, characters have the option of finding themselves in an idealized version of their home — or Aefenglom, if they don’t want to leave. Everything is the way they would want it to be, down to the smallest detail. Everything went right in the end. Everyone is here, the people they love, those they miss (except even the people are in idealized forms, how the character views them with rose-colored glasses). Other characters can stumble into these idealized versions of your world, but everything will seem more suspicious or strange or ‘off’ to them. Not everyone is as susceptible to desire. For those characters who are able to discern something is wrong, they may need to convince any others they run into to leave these waking dreams of paradise. Because... Anyone who finds themselves caught in the 'dream' for an extended period of time will find their strength leaving them, will find it harder to move, will more and more just want to stay and sleep. It will eat away at their wills<, their thoughts. Physically, the Cwyldheart is sapping the life from the character caught in the dream of paradise, slowly winding them into a cocoon of their own until they’re fully drained. Help your fellows, find your strength. Remember the Dragon's boon, and you may have a chance to stop it before you fade away.

IV. Sacrifice In order to emerge from this final Cwyldheart, characters will need to cast aside the idealized version of home (or Aefenglom), and make a conscious choice to give up whatever it is about that fantasy that tempts them. At the heart of the flower, they’ll each need to sacrifice something personal — something from the heart, a piece of themselves just as Caragh has given them all pieces of their very life force. When the decision has been made to leave this realm and embrace their duties as guardians of Geardagas to see this final battle through, the Mirrorbound will find these glowing bits of magic transforming. The magic will form into the symbolic version of whatever they're giving up. It could be a connection to a loved one, or a dear memory. It could be a literal part of themselves or a physical item. It could be an ability or power. For some, it could even be a smaller version of their mirror, sacrificing their chance to go home entirely. Make the willing, conscious decision to sacrifice something dear to you, and you will feel the grip of corrupt, foreign magic surrounding you fading away, the dream's hold loosening. The magic of all these significant sacrifices being made, all for the sake of Geardagas, give you the strength to destroy the last Cwyldheart, and fully loosen the Cwyld’s hold on the world.

V. Rebirth You wake up on the cool, dewy grass. The flower is still there, the mirrors are still there — but everything is different now. The forest is lush and green; a stream runs through the clearing that wasn't there before, clear and sparkling, gently bubbling over shiny rocks. The flower glows with a soft, warm light that fills all those who look at it with calm. And the mirrors... They are clear now, bright and tall and beautiful. Each of them bears the symbol of your sacrifice in some form, an homage to what was lost and a reminder that it has anchored the magic of this world, restored it to what it should be. The mirrors seem to stand guard, and each of them catches the reflection of the golden-white light of the cleansed flower, casting it about the clearing in a diffuse glow that lasts day or night, no matter the weather. Something else has changed, too. Instead of one Dragon in the clearing, there are three. Aindrias, in his humanoid form, holds something in his arms: a tiny version of the large, white dragon they'd seen before. Caragh is no bigger than a puppy now, fur fluffy and soft, paws too big for their body and wings too small. They make a noise, a pleased sort of mewl, peeking up at the Mirrorbound from their brother's embrace. Creia, standing further back and still in Dragon form as she seems to prefer, is the one who speaks. "We thank thee all. You have reunited our family and restored clarity to the magic of Geardagas. For your sacrifices, we three will be sure to spread your good names far and wide, so that the rest of this world may know its saviors. Your sacrifice should never be forgotten." With this assurance, Creia and Aindrias will offer everyone a ride home on their backs (including Caragh, whose own sacrifice has left them in this tiny form). Upon their return to Aefenglom, Creia remains true to her word. Her voice booms over the city, announcing what has happened, and the Mirrorbound receive a hero's welcome.

VI. A New Door Opens There are changes in the Looking-Glass House. While the Mirrorbound were gone, say the Coven members who guard the little house, something very strange happened — a bright, golden-white light scattered all around it and inside, glowing out from the mirrors. Characters will find that now, they can see everyone else's mirrors just as well as their own. They can see the carvings on everyone else's mirror frames, the glass as bright and reflective as if they were all brand-new. That is... except for those characters who sacrificed their connection to their mirror at the final Cwyldheart. Those mirrors are simply gone, no matter how hard they search. (And if they wish to make the trek back to the forest, they may find their mirror there, but though it reflects the light and the trees, it will no longer reflect its owner.) A strong, nostalgic feeling sweeps over you as you look into your mirror. The reflection seems to beckon, and this time, it doesn't feel strange or off or wrong. This time, it feels like home. Go through if you wish. Bring a friend or loved one. You will find that any mirror now welcomes you, pulls you through as you desire and takes you where you wish to go. And for those who choose to leave, they will find that on the days they long to return to Geardagas and see Aefenglom once again, all they need to do is find a mirror. Look into it and reach out. The heart's desires will be reflected there. Travel where you wish.

This is Aefenglom's endgame event and grand finale! Thank you to everyone who played in this game; we hope you had a fun adventure and were able to enjoy playing your characters here. If you have any questions on this wrap-up event, please leave them here.

Some final notes:


Anyone who wishes to bring back a dropped character may still do so at this time. We'll keep an eye on comm requests for a few more weeks and let you back in, no app or anything needed.
Characters may travel through other mirrors now and visit other worlds! Even if they gave up their home mirror, they can still go somewhere else. They will also always receive a hero's welcome on Geardagas, so they are welcome to stay or return as they desire.
Feel free to keep making your own logs as a sandbox as long as you wish. The comm will no longer be monitored by the mods, but you all still have positing privileges, so anyone who wants to keep playing in the world is welcome to do so.

We hope you have enjoyed your time in Aefenglom throughout this absolutely crazy couple of years. Take care of yourselves. Farewell!