intro log: august

[faileas]

Intro Log: August

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 brighter with the absence of the sister moons in the sky - it's the new moon, after all. 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. "There's always a right lot of you coming in, aren't there." 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 insanely colorful seats are summoned; half of them are wooden (sturdy and comfortable besides that), with the rest being misshapen and bag-like. Regardless, the seats fill the foyer and spread out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch, should they have come to check on things. 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. You have the option of handwaving the IC interaction to OOCly ask what questions your character might have for them, for us to summarize an answer for, or you can request an IC thread. Simply specify in your comment's subject and we'll respond accordingly. 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 through a bit of leftover ice and snow 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. LÙNASA Just like three months ago, those new to Aefenglom have found themselves brought to the city in the middle of a celebration. From dusk of Aguril 1st to the dusk of Aguril 3rd, Aefenglom celebrates something fairly special: Lùnasa. Traditionally, Lùnasa celebrates all kinds of traditional marriages sanctioned by Parliament, generally of the arranged kind, and handfastings, a ceremony based more on love and how long it lasts. The Coven's Bonds err on this side of things, though some Witches do have official spouses - Miss Nessie and Mhairi are an example of this, though not everyone marries their Bonded, either. Many of them are made during this festival, prompting the city to dress for the occasion just in case they find themselves in the middle of a ceremony, and just as many of them are formally renewed. Like during Litha, shops offer lovemaking potions, but only to those renewing vows or taking them; smaller fireworks, like sparklers and fountains, are also a common sight. Lùnasa is also home to the city's largest fashion show, showcasing fun and upcoming trends in the city. No experience is required to sign up to show off designs or to model them, and hundreds of tailors and needlework experts come together to quickly make dreams into reality for the end of the festival, when the show happens in genuine. The clothing is often wild and sorted into three categories: children, where those 14 and younger can submit their designs and model them as well; popular, where those 15 and older can do the same to try and vie for the judges' vote on what's in and what's out; and bonding, where all ages aspire to modify and make personal the traditional garbs of marriage and handfasting. While circumstances might be a little weird - and the month is a little cold coming in, given the snowstorm that happened at the end of last month - there's plenty to do, plenty to see, and plenty to take your mind off of just what a weird experience this all might be. Though those who have been in Aefenglom for a while now might notice something different over the course of the festival: they're a little more powerful than before, almost similar to the free-feeling that Boaltinn encouraged. Spells can still go awry, but the results will be much bigger - but it's frowned upon to use magic during festivals. Then again, characters will feel as if they're about to burn up if they don't use it a little... Well, just one spell beneath the shadow of the new moons wouldn't hurt, would it? a. JUST IN CASE While the city is dressed up on the off chance they might be roped into an impromptu wedding ceremony - it's likely that those who aren't native to Aefenglom don't have such luck. Thankfully, the tailors of city are offering free clothes on the caveat they advertise for them by wearing them around the festivities - they're long yet breathable garments, with colors that are fairly muted oranges and reds, not unlike the coming fall. It'd seem the fear of red skies from Litha has started to fade as nothing else too terrible has happened to the city at large, at least on the surface. And as it turns out, those offers might be better timed than they think: characters will be pulled into ceremonies at random to act as witnesses, to serve as dance partners for lonely folk, or just because they really needed someone to even out the numbers. b. ON THE CATWALK An annual occasion, the Aefenglom Fashion Show is always a bustling, bright time for those young and old to strut their stuff and try their best to either follow the latest trends, or spark them into being. Unfortunately, they're running a little low on models this year - many of their other ones decided to try their hand at sewing themselves - and so they're accepting volunteers! Willing or not; many of the more aggressive youths aren't above dragging those they deem perfect enough to wear their clothing to the back of the stage set up in the center of the Shopping District and pushing them out onto the catwalk dressed to the nines in all sorts of ridiculous-looking styles. c. EYE-CATCHING A few of the newest fashionistas in town have tried their hand at some rather... peculiar-looking clothing - but none so peculiar as those found in Precogstitchin' or Arwel's Tailory, in two completely different ways. While those who try on a piece or two of Precogstichin's wares will find themselves the center of attention due to their rather avant-garde shape, color, and pattern choices - not to mention accessories and rumor of being made of arachne silk! - those who try on Arwel's wares will find themselves being stopped quite frequently in the street despite the rather plain and dull colors and formless shapes the tailory provides as free samples. d. NEW MOON RITES While native Witches bemoan their weakened magics - some even expressing relief the new moon happens to land on a festival this year so they don't have to notice just how weak they are, mirrorbound Witches will find themselves feeling just the opposite: they're stronger. For those that chance a little magic despite the unspoken rules of the festivals in Aefenglom, they'll find the expelling of energy to be very relieving, as if a weight lifts off their shoulders. For those that refuse the siren's song of release, however, sparks of magical energy will fly from them, with a myriad of results - enchanting inanimate objects, transforming animals from one thing to another, starting small fires, creating illusions of the person or creature they fear the most... and so on.

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs; take the prompts offered and go wild, go crazy, go stupid, have fun. 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 now 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 August's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. 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

(2. lùnasa)

[yokeye]

A lie? What kind of lie? Like, "two plus two equals five" concrete evidence to the contrary lie, or like "I robbed a bank" anecdotal lie where you really don't know!?

[It's said in one breath, and while giving Asahi a wary look.]

What is this about?

[integrous]

Either works!

[ Something about her seems irritated, but not in a way where her anger seems to be directed at the person in front of her right now. It's more a general kind of irritated where she has a nervous energy about her.

Asahi frowns, looking away for a moment before looking back. ]

Just.. just tell a lie! [ Apparently she doesn't seem too keen on explaining herself, no matter how weird all of this would seem to any normal person. ]

[yokeye]

I thought I just did! Both of those are lies!?

[Toki raises an eyebrow. This girl is confusing.]

I guess like it's a different place, so maybe they have different mathematics? And I don't remember robbing a bank, so that could be true too! Uhh... My hair is blue? No, because maybe your world's "blue" is my "brown" and then it wouldn't be a lie either...

[Uhh. How can he ever tell a lie if everything is subjective in some kind of way?]

[integrous]

How can you not remember robbing a--?!

[ Asahi starts, clearly outraged by the very idea of that, but then catches herself midway through her instinctive response, letting out a frustrated groan. ]

Listen! You're not a fish! [ It's a dumb statement, but it's the first thing that came to her mind.. ] We can both agree on the definition of a fish, right? You're definitely not one!

[ She pokes him in the chest as she says that for emphasis, because what is personal space. ]

So just say "I'm a fish"!

[yokeye]

[He looks down at her finger, but he's a personal space invader himself and doesn't mind in the slightest. He frowns a little, though.]

I might be a fish!? What counts as a fish!? I mean, I'm not a fish fish, but like, at what point is it a lie, if say, part of me is fish-like!?

[He waves his hands around, trying to condense these thoughts into something.]

Okay! Does a jellyfish count as a fish? I mean, it lives in the ocean and everything, and my soul is a jellyfish I guess, so like... does that make me a fish in this context of lying?

[integrous]

[ Of course that out of all possible outlandish statements she could make about the other guy, Asahi just had to land on one that - through sheer coincidence - was true. Which means that what he's saying contrasts with her mental image of him so far so hard that this time she's fully distracted from her main problem for a moment.

What he's saying is just that ridiculous to her, apparently. ]

Your soul is a jellyfish?! [ How even. ]

[yokeye]

[He shrugs.]

Apparently! I mean, when the mermaid pulled it out, it was a jellyfish, so... Anyway! I'm not a cat? In any form!

[He looks directly at her to present the lie.]

I am a cat!... Did that help?

[integrous]

[ Hold on, hold on, they're moving way too fast past the whole jellyfish soul thing here! Asahi has more questions about that!

But in the middle of her frantic thoughts about excuse me a jellyfish soul what?? she at least catches on to the fact that he's telling another lie for her, and her gaze shifts from his face to the space behind him for a moment. That, however, just seems to make her look even more confused. ]

H.. How is that possible.. You don't even look like a cat, so why.. [ Why can't she see the lie if what he said clearly isn't true? ]

[yokeye]

[What is she talking about?]

It's not possible! It's a lie, like you asked for!

[He gives her a confused look for a minute, and then thinks he has it figured out.]

You're from some place where "lie" has a different meaning than I think it does!

[integrous]

No way, a lie is just a lie! [ It's said in a kind of snappy way, but it's just since she's really emotional right now.. Her brain is working overtime trying to figure out just why exactly she can't see that he just told a lie, even though it obviously was one.

Asahi is starting to look more and more pale by the moment. ]

What's wrong with this place..?

[yokeye]

[Toki reaches out to touch her shoulder. She looks very distressed.]

Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?

[integrous]

[ In some situations - in many, actually - Asahi would quickly have shrugged that touch off.

Not in this case though. She's way too overwhelmed to even think of that. Asahi doesn't like looking like this in front of other people, but she doesn't exactly have a choice in that matter right now either. ]

I.. I think I should.. [ Because this information is downright dizzying. ]

[yokeye]

It will be okay.

[That might also be a lie. Toki guides her to the closest available chairs. They're probably crashing a handfasting ceremony, but with all the celebrating, they might not be noticed.]

What's this lying thing all about?

[integrous]

[ Honestly, Asahi doesn't even care if she's crashing anything or not right now. She just sits down, and then moves her hands to hold her head while she thinks. Her thoughts move so quickly through her head, it feels like it's spinning.

So much so that the truth slips out before she even really has the time to think about what she's saying. ]

I'm supposed to be able to see whether people are lying or not.. But why can't I do so right now..?

[yokeye]

Like... a magical power thing? If that's what you mean, mine doesn't work here either!

[He's already figured that out, in the looking glass house. He's also not very concerned about it.]

I don't know why, though!

[integrous]

I don't know if you'd call it "magic", it's pretty normal where I come from.. [ Sure, most adults don't have one, but it feels normal enough when Asahi was surrounded by other teenagers who were all able to do the same thing. To think it's not a thing here, and that she won't be able to use her own Iris while she's here, is.. odd, to say the least. ]

What kind of power did you have?

[ Asahi asks it in an almost sulking way, since she's still too preoccupied with the thought of having lost her Iris. But she at least has to know this information now in return for revealing some sensitive information of her own! ]

[yokeye]

So everyone can like see lies!? Why would anyone ever lie then?

[Her world must be amazing. Everyone saying what they actually mean.]

Oh, mine was like... uhh... Okay, so basically, I was like a god, or a potential god, but I couldn't figure it out and didn't want to like destory the world or change for just one group people because that wouldn't be fair, but like, I could pretty much do anything if I thought about it, but I like- it didn't work too well because I didn't really understand it I guess, but I made things just by thinking about it and making decisions and like I kind of maybe accidentally like pressed the reset button and- well, people didn't really.... die... they just didn't exist anymore and nobody remembered them, but they did still exist in some sort of soul butterfly things!

[He's not sure if he even wants those powers back. It's kind of a relief not to feel responsible for so many things.]

[integrous]

[ For a moment Asahi is busy mentally debating if she should tell him that no, it's just her who can see lies, other people see other stuff, or whether to leave him in that blissful ignorance so she doesn't seem as weird..

.. but then he starts talking. Oh, how he starts talking. Asahi looks surprised about one sentence in, and by the end she just looks at him as if he has seven heads instead of just one. The jellyfish soul thing was already weird enough, but.. this..?? ]

W.. What is your world even?! [ Could a place really exist where all those ridiculous things were possible? ]

[yokeye]

[Uhh, that requires so much more explanation. She might not have appeared as weird as she thought with her world's mechanics. Toki gets up from the chair, because he needs to gesture rapidly while trying to present this as a plausible thing.]

Okay! It's not my world, the one with the powers and things! Mine is like normal and there's humans and like nothing else and no one has powers or anything and then like I kind of got pulled into this other place, which I'm not 100% sure is an actual place and I think it's a virtual reality thing even though it's like really real and- anyway! In that fake world I can do whatever, again, in theory, because I'm not supposed to be there and no one accounted for me and I'm free and whatever, so like I say "I want the sky to be pink" and would totally be pink if I knew what I doing! I think... Maybe... Things might not change color, but that should be within the realm of my great power~! So this place, really, is probably just another virtual setting and your powers don't work here because you're not real and you're like an NPC in a video game only you don't know it!

[integrous]

[ Yeah, that just gets another totally baffled reaction from her. She was already confused enough about her arrival here and what this place is supposed to be, but now there's just double confusion as she tries to find some space left in her brain to slot all of the information about his world into. Since it's a lot to take in.

Hence why it takes a few moments of silence for her brain to sort out what's the most important part about what he's saying first. But when it does-- ]

Hey, did you just call me not real?! [ Clearly the most important part is getting offended at that, right. ]

[yokeye]

Yes! But I didn't mean it! I did, but not that you're any less real for not being actually real!

[At this point, he barely knows what he's saying anymore and their conversation has gone off the rails somehow.]

[integrous]

[ Way off the rails. At least the good news is that when Asahi gets worked up like this she's too distracted to feel bad about the loss of her powers.. For the moment, anyway. ]

I'm totally real! Who says you're not the one who is secretly not real, huh? You could just be a figment of my imagination in a dream!

[yokeye]

[With those words, all the energy is sucked from him. The ever-present feeling, usually shoved so far down, rising to the surface. He's not real. He's known this for a long time; never being able to connect with people, removed from them somehow, his existence has always been questionable to him.]

I... That's...

[integrous]

[ Honestly, she expects him to push back. That's what people usually do, after all.

But as she's fully prepared to have to think of another counterargument, there.. suddenly isn't any retort coming from him. He looks kind of speechless. And that completely knocks the wind out of Asahi's sails. Her posture gets a little less defensive, and she lets out a sigh as she glances off to the side, suddenly looking a little awkward. Asahi rubs the back of her neck. ]

D.. Don't look like that, I just said that since you said it to me too! I'm pretty sure all of this is real, although I sure wish it wasn't.

[yokeye]

[Toki watches the ceremony for a few minutes, gathering throughts and trying not to panic. Then he finally addresses Asahi's comments.]

I guess it's as real as anything is.