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

[thirdbeauty]

[She looks incredibly shy as she hesitantly takes the offered hand. She's still not confident, but all she can do is her best at this point.]

Yeah. Okay.

[So she's following Maria's lead, she supposes? Natsuru does try to pick up some cues from the rest of the crowd, but mainly looks to Maria to make sure they're on the same page.]

Have you done this before?

[She means dancing at a ceremony, specifically. She doesn't doubt Maria has more experience with dancing in general than she does.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Danced? Or been to a wedding? I've done all of those things. [She sounds sort of... bored about the idea, though, because she is. She may have been relatively young, leaving Cainhurst, but she still had her fill of things like that.

Otherwise, this dance is just that - Maria, taking the lead, moving them both in time with the rest of the crowd, and trying not to let Natsuru step on her feet.]

[thirdbeauty]

I haven't really... done either much. Not like this.

[She smiles shyly, clearly still uncertain about this whole thing. But she's trying her best to follow Maria's lead, and doing passably okay at it. She's not tripping over herself or stepping on Maria's feet, at least.]

Is it always like this here? I mean... are there a lot of festivals and marriages?

[whomthebelltolls]

Then, are you not natively from this place? [On second thought, that seems almost a silly question to ask. This one doesn't match with the setting the way Maria does - and that's with her differences. Which makes the foreignness seem all the more... pronounced.]

Well, there are plenty of festivals, but this is the first I've seen to involve actual marriages. There are plenty of Bonding ceremonies about, though, especially since new people keep arriving through the mirrors.

[thirdbeauty]

Oh... no.

[Even as she says it, it doesn't seem like it's much of a surprise to Maria at all. How many people like her are there, in this place?]

Bonding? Oh, right! That's... the thing between witches and... the other people.

[She really doesn't like to say the word 'monsters'.]

So there are... a lot of people that came through the mirrors, huh? [A brief pause, and she looks up at Maria curiously.] Were you... I mean, did you?

[She stands out for sure, but Natsuru might have otherwise mistaken her for a native.]

[whomthebelltolls]

I did, yes. I was of the first group to arrive through the mirror. [When it was a surprise for everyone, and no one was quite sure what to make of what was going on. She might have also almost gotten into a fight with Mhairi within those first few moments, because one does not just take a Hunter from a world where werewolves are immediate enemies and drop them in the face of a friendly one, and expect her to react favorably.]

Since then, there have been two new groups over... three or four months or so.

[thirdbeauty]

That's it?

[She hadn't expected it to have only been a few months! The introduction seemed so organized, she just assumed this had been happening for a long time.]

So it's always like that? A bunch of people show up at once?

[whomthebelltolls]

Yes.

[She's serious. That's all it is.]

Something like that, yes. Tends to happen around the new moon, or the beginning of the month, but not every month. They come through the mirrors, and our hosts so graciously go to greet them and answer questions. I'm sure they offered the tests for Witchdom and Monsterhood, correct?

[thirdbeauty]

Y-... Yeah.

[Wow, Maria, do you have to use the word she's trying so very hard not to think of?!]

Is that... bad?

[She doesn't seem super thrilled with the people who greet the new arrivals.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Is what bad? [Hey, at least she stopped calling them "beasts" so often.]

[thirdbeauty]

The tests. I thought they were just trying to help.

[Maybe she just misunderstood Maria? It wouldn't be the first time she didn't have a clue what intent was behind someone's words.]

[whomthebelltolls]

They're just information; neither good nor bad. Where you are in this world. A Witch, with the gift of magic, and the burden of knowing your lifespan has become limited, or a Monster, who may yet escape with their lives, but not without persecution for their actions. That is all.

[thirdbeauty]

It didn't seem... that bad for Monsters...

[Yeah, she might be telegraphing which one she supposedly is now. It hasn't really settled in her mind yet. She doesn't feel any different. But she's worried - not about how people will treat her, but what changes might happen.]

[whomthebelltolls]

They're not very well regarded, here. But... no, I suppose it isn't, if proper care is taken. The most jarring part may yet be the transformation. [They don't get out too badly, Maria thinks. The Witches get out better, unless one fears death, in which case the pall of its inevitable coming, much sooner than you would have hoped, would be a bit of a downer.]

[thirdbeauty]

[Yep. She's absolutely being obvious about that being what she's most worried about now.]

And they can't even tell us what'll happen. What we'll turn into, I mean. I-If you're a Monster...

[whomthebelltolls]

I suppose they could get more comprehensive with it. Some monsters have weaknesses to certain elements, or things like that... but... I think it's probably for the best that you just find out organically, so you don't have to wonder what features you may grow. After all, there is variance within each, and... the chimera can be anything.

[Literally anything.] At least the Witches have the advantage of things being straightforward.

[thirdbeauty]

[The weaknesses part makes Natsuru wince slightly. She remembers some of the things she was warned to be cautious about, just in case.]

Yeah. It seems like it'd be easier to get used to.

[A pause, and she frowns thoughtfully. She doesn't want to be invasive, but...]

Do you... mind if I ask... what you are?

[That's such a strange question to hear herself ask! Is she being rude? She has no idea!]

[whomthebelltolls]

A Witch. [She says it like she doesn't care - and she doesn't - about the question. She is a Witch, and that's really all there is to it. She hates both options, but likes the Witch one a little more if only because it comes with an inevitable end to the madness. ]

It may be why there's a strange sensation when we touch. Monsters absorb the excess mana out of Witches.

[thirdbeauty]

Eh?! Really?

[That makes her flinch rather noticeably. She's used to feeling strange about touching and being close, so she hadn't even thought that something else might have been going on while they danced.]

Is that... okay?

[The way she's looking at Maria suggests she doesn't just mean in general.]

[whomthebelltolls]

It is how it works here. [That's not really an affirmation whether it is good or bad, merely an observation.

So no, she's not going to answer the question, necessarily, but she hasn't moved away yet, so... can't be too bad, right?]

[thirdbeauty]

[She seems awful matter-of-fact about it. So it can't be something too dangerous or unwelcome, right? Still, Natsuru's not sure how she feels about knowing she's some kind of sponge for magical energy, or whatever.]

I see...

So that's why people Bond?

[Or at least, that's another reason? She only kind of half understood the concept as it was explained before.]

[whomthebelltolls]

That seems to be the primary factor, yes. On the surface, it is beneficial to both parties. For Monsters, they keep their sense, for the Witches, they keep their lives.

[Ont he surface, of course. Maria has no intention of going for what happens afterward.]

[thirdbeauty]

I didn't think it was that dangerous for Witches...

[Admittedly, she'd paid more attention to the Monster side of things thus far. There's so much information being thrown at her so quickly, she had to focus on the stuff that was relevant to her.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Witches who practice their magic and do not find an outlet for the excess that builds up will find it has particularly deadly and explosive consequences for themselves. Before that, however, the headaches, and the delusions begin to set in. [Like going without sleep for a long time, but it happens even if you do sleep.]

[thirdbeauty]

Has that... happened to you?

[She sounds like she really knows what she's talking about, at least the parts that don't involve dying. But maybe she's just paid better attention to the Coven over a longer period of time than Natsuru.]