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

[rollfordiplomacy]

Alas! I find a certain thrill in fear and the unknown. Don't find me too strange for it, I beg of you. [he jokes along, though again, it's rooted in truth. He likes the feeling of fright and anticipation. He climbs because he's afraid of heights. Not to get over the fear, but because he enjoy the fear itself.

His sexual preferences sometimes fell in line with that... Sometimes. (Most of the time.)]

There must be a lot of pressure upon you. To put on a bold front that you are handling yourself well. You strike me as an independent sort, I'm sure you wish not for my pity. I shall offer you my understanding, rather, if you will accept it.

[faithlikeaseed]

How could I? Haven't met a fear yet I didn't try running at face-first. [Though his aim was more to come off conqueror of what frightened him than to take any enjoyment from it--

But oh, he likes this man. He does. What a friendship they'll have--and what delightful benefits it could have if that one insurmountable fear didn't sit like lead in the pit of Myr's gut. ]

Exactly so, [and he'd been doing so well at that independence, building himself workarounds and aids with his magic.

And now it's all gone and won't ever return unless he crosses bsck through the mirror.

He takes another sip of tea. (What had been done once he could do again. Just, Maker, why.] Though I'd say the proud and unbending sort, more. But I'm glad of your understanding--truly am, [and there's that smile again, though not so high-voltage this time.] Most people would rather the pity.

[rollfordiplomacy]

Pity is a hollow gift, not one I have ever cared for. You, my dear Myr, [Everett is growing immediately attached to this man. Sure, he had found him attractive, sought to charm him, but this is... this is different now.

This is a connection far less shallow. Everett's endless intrigue drives him to chase further, learn more, share what he can. That's more thrilling than any single night spent in his bed.]

You are worthy of so much more, I can tell. [this man needs someone who is confident in him, someone to anchor him in this world. Everett repeats, quieter and fonder so very, very assured]

I can tell right away.

[faithlikeaseed]

[Ordinarily, Myr has something to say--sometimes too much of it--for every occasion.

But he's got no ready words to express his sudden gratitude for Everett--for the other man's patience and stability, the generosity offered in the littlest things. Instead, he leans down to set his teacup safely on the floor, then feels cautiously to find Everett's hand and hold it tightly.]

Careful, [he finally manages, voice just a little hoarse.] You'll give me a swollen head on top of everything else, and then what sort of Monster would I be?

Thank you, Everett.

[And thank You, o Creating Glory, that I'm not so alone as I thought.]

[rollfordiplomacy]

[The gesture is a sweet one, Everett holding back firmly when his hand is taken. He ducks his forehead and pressed it to the man's knuckles, a gesture of humility in his people, but he lift his head to softly and chivalrously kiss Myr's fingers after. A short kiss, affectionate. Most delicate and sincere, her responds]

You are welcome, Myr. [a beat, because he simply can't stop his mouth from running]

Not the head I intended on swelling, so I will be mindful. [zing!]

[faithlikeaseed]

[Ah--sweet, chivalrous, and also utterly ridiculous.

Myr should've known. The look of consternation on the elf's face is truly choice--before he thumps his head (no, not that one) against Everett's shoulder and gives an exaggerated groan of agony at the pun.]

You'll need a different set of compliments entirely for that, [heart-ons and hard-ons coming from different places, and all.

He smiles fondly up at the older man then.] You're absurd, you know. Do they raise 'em all like that in Springtide?

[rollfordiplomacy]

[Everett laughs along at the groaning, overjoyed that Myr was at ease enough again to fall in so close. He's not going to try and lure them back towards intimacy, but there is something here. Something kind and friendly, something worth nurturing. Something Everett wants, even if it's not sexual.

He reaches to pet the man's shoulder with one hand, the other squeezing Myr's fingers slightly, still held between them on the couch]

Not in the slightest. I'm an oddity, in that way! I could never much help my sense of humor. Only knew one other Springtide, who was the same way.... and I loved him dearly for it. [a wistful bit of a chuckle. Ah. He shouldn't think too much on Silas here. So close to finding the man again, after so long, but now he'd left their shared world all together. Somethings are just not meant to be...]

Your begrudged smile is it's own reward!

[faithlikeaseed]

[In some small way, it's exactly what Myr's needed and didn't know he did--someone to be close with, without the expectation physical intimacy was bound for sexual.

The two had been so completely intertwined in his life that once he'd lost the one--through shame, through fear--the other had gone with it. No one wants to touch me anymore, not something he could articulate but something he felt keenly all the same. And with Vandelin gone...

Well he can recognize that wistfulness, even if his own is fitfully sharp with anger more often than not. He won't ask.

He will give Everett's hand a squeeze in return.] I'll count myself very lucky to have met one of the only two, then. And fortunate we're both getting something out of the exchange. [get smiled on!!]

What are they like, then? The Springtide.

[rollfordiplomacy]

[he'll bask in that smile, it charmed him initially and it charms him ever still]

My people live in the Below Lands, within the caves and subterranean channels of Myddvai. We're quite reclusive, few other cultures influence ours. That makes for a tightly knit society, we're very keen to uphold our traditions, rules, and manners. [rather, they like to appear principled, the facade more important than the moral core... but getting into that would not shed a very kind light on them. Everett is a diplomat of his people, he's not going to talk down upon them, flawed though they may be. He has a clear love for his own.]

We're a devoted people, to each other and to our way of living. It would be impossible for us to survive in such a barren environment, if we did not take care of each other.

[faithlikeaseed]

[He listens, intently--because he asked, because he's curious, because he's hungry to know the folk who'd shaped this man he's already so fond of--and his expression softens as Everett goes on. The Springtide sound strangely familiar in their way--enough that Myr can infer, if only a little, where the picture of them may not be so rosy and one-sided.

But the fact Everett makes it sound so serves only to endear Myr further in this moment. His is a soft heart that needs no convincing of the value of love for one's own.] That doesn't sound so different from my Circlemates, [and how lonely he is for them even if he had begun to feel like he was a part of them no longer--his own doing.]

Caves, though--did you never see the sun down there?

[rollfordiplomacy]

Not a beam of sunlight, no. Many Springtide go their entire lives without seeing the sky. I have been trying to change that, make it so my people travel more. See the world above us. I believe I was... twenty? The first time I saw the sky? [he laughs, thinking about that time, half a life ago]

I fainted! When I woke, looked upon it once more? I nearly fainted again. When I saw the night fall, my first sunset, with the colors mingling and painting the clouds. Ah, I wept as a child might. [Everett speaks so easily, not finding an ounce of shame in his reactions. He sounds downright proud to have such experiences, for them to have been so intense]

Ever still, I catch myself marveling at the horizon. What a wonder it is. [which- he realizes, must be something Myr misses seeing for himself. Saddening, but Everett is never the hopeless man. He will offer without missing a beat]

If you ever wish to hear, I will describe to you what the sky looks like here. As you can tell, I have no shortage of words. Nor enthusiasm!

[faithlikeaseed]

[Myr's imagination is as capacious as he's said, but even he is having a hard time working his mind around never seeing the sun, ever-- Sure, they'd spent most of their time inside in Hasmal's Circle, but there was the courtyard and the upper rooms of the tower; they knew the sky, and the stars, and the weather. He tries to imagine a world where they didn't, where life was lived entirely in a series of windowless rooms (he's never been in a cave)--and doesn't like it much.

But that was home for Everett, apparently, or had been until he'd left it; and... Fainting seems like an entirely plausible reaction on first considering the vast expanse of the heavens.

It makes the following offer doubly sweet, knowing what the sky means to his new friend.] Nor enthusiasm, [he echoes, fondly,] --I'd like that. I'd like that very much--I can't even begin to imagine what it must look like here; the weather's so different than what I'm used to.

[He pauses again, ruminating, fingers curled comfortably around Everett's.] How did you get on, living like that your first two decades? If the sky was something you didn't know you'd needed that much.

[rollfordiplomacy]

I knew not what I was missing out on! Our caves are quite vast, tall enough to fit castles and great cities within... but they are still dark and enclosed places. Not cold, though, we live alongside a perpetually warm river. That's where our name is from, the Springtide. [he squeezes the man's fingers back gently, inquiring]

Perhaps, you would like to stay the night in my spare room? I happily invite you too. [It might be nice, to have someone else about in the morning time... Everett wouldn't want a roommate permanently, he doesn't think, but this case it felt only right to offer. Some space for the man, but not really sending him off alone. That might just break Everett's heart...]

We could have tea in the morning and I shall describe the sunrise. Or you can stop by another time, to sit out in the evening air with me. I would very much like to see you again soon, Myr.

[faithlikeaseed]

--You'll need to tell me lots more about them, you know, now that you've started, [Myr says gravely.] I'm not easily satisfied.

[It's almost a double entendre.

But despite it he considers the room in the innocent light it's offered--he doesn't actually live that far from here, he knows without really being sure how he does (or feeling like questioning the knowledge), but for all he's fond of Caster and grateful of the room, it doesn't feel like home.

This wouldn't, either, but...it also wouldn't be lonely on waking. And that means a great deal.] If you don't mind I might not be sleeping much--I don't, ah.

[...Maker damn it. His Circle may have gone cold to him but at least they knew all the awful little ins and outs of his condition, and having to explain parts of it to someone he's sweet on already...it sticks in his throat.

He makes himself go on despite it.] --don't keep regular hours, any longer. But I'd be up for the tea and sunrise. And--

[A little, teasing pause.] Come to think, I don't live all that far from here. D'you know a fellow who goes by Caster?

[rollfordiplomacy]

[Everett goes silent for a moment, opening and closing his mouth as he catches up to what, he presumes, is the truth of the matter. Finally, he laughs and says, outright]

Caster is my neighbor. Just a door over, my dear. [he scoffs, before sounding increasingly more amazed and enthused by the possibility]

You couldn't possibly live with him, could you? What would be the odds!

[He'd brought Caster home for tea as well, and they made the same discovery! Though, admittedly, they hadn't had such a... charged first meeting. Here Everett is, bringing home two different men on two different nights who both just happen to be his immediate neighbors? Why can't he escape being a comedy protagonist!?]

[faithlikeaseed]

You're joking, [though it is abundantly clear in Myr's manner that he hopes Everett is not; he's delighted at the very thought.] Because I surely do--taking up their spare room until I've got my feet under me.

You're friends already, then? [Better and better, if so.]

[rollfordiplomacy]

[Another laugh, more full and vibrant than ever!]

What fine fortune! I assure you, no jest, you are my neighbor. [he hums at the question, clearing his throat and the last of his laughter away, though his tone is still bright]

We have met once before, yes. He also visited for tea. [okay, he has to laugh slightly to clarify, a bit flirtatiously]

Though not with the same intention you had. [they did not smooch, not that Everett would be against such a thing, Caster is quite handsome and a charmer]

[faithlikeaseed]

I could hardly blame him if he had--you're a hard man to resist. [There's a pause as Myr feels the black need to apologize for himself well up again; he silently squashes it. Instead, he gives the other man's hand another squeeze.

Quietly then,] Thank you for this, Everett. I doubt I could've picked a better neighbor if the Maker Himself had given me the choice.

[rollfordiplomacy]

You're welcome. And I'm sincerely flattered, Myr. [he'd be the one to warn Myr not to give him a swollen head, but he's already too vain for that whoops]

You're a fine man, I look forward to us spending more time together.