Event Log: May

[moustre]

Event Log: May, Moving Day

I. GATHERING The morning of the 15th is heralded by the sing-song voice of The Coven's coimeadai sidhe Nerissa Bell ringing through the hallways, seemingly unimpeded by the heavy doors or any silencing spells that have been placed in rooms. She asks that all those who arrived at the beginning of the month - not the new inductees, the ones from The Looking-Glass House - gather in The Coven's main room; she has some exciting and important news to deliver. Once everyone is gathered, Nessie (very much a morning person, and sorry to the anyone who isn't) grins and lays a hand on her chest. "Thanks to a good bit of your lot, we've managed to get things ready in record time - aye, I should start out with what I'm talking about, aren't I? Well, well - with the Parliament's permission, thank goodness for my Mhairi's sharp wit, we've managed to get a space for all you to live in outside of The Coven. You can still come and attend classes or talk to all of us, 'course, but everyone's been getting a bit itchy with such suddenly crowded quarters, aye?" Aye aye, calls some poor, tired student from the second floor as they pass through, and Nessie pauses with a slow blink before she laughs, shaking her head. "Anyway, gather your things if you have any and follow me. Or us," she corrects herself, as a few other Witches seem to materialize from nowhere. "Can't be out without a couple of friends, I suppose." As soon as everyone's ready, Nessie and her entourage lead them out of the courtyard, aglow with fresh flowers and the soft light of dawn peeking between the clouds. The spot they've managed to get isn't too far from The Coven proper, and it doesn't look much different than the rest of the Aristocratic District that it resides in - the only thing that sets it apart is the sign Nessie takes a moment to conjure up and hang with balls of light between two streetlamps. The Haven. "Named so as a respite for all you refugees," she explains as she turns around; she sets her hands on her hips, gazing out at the crowd, and gives them a small smile. "I can't stay and chat right now - Mhairi's still with Parliament even with the hours, and I've got things to get in order at the Coven still - but if you have need of either of us, we'll be in contact. We've a little mailbox set up in front of the Coven just for you lot, so just drop us a letter or some such with one of our names or both, and we'll be right quick about answering, we will. Within reason," Nessie adds, laughing a little, "'course, within reason. Anyway, find some familiar faces and have a lovely time, will you?" With that, and a few more little goodbyes, Miss Nerissa Bell takes her leave; half of her Witches disappear with her, but the other half remain to help keep an eye on things as the day progresses and to help with directing people to either houses or the barracks set against the Wall. While there will be no NPC threads this time - sorry! - we have opened up an NPC Inbox! You can find it here. While they definitely prefer letters, they do both have watches now like cool moms and can be contacted through that as well, provided they aren't busy at the time.

II. 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 an 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. Some may be familiar with this portion of Aefenglom already, as they took on the task of helping to clean the area up. Surprise, one could say; they were preparing their own future homes, for their stay in the city. However, 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. Not everyone is so happy, however. A very vocal group of younger rich people are set on harassing and bullying those moving into The Haven, and they aren't afraid to use a little magic to do it. Levitation, fake fire, real fire, sudden weather shifts, and threats to do more if they don't find somewhere else to live are all present - these aristocrats don't care for the new people butting into their lives, especially anyone who looks distinctly non-human or already have signs of their Monster traits coming in. There are others, though, who are quite pleased to have new neighbors - many of them weren't so happy with their other ones - and have set up little stalls to peruse and tables to sit at to help foster them in. These have everything from food to flowers, to expensive-looking trinkets and jewelry on them - the people running them are quite amiable, especially closer to the Residential District proper, and don't mind handing these out for free... or mostly free. The only thing they'll ask of any characters wishing to procure something from their gifts is to perform a trick - sort of like a one-man talent show. They aren't picky, and as long as a character does their best, they'll give them a gift. (Or someone with quick fingers could just swipe them off, given how unprotected they are, but that person will find their hands turning red and leaving similarly-colored marks on everything they touch, as if dipped in paint.)

III. AND THEN THEY WERE ROOMMATES To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches left over from Nessie's group have come together to set up a little roommate finding service that will run for the week. 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 similar kind of amplification magic that Miss Nessie used earlier in the morning for her own voice. It seems these Witches - or at least one of them - has a prankster nature... and unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. a. A LITTLE MISCHIEF While by and large the board will work as it should - a listing is filled out, put up, and read aloud for all to hear - for characters who aren't interested in doing some writing, or who can't for one reason or another, the board will take it upon itself to make one for them. It isn't going to be the most accurate at all, being either completely fictitious or based on a first impression from the board itself. This can range from "They have blue eyes, so you know they're a kind person!" to "How stand-offish, they must be a crook! A thief! A villain!" and anything in-between, including but not limited to: outrageous feats they may or may not have accomplished, poor hygiene habits, false accounts of incredibly embarrassing moments, and so on. b. A LITTLE HANDS-ON Not entirely content with just allowing people to write their preferences and call it a day, a few of the younger Witches have begun magicking small chocolates, hard candies, and bubble gum, and handing them out to new arrivals as a welcome treat. These aren't any ordinary treats though - they have one of three of effects: • Sticky fingers, meaning characters will stick to anyone or anything they touch. • Truthfulness, meaning characters will say whatever they're really thinking or feeling at the moment. • Desire for company, meaning characters will gravitate immediately to the first person they see, regardless of their feelings on them otherwise. Thankfully, none of these last long - only about ten minutes, and they can't be combined with each other; eating one candy with one effect will simply replace any other effects... Which might be for the better. The subthread for this can be found HERE, while any ones that are made up by the board itself can be simply written into your top levels or replies to other people. Have fun with it, and good luck finding some housemates!

Welcome to the midmonth event 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. As ever, 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

OOC QUESTIONS

[moustre]

[clickclickbang]

So since a few of us have horse-or-larger sized pets (or pets that can get that big), are there any houses with like, a built in stable area?

[moustre]

Hey Fae! There aren't very many, but some of the larger houses do have small stables that previously housed animals for personal or family carriages. This typically meant one to two horses (or other creatures). These also have the space for the carriages and accessories, which can be turned into more stalls for animals, should the new residents choose.

[fifty]

For those who are getting harassed, is there any particular difference if they're displaying dragon traits? Also, what is the general response to those inclined to fight back?

EDIT: Also, I'm sorry if I just can't read and missed this somewhere, but do characters have to have roommates, or can they live alone?

[moustre]

There's a bit of a difference - a little more fear, and a lot more murmuring of how dangerous dragons can be. In general, Monsters fighting back gets that treatment: how they're definitely a threat to normal people, while Witches deciding to fight back are given the "all of you Coven people are like that" but aren't thought of too badly in comparison.

EDIT: Also I somehow just missed your second question, whoops. Characters can live alone, but they're definitely encouraged to have roommates - a lot of places that offer solo housing (such as the apartments) do still have a more communal feeling though, so they won't press too hard. Characters going solo in a giant house will get some slightly disappointed looks though, since that's a bit of a waste of space.

[haillenarte]

This question is a little open-ended — and a little nitpicky, I apologize! — but could I get a more detailed overview of the in-world politics surrounding the housing situation?

I've been chasing tidbits of it here and there since the game opened, but couldn't get a full picture; maybe I just missed a page somewhere! So, newcomers arrived, and... the existing homeowners in The Haven... were just... asked to leave? By the Coven? Wouldn't blowback, protests, and discontent have been anticipated by Parliament? I think there is a line in the Setting page that suggests that there was an outbreak of the Cwyld as well ("a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing") but then are our characters moving into a sick zone? Where were the former Haven residents relocated to?

I might have extra questions — I just sort of wanted to know the local government thought process here. Thank you!

EDIT: I can read! I just noticed that the former Haven residents were moved to Eastern Residential, my bad!

[moustre]

Sure thing! Bear with the mod on right now, it's getting a little late here - apologies for the late response as well, things have been busy.

They weren't asked to leave - essentially, the Parliament heard the story from the Coven and, brokering a deal that those in the Coven would take care of the new arrivals (and any more, should they spontaneously arrive - you can never be too sure with magic, after all), they granted a sort of space for those that came through the mirror to live in... Which has become now known as "The Haven". The homeowners were notified of this and were shortly forced out. A part of the District Clean-Up quest mentioned mollifying angry residents/former residents on top of retrieving items and cleaning out houses to be used, but sentiments didn't quite settle, hence: the fact there's still push-back, especially with it becoming very apparent this is very much a real thing that's happening. Outside of the log and in general, the Parliament and the Coven both are still handling these relocations as best they can, but that didn't seem like it'd make a very interesting prompt.

As for the Cwyld, spots of the infection may have occurred in the past in certain areas, but that would be years ago. They were never moved into due to superstition, but they're perfectly safe to live in - the Witches of the Coven would have made sure of that after handling the any infection in the District over the years. More generally, nowadays the risk of infection to the wealthy mainly lies in their merchant-based travels outside of the Wall, volunteer work in the Slums, or in the Witches and Monsters that have chosen live in the Aristocratic District and work in direct contact with the Cwyld. It's still likely to happen, and one infected family member can carry it and infect the rest of their family, but people tend to quickly evacuate and quarantine themselves at the Heofonlic Hospital when the first signs of the Cwyld are noticed in any of them.

Sort of like fumigating your entire house at the first sign of bedbugs, except with the extra flavor of "That house is now cursed, we'll move elsewhere" superstition.

I hope that addressed everything? We're both sorry for any confusion that may've been had!

[haillenarte]

No, no — thank you for getting back to me! This helps a lot, especially with regard to moving into houses that were abandoned due to the Cwyld!

On an IC level, I think Francel's immediate reaction would be to ask residents if Parliament or the Coven have "issued orders like this before." Would they tell him anything of interest? Or maybe just clam up and avoid the subject?

[moustre]

They'll talk! They'll tell him that none of them can remember any orders like this happening before; this even extends to the older residents of the surrounding district. It's honestly quite a shock to them.

[civicbooty]

Piggybacking on the above to ask if characters are aware/might have heard from angry people that former residents have been relocated for their sake! 🙏

[moustre]

They would have! In... Very angry words... Calmer people - or rather, ones who understand that it might be a good idea to just keep all the "new people" in one area - are a little kinder about explaining it. They have more of a "well, this happened, and I suppose I'll deal with it because I still got a new house out of it" sort of feeling.

[hearthebell]

Do characters need to use their real names on the roommate forms? Basically would no one be the wiser if a character decided to go by a different name than his own in Aefenglom and used it for everything generally like this? (At least for now?)

ALSO apologies if I missed this somewhere but I couldn't find it, and I wanted to ask before I overused the feature and embarrassed myself. When characters are on the network, how do/can their usernames appear? Basically, if the network defaults to their real name, that's something I can work with but it would be a Big Deal to my character and would influence how he introduces himself and interacts.

EDIT: I went back and looked at the FAQs and found the answer to my second question. Please disregard!

[moustre]

(You're good!)

That's right, they needn't use their real name - hence why lying is allowed! Go forth and create another alias, L.

[lonewanderer]

How much trouble would someone Lex get in for holding up one of the harassers at gunpoint? c':

[moustre]

Lex no If she could make it a case of defending someone/herself, she'd be given a warning, but if it was just out of the blue she'd be given a few nights in jail.

[topslug]

Is it possible to get a general feel for what the non-relocated residents of Aefenglom feel about the whole business? Is the overall sentiment along the lines of 'good for you,' 'too bad for them but [shrug emoji] thats just how it is here.' etc.

Since Yako got a peek at the Curses for Dummies book before, is it possible she may have picked up on ways to undo any minor curses inflicted by irate residents? (Also, did she ever find out what the heck the poor guy was cursed with in the first place or was that too embarrassing...)

[moustre]

That would be the overall sentiment, yes! And it's possible she would have - go help your fellow man... or Monster... or whatever, Yako.

(And I just replied to that earlier today- my apologies for missing it! Further research into it would have her surmising that he was cursed with being an ass. A donkey, that is; he must have concealed the ears and tail, but the donkey accent wasn't something he could quite get rid of.)

[topslug]

Ah, it's no problem at all! I figured it was just a minor detail lost in the shuffle.

Poor Billy Rudkins. Once she's settled into her new place, Yako's probably going to look him up again and see if he's still cursed, and see if she can help break that, now that she's got a little more magic under her belt. Since it's to help someone else, she'd put a little bit more effort into it than she may have her other magic practice -- maybe even ask another Coven witch for any help or thoughts on whether it's possible to use food as a way to deliver a countercurse.

Since she's also a bit of a snoop (can't help playing detective, even now) she'd also have probably discreetly seen if she can figure out what musical he was practicing for ... and if any of his co-performers or co-workers at the Wilders could be the culprit responsible. Maybe it's part of some weird Wilder hazing, who knows!

[moustre]

Yako, that's so sweet... He is unfortunately still cursed - he was definitely overestimating his abilities, and also underestimating just how petty whoever it was that cursed him in the first place, since it seems to be one that can only be broken by another person anyway.

As for the musical he was practicing for - while Billy doesn't mind mentioning he was practicing for one, theater is taken very seriously as a crime in Aefenglom, and there's plenty of people hesitant to do so. She'll eventually be able to find a Witch who just can't hold it in anymore though and will confess to both cursing Billy (for being a jerk about her script) and to what the musical is about... Which is, somewhat ironically, her personal vision of A Midsummer's Daydream, a play by Wilhelm Shooksword. The Witch in question will admit it that it might have been a tad bit cruel of her, but revealing too much about her grand masterpiece might put her and others under fire, and Billy is the type of person who can't shut up when he thinks he's right. She'll also ask that Yako keep it a secret, and offer to send her an invitation if she's interested in exchange for her silence.

[futhark]

What if someone is just stupid and wants to try living a free independent vagabond life. Basically camping around, under a bridge, in someone's garden, near the wall... outside the wall. Are guards against lollygagging?

He will get a proper house and shoes eventually, promise

[moustre]

Servant Class: Hobo

He'll be able to do it for a bit without getting harassed by the guards, but eventually the complaints or notices from other people will start piling up and he'll start being watched more closely. Especially if he hangs around outside of the wall.

Any lollygagging while he's being watched does eventually earn him being chased off by the guards though, just like any homeless person or unwelcome solicitor they see.

[boneofsword]

gdi Caster. Archer gets way too much second-hand embarrassment to let it continue. Give it a day or three (or just an incident to witness) and he will drag this idiot to his own cottage. Look at him, he's upstanding citizen and taking care of the problem.

[ordinaryknight]

I'm sorry if this was in the description or asked before and I probably missed it but if characters don't fill out the form, how does their housing work? Are they randomly paired up or would they be by themselves?

[moustre]

It's up to them to find their own partner to live with, or live in one of the solo-friendly housings (like the barracks or the apartments located within The Haven)! The form is just to help characters out if they want it - it isn't mandatory.

If you'd like to say your character was randomly paired with someone due to Witch shenanigans or whatever, however, feel free to, particularly if they aren't the type to go seeking roommates but you'd like them to have one or even a couple.

[ordinaryknight]

Ah, okay. Thank you for answering my question.