☆ Event: Fright Night

[moustre]

Event Log: October, Fright Night

I. The Mist It starts in the middle of the night. As the bells chime for 3 am, a slow fog creeps across the city from all four cardinal directions, swirling low to the ground, shining purplish in the light of the twin moons. It goes without notice for a while, an oddity, easily brushed off as too much rain and the changing temperatures turning it to mist over the cobblestones. The first ones to get caught up in it are the night workers, the drunks leaving the bars, the sailors returning to their ships, anyone out on the streets when it begins. In most cases, the effects are not instantaneous - it takes a little time to sink in before… a. The Transformations Even if you don’t find yourself out on the streets in the middle of the night, the mist creeps its way into buildings through cracks and openings, until exposure is almost guaranteed for everyone in Aefenglom, and even some just outside the Bright Wall in the Outer City. Though a lucky few, Mirrorbound and citizens alike, will find themselves wholly unaffected by the substance and will retain their physical forms and their own right minds, many more find themselves bent to its whims, changing in ways that could never have been predicted. There is little rhyme or reason to what changes occur or how - some simply wake with new parts, uncomfortable, while others run from their homes, panicking as wings tear painfully out of their backs or claws burst forth from their hands. The mist does not discriminate. Humans and Witches find themselves gaining the parts of Monsters, or even creatures that live outside the Wall. Monsters gain parts that don’t match up to their species - Arachne with wings or gills, Turnskin with antlers and Merrow tails, Puca with the teeth and claws of predators or the horns of unicorns or the scales of lizards, such strange sights become more and more common as morning approaches slowly. Mirrorbound may find that they can even gain the features and mannerisms of creatures from their home worlds. It all seems to happen wholly at random. These parts may not even last; plenty of citizens lose their new additions after just hours, only to gain new ones in the meanwhile. In the dark, wee hours of the morning, the city erupts into chaos. b. Widespread Chaos There’s no chance of peace tonight. Some may be lucky enough to escape the mists or its effects somehow, but the vast majority of the city hasn’t -- and it’s telling, from the sounds of people in the streets, that no one’s particularly happy about the turn of events. Many are in pain, many are blind with panic and upset. How could this happen? What’s going on? Many of the shouts attribute blame to the Coven allowing the practice of at-times experimental magics, while others turn it into anti-Monster sentiment, claiming the Monster population wants them all to suffer the way they do. Other tinfoil-hat-ists spread their conspiracy theories loudly, laying the blame squarely on Dorchacht - retribution for the Monsters the Mirrorbound stole from their city. This is an attack, they shout! The actual truth remains to be seen, however. There are plenty who don’t care about the truth and pay little attention to the rumors. They’re opportunists at heart, and a city in chaos is good for lining pockets. Some less-affected and less-moral citizens take to the streets of the Shopping and Aristocratic districts, throwing rocks through windows, banging down doors, looting shops and the houses of the wealthy of whatever valuables they can carry with them. Even a gang of kids from one of the orphanages in the Harbor District, sporting their own mismatched new features, can be spotted roaming the city, looting stores and homes, stealing from people incapacitated in the streets. They can’t pass up an opportunity when they have so little to begin with. c. State of Emergency Parliament, in contact with the Coven, is quick to declare a state of emergency in Aefenglom. A magical announcement rings out all through the city, loud and impossible to miss. Those who can keep it together are called upon to help find some sort of order before things devolve too badly and more damage is done than can be fixed. People will get hurt if things continue like this, they could even be looking at casualties. Those who have learned healing magic are asked to report to makeshift first aid stations scattered around the city to help those dealing with more violent, bloody transformations. Anyone with prior law enforcement experience are tasked with helping contain and stop the looting and the muggings. More still are called to try and figure out some way to get rid of the mist, or reverse its effects. None of the assignments are mandatory, plenty are unable to assist as they deal with their own afflictions, but any help is greatly appreciated.

II. Damage Control The chaos of the first night dies down somewhat by noon the next day. The air of forgiveness and cleaning up for the new year that was present at the beginning of the month is gone as the violet mist still spreads, wreaking havoc with the citizens of Aefenglom. Human citizens take it worse than the Monster half of the city, but one of the side-effects hits the Monster community harder. It quickly becomes apparent that the effects of this never-before-seen magic are not only physical. Fights break out over anything from minor slights to things worth fighting about, blossoming from a few thrown punches to all-out brawls that spill into the streets. Anger and agitation increase in most affected citizens, and you can cut the tension in the air with a knife. Relief efforts have to be redirected. Some can keep it together just enough to go about their daily lives as best they can with their new ‘additions’, but others rapidly start to lose their minds in ferality, even those with strong Witch-Monster Bonds. Miss Nessie is quick to whip the Coven into action to help preserve the peace as much as possible. There isn’t enough room to contain so many feral citizens, but they try to make do. All available Mirrorbound, Witch and Monster, who are able and want to help contain the people of Aefenglom or each other are taught a simple knock-out spell, or given slips of paper enchanted with the same, to literally knock some sense into the ferals. It won’t hurt them in the long term, but it will give them a time-out and help pull their minds out of their pits of animal instinct. Plenty of citizens will be thankful for this. That doesn’t mean everyone is happy to see the Mirrorbound around town. They may notice that they get more scowls while they’re out and about, more whispers and dirty looks. They come from humans the most, but especially the wealthier people of the city, dealing with their own share of terrible transformations, who mutter under their breaths words like, “Knew they would bring trouble with them. Knew it right from the start.” Known Mirrorbound may find themselves being kicked out of higher class shops in the Shopping District, or even spit on in the streets. Poorer citizens, especially Monsters, see things differently, however: they’ve seen the refugees from Dorchacht, they know what was done for some of their kind. They’ll admit that the Mirrorbound have brought trouble with them, but a little trouble isn’t always a bad thing - sometimes you’ve got to shake things up and disturb the status quo. Though they’re dealing with bizarre changes and an increased risk of going feral, they have faith that the Mirrorbound will help solve this problem. Of course, this difference in opinion just means both sides argue louder and fight harder.

III. The Refugees For those who’d found themselves rehomed, mostly Monsters and what few Witches came with, this is not what they had expected from a “full moon”. They’d been warned that certain urges would be stronger, that magic could wax and wane like the moons themselves, but this? This rampant disorder, the odd turning present in so many citizens and Mirrorbound alike, the Coven and Parliament’s bid on attempting some sort of damage control--? Is this what they left Dorchacht for, from one far too controlling city to one that didn’t seem to have any control at all? They aren’t in chains, at least. They can choose their Bonds if they’d like one. But it’s put them on edge enough that some linger by the docks, both wanting to leave to someplace “safe” in their eyes and wishing to stay. The latter wins out in most cases, seeking to help the Mirrorbound as they were helped themselves, though they may be suffering from the mists themselves... oddly, they seem to be more aware of themselves in a way that the natives are not, likely learned behavior leftover from Dorchacht to keep themselves in check; the compulsion spell had only helped compulsion, after all, there’d been a genuine want to remain secure and safe in their minds even with the situation as it was. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of locals who see the refugees as part of the problem -- before the Mirrorbound, before Dorchacht, Aefenglom had been fine, and in continuing these thoughts, they’re not... the friendliest to outsiders. Some are more likely to retaliate violently with new-found additions to their physiology and skillset when the refugees attempt to help, with whispers, conspiracy theories, and nasty rumors all the while spreading at a rapid pace. As bad as Dorchacht had been, maybe they had a point about the strange, suggestive magic used across the city. Maybe it’s something Aefenglom should look into too, during the fuller moons, should this be the beginning of something worse as the new year rises at the end of the month. But hopefully -- and this is the hope of all -- it simply remains a one-off, freak happening at the end of the year, and they pray the new one fares better.

IV. The Aftermath Thanks to quite a bit of Mirrorbound assistance, the city is still largely in one piece by the end of the day after the full moons. The mist, an unstable alchemical compound, eventually breaks down into nothing after a day or so, and the effects all fade or reverse, leaving everyone in their normal bodies and feeling clear-headed as the moons start to wane again. There are issues of property damage, stolen goods, and political discord to deal with, but the hardest to handle is perhaps the guilt of those who went feral and attacked their friends and loved ones. Samuin preparations continue with an unusual gloom hung over the city as clean-up and reparations commence. While before, though, humans and Monsters could often be found on the bridge over the River Temese, making amends with one another, the activity almost entirely ceases, leaving the bridge empty most days from now until Samuin.

Welcome to October's event log! This event takes place ICly on the 12th, 13th, and 14th. The Questions thread can be found HERE! Please help us and other players out by putting the subject(s) of your questions in your header! Investigation briefs will be going out soon on the OOC Sign Ups thread to the teams who were chosen by RNG, so keep an eye out for that. And as always, while we do encourage you to use this log, you can feel free to thread things out on your own log or elsewhere.

Comments

this subject line bullied me and took my lunch money

[illequipped]

[Should Emil smell the blood? Probably! But he's got this stupid scarf pulled up over his face and so everything has smelled like scarf and panic for the past couple hours.

So he moves a little closer, dubious, at least-- is this how scared people sound? Emil gets louder when he's scared, which surely is the only way to be. Is This Legit?]

Well— what do you need? You're not hurt, are you?

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya stares right back at Steven, a useless crumpled lump, in half his focus trying to figure out just what he's looking at. It's got eyes, it feels weirdly pudgy and not like dirt... it's got eyes.]

Nooo... [Yuya groans, flailing an arm until he can plant it on Steven's face and weakly shove against him in some failed attempt to roll off.]

im gonna take ur money

[escardos]

I... I am, actually.

[ flat laughs softly, leaning against the wall more now as he makes his breaths a little more shallow—like a hurt person. ]

Honestly, I don’t know how I’ve been up for so long. Guess it’s the adrenaline and everything. [ he glances up at emil, acting worried. ] Can you come closer and look at it?

please i am just a humble tag farmer

[illequipped]

[And there goes Emil, hook, line and sinker— it's blatant, but he's too empathetic to think beyond "someone is hurt" and steps closer even before letting the obvious plot holes in this conversation sink in. Basically he needs a babysitter.]

I'm not a doctor... I can take you to one? Um. I think I can.

[loadme]

[She doesn't even want to think about it. The possibility that it could be permanent and that she would have to spend the rest of her days here like... this.

But there he was, encouraging her even now.

Who would've thought they would have that sort of a dynamic?]

I hope you're right. I don't really-

[Hold on.

Her tongue had slipped though again and...]

Wait, do you smell that?

[For as much as she currently hates her body, she sure is flicking her tongue an awful lot.]

[whydogs]

[Seemed like an awful lot of trouble for some earmuffs, but if she was having a hard time now, she could only imagine how tough it would when it was time to go to bed.]

Maybe I can try to find a sympathizer who'd be willing to help me out.

There's gotta be someone here that escaped this mess.

[escardos]

Just two? Guess that’s fair.

[ flat’s grin grows, ignoring the muffled screams of the man as his bones are cracked from the force that berserker applies on him and from the sharp pain of having his insides torn open.

and goes further in with both hands, enjoying the warm blood that rushes into his hands and arms alike, occasionally even on his face. it makes him feel... alive. and with that thought, he tugs, pulling out the first organ like one would pull out a rope. ]

Look, it’s your small intestines! Berserker, did you know that they used to use catgut for violin strings? But catgut isn’t made from cats, it’s actually made from herbivores. Like sheep.

[ he continues pulling at them, letting them pile on the floor. ]

What I’m saying is, I could probably make a violin with this guy. I guess I’d need to learn how to make a violin first, but I’m sure I can find books, right?

[ the man is barely conscious now, face pale and clearly close to death. flat looks at him, patting his forehead with a bloodied hand. ] Sir, no passing out now. Let me find another organ first!

emil västerström | ota

[illequipped]

A. damage control

[Emil has gone without physical changes - small mercy. He privately chalks this up to being immune to violent transformation disease at home, and on some level he knows this is nonsense and it's just dumb luck - but it helps him feel better about being outside at all, when things have gone all the way to hell overnight. He's still fashioned himself a scarf mask, like that will help, but he's ready for action!

Action here meaning, of course, yelping every time someone speaks to him and scuttling several feet in the opposite direction immediately. Does this lead to awkward situations? Yes, for sure.

Does this also lead to him occasionally reacting on impulse with one of those knock out spellcasting papers and swinging wildly at whoever's come up to him without stopping to see if they're feral or not? Also yes, for sure.

To his credit, he's still there whenever you wake up again, and it seems that he's put in the effort to, uh... to helpfully move you both somewhere more comfortable, while he loiters around keeping an awkward watch. He will do this whether or not you were totally feral when approaching him or not. Either way, as soon as he spots signs of being awake:]

Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to— well, I meant to a little bit, but, you know— [hghrgh] I'm sorry.

B. also damage control

[Damage control 2: damage harder.

Or, Emil fights Crime. He has nothing but his wits to help him now, while he tries to stop people from looting and breaking things.

So basically he has nothing at all, zing. There's just this tiny dude getting between you and whatever and looking concerned— much more concerned for the mist-effected and other Mirrorbound than the locals ready to chase them out of shops and spit on them and maybe even worse, at least. Pros, cons?

Anyway, crime is bad. He has a great argument ready:] Stop!!

C. aftermath/wildcard

[Mostly, he'll just be loitering on the bridge when things calm down. He's not super in the mood to talk about that wild night, hence coming here where locals seem to not want to be at the moment, but he's there!

And whatever else, plot with me @ jojoveller!]

closed threadie

[illequipped]

[When it's feral time, Emil's instinct is to find Lalli and stick to him until things get better. It's worked for them every time up until now... more or less, so it's a very good plan other than the fact that he doesn't find Lalli immediately upon figuring out that everything is going wrong, and that's very stressful. Naturally, he has to go out and get himself into all kinds of nonsense before he can just do this one thing that he wants to do. How hard is it to find Lalli, find a safe room, and barricade the door? He asks for so little.

Still, it's a lot; he's remained unchanged despite breathing in so much of the mist, and part of him is convinced that any moment now he's going to sprout some... parts and that will be the end of everything. There's no coming back from changing, after all. It puts him more on edge than he already was while getting lost in the city on his own.

So it is a very frazzled, very drained Emil who finally finds Lalli— and the relief that washes over him isn't enough to abate the fear of simply existing during all this, but it's energizing enough for him to hurry the rest of the way over. In fact, he all but crashes right into Lalli with a hug not dissimilar to so long ago on the train— like halfway tackling him will protect him from whatever is going on here. He's yet to get a good look at Lalli, as a result.]

Lalli! You're okay! Thank goodness. [he says, without letting go. It's hug relief time, endure him.]

[starseedling]

[Steven doesn't even really move or resist when Yuya shoves him in the face. He just kind of lets him do that, while continuing to stare at him.]

It got you, too...

[It's just an observation. At least his voice will probably be recognizable now, even if he's got that full moon distance in his tone, like he's been detached from his inherent humanity to some degree.]

[hippocarnival]

Uh. [Yuya squints at Steven, as Steven continues to just. Stare. Which is probably better than trying to claw his face or something, but still kind of uncomfortable.

But yes, it got him, and he'd respond more coherently if he didn't feel like his spine was being ripped out.

He rolls his shoulder back so he can tip over, backwards to the ground--and lets out an unearthly howl when his spine and his very sensitively growing tail hit the dirt. Oh, that hurt, that hurt so much.]

[overworker]

Sorry, I guess I'm not as awake yet as I'd like to be.

[He hasn't slept yet, from the looks of things, but she doesn't think getting him to just go sleep after all this is as simple as that. So instead, might as well make the best of it.]

Would you like some coffee or something? I can make us something for breakfast quick if you're hungry.

[starseedling]

[Steven follows after when he rolls off, scooping down low to try to pick him up, or at least keep him from rolling around on his butt anymore. His mantis arms are helping out with that because apparently they have fingers? Also, his fingers are a bit more like grasping roots than usual.]

You shouldn't do that.

[Like, it really just seems sensible.]

Don't struggle.

[unyieldingmarch]

[Edelgard, of course, has no concept of blending in. That isn't what she's meant to do, or a mask she begins to be able to wear. She is too bold and too distinctive. But she has faced discrimination, in a sense. From nobles that thought her family cowed, and from Those Who Slither In The Dark.

Only, a shopkeeper is not some ancient threat or corrupt noble...]

Considering that only a week ago we were all celebrating together, I would say something is likely amiss.

[fordeath]

[ stop, this shouldn't be funny... but it kind of is. ursula's sheer horror at her own instincts is almost endearing.

would be, if there weren't a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he was being preyed upon. luckily, it seems he's in a little more control of his actions. ]

Pawing at me, I think? [ amadeus runs his palm over his own feathers to see what, exactly, the big deal is. ... they're pretty soft, actually. ]

[escardos]

You would? I’m glad.

[ flat’s tone sounds empty, void of happiness or relief like it had just a minute ago. he approaches, faking a stumble, before something shifts from underneath his cloak. from there he pulls a large knife out, covered in dried blood. ]

It’s too bad that I don’t need one at all!

[ with that, he swings the knife, trying to cut at emil. ]

[unyieldingmarch]

No.

[Edelgard looks to the stranger, her violet eyes ablaze.]

This is wrong, and it should be stopped.

II

[showsnopiety]

Andersen.

[The sight of her-a strange meld of bird and cat-might be enough to make most people nervous. She's not a hissing swan, but she's not much bigger, and...it's kind of funny if regular people would be frightened of an irate owl and swan.

That doesn't stop her from coming forward and clamping a hand onto the author's shoulder. In her annoyance she'd forgotten she had...among still changing furry eats...soft finger beans.

(She really wasn't that intimidating once you took in the details).]

I don't care if you're a swan, you're a guest. Manners.

B.

[sporelett]

[This first full moon is more exciting than Nyskie had been given cause to believe it would be. Purple mist flooding the streets? Looting and rioting? She doesn’t know what’s different this month, but she can tell that things have gone tits-up, and she’s never been one to miss out on an opportunity waved in front of her nose.

Besides… the light of the twin moons has her feeling restless―full of energy that demands an outlet. She wants to cause some chaos. Though she can’t see it, her violet eye burns with magic, eerily luminous in the darkness. A pair of sharp, straight horns stab up from her forehead, and just for tonight, the claws that had been clipped down to the quick during her stay in prison have completely grown back, curving wickedly at the tip of each finger. She’s full of piss and vinegar, and no one around here is in any position to keep her reigned in.

He finds her scampering from a simple general store with a rag tied around her face and her arms full of what appears to be shelved food items. She screeches to a halt as he steps into her path, staring for a brief moment with mismatched eyes. A glimmer of recognition appears. Then, just as quickly, she’s darting around him and haring off down an alley with her hard-won goods. The chase is on!]

[illequipped]

[Emil dies instantly, the end.

Or: Emil startles and moves back, looking briefly to the side to see if there's anything to grab, but no— no, he's down this alley with nothing but a crazy person and a knife for company, so this all went just as poorly as he imagined it would!!

But with nothing else to swing, Emil makes the next best split-second decision and swings a punch out at the side of Flat's head. The fact that he's holding a handful of knock out spell papers is just an added bonus, because he's literally forgotten about them in this moment.]

b

[prayerwheel]

[ She's mostly puca, but her arms are pretty scaly. Merrow, she thinks? Fitting, that she'd be a water monster. She doesn't understand the puca part, though.

And yeah, she's distracted enough that Towa lands a complete strike on her. Down she goes, with a yelp. ]

My gods! [ a slight huff. she looks a little bit mad, but not nearly as much as a normal person would be for getting running-tackled by a stranger. hm ] What was that for?

[hippocarnival]

[At least Yuya is, presently, in far too much pain to register the weird root fingers and multiple limbs.

He'll also be still enough for Steven to take hold, tense and twitching as he braces himself against it.] I'm not trying to!

[fiddlestick]

Ahaha, right. Well...I'm sure Fie could point you to the best catnap spots later.

[Fie is the resident expert napper. He has no doubt she has figured out every good napping spot in this house. A true skill.

He thinks about her offer of breakfast, his tail flicking as he thinks. She is right, he hasn't had much sleep but he was still worked up to sleep. ]

Coffee would be nice.

[His tail flicks some more. If anything, the toll on his body has left him pretty hungry now that he thinks about it. But when he tries thinking of his usual breakfast foods - omelets, pancakes, fruit...none of them feel appealing to his appetite. Instead...]

...Is there any meat left?

[starseedling]

[Steven nods vaguely, and then runs his fingers down along Yuya's spine. Even healing would be no good for this, right now. Healing won't fix something that is changing instead of broken. Pain is the problem. Pain, he can affect.

And so, Steven works an illusion, digging into Yuya's mind to create the illusion of warmth. It might not be real, but if his body and mind register it as such, maybe it will loosen those muscles a bit. He makes it seem as if his own hand is projecting it, soothing tension, if he can.]

[illequipped]

[She's running? Emil's brief career in law enforcement is already over... No, it isn't; he can't in good conscience leave someone running around causing havoc and risking even petty retribution from shopkeepers and the like, one of which appears to be sticking their head out of a doorway not far away—

He swears to himself and follows after her, as fast as he can, which is not very— and he's so, so easily tired, but he's at least still in shouting distance of her and her cans when he starts to slow and really give up.]

I said stop! Someone's going to ban you from shopping forever if you keep taking things!

[Real Concern]