☆ 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

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Why did it feel like he was being given a thought in that last statement...? ]

Also other witches, obviously. Given how he's been helping me out with the sleep thing.

[ Yeah, sure Judar. You're definitely another witch, just somehow running that empty on magic. For a couple weeks now. ]

[lightblooming]

[ Aqua doesn't respond, holding Lapis down just enough to keep her still.

She leans down then - resuming the grooming from before. Her tongue presses her hair down, making its way to the back of her head before doing the same thing once more. ]

[weirdnecro]

[Ah, there she goes. Sokie made a soft noise of surprise, trying not to squirm. Ah, good place to bite for her attention, there.]

I am still pouting. Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun while I do it.

[She made a face at her, before pursuing her lips- and blowing so Alex's bangs would flutter.]

[prayerwheel]

Please don't apologize. If seeing something like that truly rattled you this much, it wouldn't be best to keep it bottled up.

[ pat pat pat ]

[belligerentwarrior]

Fourth floor. The one with the telescope on the balcony.

[She really didn't, not in her condition.]

[weirdnecro]

Good.

[Yeah, she could see the wings being pretty strange, because...they're new. And hopefully they'll vanish, but one never knew with this nonsense going on.

Lightly, she brushed her fingers over his hair again, before letting her hand drop, and going silent. She wouldn't interrupt his rest. He'd need his energy if he was to get back to his home later tonight or in the morning.]

[hearthebell]

[The heat, before anything else, draws L in and lets him breathe a little easier. He sighs against the SQUIP, nodding, allowing contact with the other member while still lavishing the one in his grip with gentle attention.]

I hope so, because...

[He strokes the SQUIP, nestling his forehead against its chest.]

I'm still so cold.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Unfamiliar as she was with his world, Fang might've taken offense to the world Berserker; as wild as she fought, it wasn't without strategy and extensive training. A single mistake on Gran Pulse could be the end of life, and a dead monster was a lot less dangerous than a live one; the quicker hunts ended, the better. Honestly, her style worked a lot better with her spear, but that was a pain to lug around in this form.]

[She tumbles to the ground, but like Ozymandias and the cat she was, Fang twisted with the movement to land on all fours. Her claws scratch at the street to abruptly change her vector, and Fang lunges up at him—this time with the enchanted seal in hand, aiming a slap at his torso.]

[weirdnecro]

[She shrugs. Sure whatever if they're going to sit to that story, she'll play along.]

Obviously. Let's just say 'witch' is a creature just to make it easier?

[And quicker.]

Because it does look as if you're about done, and once that's put in the bin outside...we can get to the important part of the conversation.

[Which is his hair of course.]

[unyieldingmarch]

I...

[She manages to stop herself from uttering a bitter laugh.]

...Suppose you are not wrong, in that.

Regardless, it is done now, done and over. The child is safe.

[kuroi_taiyo]

... Sure. Yeah, we'll go with that.

[ It helps his narrative fit all the better, that's for sure.

So with that, and the pan being filled, he'll just grab part of his braid to keep off the ground when bending over to pick it up. Then he'll just lean on outside to dump the stuff in the bin that was mentioned. ]

I used to keep it up with air type magic to ease off the weight and keep it off the ground, but the magic here's... Really different from what how it works in my world. Less comparisons and just... different systems, so translating it in a way I got took a while.

[ Took even longer with the exhaustion stuff. ]

[thirdbeauty]

[Even knowing she's being chased doesn't stop Natsuru's heart from jumping in her chest when she suddenly feels something grasping at her tail. Before she can even think about it, she's already wriggling to slip away.

Thoroughly shaken out of any direction she might have had, her swimming turns very erratic. She darts to and fro in short bursts, seeming lost but not quite ready to give up and peek out of the water yet.]

[wordsinthesoul]

[He twitches- there's no point in denying that there isn't ill history and blood in Eorzea's past- certainly not between the city-states and the tribes, and yet-]

…Is that how you hold yourselves superior to us? That you are not the ones to do the deed, even as you, zos Galvus, encourage men to war?

[fulgency]

[Understanding better the relentlessness of her attacks, Ozymandias knows that his decision-making has to be quick. In some regard, it means he has to adopt a bit of her own style, accepting that not every attack can be blocked or dodged, and weighing the cost/benefit of receiving a blow when that is the case.]

[The moment she hits the ground on all fours, Ozymandias braces himself with the intent of catching her and using that momentum against her to create a little space between the two of them. It's a plan that likely would have worked, had Fang not chosen that moment to hold her enchanted slip of paper. The effects of the spell are near immediate as Ozymandias' legs buckle beneath him and he swiftly crumples to the street.]

[He fights it, of course. Even though his body now feels thousands of pounds heavier than it did a moment ago and his movements are sluggish and possess the coordination of a newborn fawn, he tries to get back up. He tries and none of his limbs appear capable of holding his weight, nevermind his head is now spinning worse than it had when she struck him in the face. With unfocused eyes, he tries to find Fang again. He doesn't quite make it before consciousness leaves him and he ends up passed out a mess of limbs from his attempts to stand back up on the street.]

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu has to trust on their knowledge this time, they have to analyze the attack and take the right course of action. Flowers aren't going to stand a chance against her and her spear. Or her wings.

It is a matter of who will hit the other first.

So when she collides with their chest they plant both of their hands in her face.]

[fulgency]

[Needless to say, her orgasm catches him off-guard, a sudden gasp escaping him as her walls begin to tighten around him. The pulse of her orgasm stokes the call of the mist and moons, driving him to want to fulfill that carnal need to be with her and his hips buck in response. His grip on her hip tightens as he thrusts into her, eager for every sensation of her body with his. While in the throes of her climax, his kiss to her lips is only to the corner, brief before he moves back to her neck and throat. Unlike before, there's less focus. More pauses and interruptions as he moans against her skin.]

[As the waves of her orgasm begin to fade, Ramesses' hand moves between her legs, fingers separating her folds to massage her clit.]

[loudandproud]

Yeah, of course! Definitely.

( as earnest as he may sound? he now knows to some degree that... well, berserker might be a little flexible when it comes to such requests. maybe he's not as grumpy as he seems? or, which is also okay with him, that he likes to eat. that's enough for him, too. )

[loudandproud]

( but how will caspar weeb out without andersen's help! also, imagine a heroic spirit enabling such a thing. smh. )

Okay. We can do that. We can find a ne-room.

( caspar stares blankly in one direction, then to the sky, then downto the ground. )

I don't know what that is, but you can show me. That, or we can find a nice nest to place you in.

( his tail flicks as he smiles widely. he's not laughing, just being... you know. happy. or something close to it. )

[thisisamazing]

[Hiccup lets out a sheepish little laugh that isn't totally humorous right now, considering everything going on.] Yeah, I- I know about the zouwu stuff, he's- [Hopefully mostly in his right mind still.] That's how I got that gash on the side of my head. Some men had him cornered, and then they threw a rock at me, and he- he attacked them. I tried to get him out of the city, but we got separated in the confusion...

When you saw him, was he- you know, himself? At least mostly? After what happened, I'm worried.

[sing_for_me]

[ Oh, was she being nosy, perhaps? ]

That's not what I--I didn't mean to--

[ Damn, what were words right now? ]

I just think..you probably have more good things than...bad things..to focus on.

[futhark]

[ Caster's expression doesn't change, at first. But the wings flutter in a strange show of agitation. Processing, processing— ]

Are you trying to spare them, or do you not want me to go— I wonder. [ While it's all to easy to give in into anger, it is also all to easy to give in... into other things. And he does press into the touch. ]

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex's eyes close at the air being blown in her face, shaking her head at the sensation.

She pouts right back, and returns the favor by blowing air where it's closest-- that being the side of Sokie's neck. ]

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex glides down towards the fourth floor, hovering until she spots the telescope. She lands on the balcony, slowly lowering Fang.

But her attention is taken by the telescope, and she can't help but touch and look it over. It's her first time seeing one, actually. ]

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex isn't to disappointed that her catch has slipped through her fingers. If anything, it's a lot more fun now. Especially when the young lady starts to move differently. Is this how cats felt when they were trying to catch those little red dots?

The batfish decides it's time for a change on tactics as well. She speeds up as fast as she can until she's ahead of the other, and once far enough, dives into the water. She turns so she's facing her incoming prey, arms spreading and wings spreading wide as she catches her in a hug. ]

[wiggleon]

[Apparently that's how all their meetings are going to end but hey, he’s not complaining here. At least he has a new possible friend to share these little moments with. ...Once again he just wishes they didn’t have to meet in these kind of situations, though, but apparently Aziraphale is as unable to stay out of trouble here as he was back home.]

You know, I still haven’t been able to find a wine I like in this place. Would you care to sample some more with me, until I find one to my liking?