☆ 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

[betweenduskanddawn]

[Corrin hesitated before nodding, frowning down the dark alleyway, her red eyes slightly narrowed. It was just a kid, probably a frightened one, there was no reason to be afraid. And yet alleys like that rarely led to positive conclusions. After a few seconds she stepped past the two of them and into the darkness, bare feet silently carrying her towards the sniffling sounds.]

[When she was close enough she paused, squinting at where she thought the child was.]

Hi? [When he didn't run, she continued on.] My name's Corrin. Are you alright? My friend heard you crying...

[She gestured back towards where the other two were.]

We...ah...

[There had to be a good way to phrase this.]

We were looking for you. Hoping you were okay...

[mirrortide]

[On a sliding scale of best to worst experiences that she's been through, this is definitely on the "worst" end of everything.

But it's clear she's outmatched through sheer bulk alone. She needs back up?

She needs backup.

It takes a bit of squirming to free her awful device and send a text.]

[doctorheartstealer]

You prefer I claw you out?

[Wait, what? What does the bellowers have to do with anything?]

What is that supposed to mean, brat?

[fieryimpulse]

I have struggles with patience for anything, just...because that's not who I am. If I hadn't lost access to my magic, I'd probably not have even bothered. Not because I don't like learning, but because I don't have a knack for picking up new things without duress.

...and I have my suspicions that my Spark might actually interfere with my psyche as well as my body, but that's neither here nor there.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Wow... Not even swayed by the warning or anything. Coffee must really be that much of a thing for her.

So he'll sit and watch. Not just her, but actually what she's doing. With the grind, the pour, and everything else. With how much she was paying attention to that. Really, it just enforced how Ursula said that coffee was a serious thing, as it obviously was for her.

So he took the cup, testing the outside temperature before resting one of the cups along the outside. ]

So definitely one of those drinks to give a couple minutes to cool. Got it.

[foursakes]

[ which was better—? the truth she heard or the lies she told herself? something vile in her would like to drown the merrow, right now. how easy was it, to drown a creature that breathes in the water? her bones were brittle, like a birds. the wrong move and she’d break as easily as a toothpick.

though something shy, and tiny . . . wished to stay here. none of her thoughts are redeemable. perhaps if she attacked, alex would attack her? would she kill her? it seemed like the best out of all three options. ]

Why do you think that of yourself?

[ but, four is also a coward. ]

[enkidoh]

[That is a difficult thing to define and it takes a while before Enkidu has found a proper explanation.]

Hmm...I do not mind saying that. [They don't mind your presence at all, Vanitas. In a way it is good to know they aren't the only one that struggles with the entire concept of having a soul. Normally they have been far more accepting to the restrictions of what they are and how tied they are to their purpose. But here, that purpose was gone. There was nothing that bound them to their role as a weapon, to their master or to their best friend.]

Ah...to me it is the ability to grow further. I can read books and know things. I can learn how to perform tasks. I can feel and I can breathe. There is pain and there is sadness. My knowledge grows, yet everything else stays the same.

[They look at the other.]

It feels unbalanced. Incomplete.

[cryptsleeper]

[So everyone keeps moving. It's a mad plan, Alucard knows that much, and his suspicion is that it may yet fail. He's in the back after all, with every inch of himself the dhampir he ought to be save for this place's nonsense.

But Alucard has always controlled himself and controlled himself well. Mist should not make that different, and so onwards and onwards, until his eyes catch something ahead.]

Clearer spot on your left. It seems to be a park with others---!

[darkcharge]

[ Vanitas is not a kind person. He is not empathetic nor does he sympathize with people. While he can acknowledge truths, like information and situations being similar, there's no real feeling attached to it. So encouraging little speeches aren't his thing. Comforting someone else is not anything he is equipped to do, nor does he desire o do such things. ]

Your soul, your heart, is comprised of all of the things that make you who you are. Memories and the feelings attached to them. Things you like and dislike - what makes you happy and angry and all the things between.

[ He rolls his shoulders, huffing. ]

Is everything the same because you want it to be? Or is it because you don't know how to be any different? That seems to be the issue, not whether or not you have a soul. It sounds like, to me, you have a perfectly intact soul.

[ As for the rest? Well one can learn anything, but learning and knowing how to apply that knowledge are two different things. Vanitas himself is in a similar situation. He no longer has a purpose nor a goal. In that, he sort of feels like a ship adrift in the sea. ]

[futhark]

[ That was almost too easy... does it means it's a trap? ]

Oh yes, I do enjoy the sight of you writhing under me. [ His amusement is clear, it's like playing with caught prey and his fingers trail down Archer's chest. Once again it's impossible to not notice the changes— but Caster suddenly bores with the exploration and turns his attention to the window. ] Does it not call to you? The skies...

[foursakes]

Another?

[ said with passing curiosity that fails to linger for too long— in fact, four smiles, and doesn’t feel the necessity to push any further, or show too much interest. the edge of the water is her’s to claim, just enough to remain aloft in it, and close enough to touch the grass so close to its edge. I forgive you. It’s in sleezy human nature to judge. ]

When I was home . . . I had a fortress. Amaros, its name was. An impenetrable shield of antiquity. [ four rolls her head along her shoulders, as if remembering with a touch of fluid dance. ] It would swallow the blighted sins cast upon the skies it roamed. All that was necessary was to summon it, with song— and command it to Uphold.

[ between spaces of silence, four seems to hum. quiet. low. soothing. haunting. ]

This is a sea of roses, in comparison.

[activatingcombatmode]

[!! That's some piping hot bubbly water!! Zack quickly yells and has to snap away, his wings opening up in shock with it.]

Ow-! Whoa! What the hell!!

[Zack looks wide-eyed.]

You breathe boiling water?!

[...Honestly, that's kind of wicked.]

[beariot]

Well there are ways to educate around a lack of patience. I had a student who definitely struggled with all of that.

[beariot]

Actually, no more than a couple moments. Drinking it hot is part of the experience, and the cream has already cooled it slightly. Go on, go on, try it!

[ Coffee was culture, for Ursula, a way of connecting herself back to her home. It had only become that much more important to her in a foreign world, so far from what she had known her whole life. So coffee existing in this world was a miracle unto itself. ]

[freeing]

I've given up trying to understand the magic beyond our grasp here. [ She was a monster, wasn't she? The scales peppered barely past the open expanse of her dress and the claws sprouted from her nailbeds — Dany had a bitterness held to magic. This place amplified it. ] As comforting it is for familiar faces, I feel selfish for it. This place... there are things wrong with it and I'd wish for them to return home.

[ She tenses up a bit — ]

...Have you information on witches and monsters?

[lightblooming]

[ Another pleased rumble escapes her, Aqua inching closer to Lapis as she sniffs at her before shifting - using a wing to shield her once more.

But, she doesn't stop - using her tongue to continue to groom her until she's satisfied. ]

[activatingcombatmode]

[He lets out a short hiss of pain but honestly he doesn't really mind that much. It doesn't hurt that badly and his pain threshold is quite high. He gives her a look, still heat and lust in his eyes.]

Hang on to me as tight as you want. I don't care.

[Claws and all. He thrusts up into her once, making sure to draw it out slowly before pressing back into her. It's so tight and the warmth it's already driving him crazier. Then he starts at a medium pace, rhythmic and deep and not bothering to go slow after that.]

[boneofsword]

[Right, fae are fickle and get bored easily. Archer reaches out to Caster, mindful of the talons as he wraps them around his arm. The difference between human skin and his scales makes him shudder.]

Sometimes it does. [not the way it does call lover. Carefully, oh so very carefully, he uses his talons to turn Caster's face to him again. THere's a moment of hesitation before his other— talons slide down his partner's chest. They're lucky both of them enjoy a bit of pain mixed with pleasure. Still, Archer keeps his gaze on Cú Chulainn's face.] I want you.

[darkcharge]

It's a sarcastic remark. Usually gargoyles and all manner of creatures with wings hide away in towers.

[ A shrug. He hadn't quite meant for it to be an insult. But it's also an insult. ]

is that a Meat Loaf reference i see

[futhark]

[ Fickle Fae finds fun in a frantic flight. Caster figures that if she catches to him, it might turn into another fight— look an ankle is a week spot, he could get caught again and dragged down or whatever. So while his flight is erratic and he focuses more on climbing he also doesn't just move up, he moves sideways to get away from the merry merrow.

Laughing all the time! ]

You fell for it— glad I took that gamble!

[futhark]

[ Fae are fickle and their moods change easily. Like Caster needed the transformation for that, nevertheless, it does enhance what is already there. ]

Then I know an absolutely perfect place for exactly that— [ And yes, even amidst the chaos. He makes a small bow, almost exaggerated one ] May I have your permission to sweep you off your feet? Getting elbowed can affect the flight.

[ That's progress, he's asking. ]

[sparkstrikes]

[The walk back is pretty uneventful, and by the time they reach Edelgard's home, Lightning is pretty sure the thickness of the fog has tripled since they started walking. And it wasn't even that far. It seems like most people are just trying to find a safe place indoors, but trouble will find her on her way back.

For now, it's time they part ways.

After making sure that Edelgard will make it inside, Lightning pauses just as she's about to leave.]

If you come back outside, stay safe.

[Not that she thinks that'll be much of a problem, but it's the thought that counts!]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang holds at the ready when he continues to struggle; the tension only leaves her when he goes still on the street. A long breath eases out of her, and Fang's torn as to whether she's disappointed or relieved that's the end of it.]

[She crouches beside the crumpled Pharaoh, the long cuts on her back and hip protesting at the movement, and pats him on the side of the face.]

Wish I could be here for the fun of it, sunshine. [There's no telling how long he'd be out, either a few seconds or a few minutes. No sense in leaving him in the open for another fog-afflicted Monster to find. Fang loops her arms around his chest and hoists him onto her shoulders in what another world would call a fireman's carry, and starts towards his mansion.]

[He better have a clearer head after this, or she'd be in a terrible position.]

[chosenside]

Doesn't look too good here, if I'm being honest.

[There's a small pause, before Theseus becomes more confident about this, gently trying to untangle the feathers without causing Zack any more discomfort. Newt would be able to give him some pointers if he was here, but he's not, so Theseus will just have to make do on his own. He's not entirely helpless with it at least, just his technique isn't as refined as it could be.]

Get this all untangled and it'll be one less thing to worry about. If you don't mind-- and I certainly have the time now... [His hands stop moving suddenly, waiting for Zack to give him permission.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[In truth, Kaede hadn't been...attending to herself very often--even less so now that there were claws to navigate. So there was a lot of pent up energy there, just like there was everywhere else in her. Each time Chariot's hips ground against hers her excitement built and built.

Even so, Kaede restrained herself, a little fussing worry curling through the Bond. What if her claws were too sharp? What if they hurt?]

Even with...?

[The Chimera's hand cupping Chariot's neck came forwards, brushing a scaled knuckle over the other woman's cheek with her claws curled back.]