☆ 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

widespread chaos - b

[proficience]

[Almost instantly, Dazai spots that thief and turns around, his own eyes widening for just a second before he sees what's in their hand.

That all-too familiar hat.

He then, of course, hears those words come from the owner of that hat's mouth and his first instinct is to help out the thief. Because why do anything but make Chuuya's life miserable?

That being said, he'd only help the thief out for a short amount of time; eventually, he plans on giving the hat over.

He'll go between the thief and his former partner, facing the latter, a devilish grin on his face.]

You wouldn't dare do such a thing, Chuuya. Besides, those ears look better on you than that hat.

[corruptedgravity]

[ Instantly his eyes narrow and his tail flicks back and forth, a very animalistic snarl escaping him without realizing it. He's stalking closer but not in the way he might normally do, and there's no mistaking the very predatorial way he's going about the motion, too. ]

Shitty time to try and give me a compliment. You have more of a death wish than I thought you did.

[ That was all the warning Dazai would get before he lashed out, clawed hand extended out in an attempt to swipe at him. If that didn't speak to his feral nature right now, nothing else would. ]

[proficience]

[Pretty much nothing Chuuya could do would scare Dazai; he's seen everything, and he believes that this world, no matter what it chooses to do, could never bestow anything as dangerous as Corruption onto the other man.

Which means that the snarl and the flicking tail do nothing to faze him.

However, when Chuuya lashes out, Dazai will take advantage of the large wings he'd been very graciously given and hover into the air, just high enough to where he can taunt:]

Oh!

Looks like you're just a tiny bit too short to catch me~

[corruptedgravity]

[ If he had been thinking with normal logic, Chuuya would have gone after his hat and said to hell with Dazai. Right now this was more of the beast speaking, instincts having him move without thinking of the smarter, more logical course of action.

Growling lowly in his throat, it took a total of three seconds before he bolted towards the nearby building - less than a few feet away - and jumped at an angle so that as soon as he had footing on any part of the building's structure? He twisted his body before launching himself almost impressively at Dazai, aiming for whatever his claws could catch but mostly his legs.

Eventually he'd start thinking normally but for now, Chuuya was definitely not himself right now. ]

[proficience]

[Perhaps this isn't the best time for Dazai to keep taunting the other man. Perhaps he should simply walk away and leave Chuuya to do as he pleases, though it's becoming more and more apparent that doing so would probably end up with Chuuya causing problems for others.

Not the typical problems, either. He could kill someone. While Dazai is no saint, he can't possibly stand idly by and allow anything of the sort to happen.

He'll have to try and calm him down. Dazai will have to try calming Chuuya, who is clearly in a beastly fervor, down.

This will prove to be a challenge.

Darting to the left, Dazai barely misses that attack, though his trench coat isn't so lucky. It's caught by a claw, causing Dazai to tear it off and spin around, facing away from Chuuya for just a moment.

He'll turn right back around as soon as possible.]

Enough of this. I struck a nerve, that's evident. [He holds up his hands.] But you can't keep this up.

[corruptedgravity]

[ This was honestly nothing compared to Corruption's madness, as he still had his wits generally about him. You know, if one didn't count the animalistic instincts clouding his mind and fueling his movements.

He'd landed on the ground with a light, graceful movement, slitted eyes focused intently on his former partner even as he stood there. Poised in such a slight manner that said he was waiting for another chance to strike, and he very nearly did once Dazai turned around in mid-air. ]

Haaah?? Give me one damn good reason why I should stop.

[ Chuuya's tone was lower, edged with a much darker, angry tone and it was clear from the look in his eyes that he was still himself to some extent but for now long would it remain? Especially since he's already sizing up his next course of action, ears flattening a bit once he spotted the one with his hat.

The bastard was actually wearing it. His.Hat.

So maybe Dazai would be better off following his line of sight right now... or he might miss how in about four or five seconds, the way Chuuya shifted his stance before pushing off the ground in a VERY fast run towards the man. It was clear that he fully intended to follow through with his original threat before his former partner intervened, teeth bared and claws ready to rip through flesh. ]

[proficience]

[Plan.

Dazai needs to come up with a plan, as he is so talented at, quickly. Before this thief is killed.

He does follow Chuuya's line of sight, opting not to even glance at his now torn trench coat that lay sprawled on the ground. There's no need to even bother caring about clothing, not when his former partner's most important article of clothing is being worn by a stranger. A stranger that, while he shouldn't have stolen anything, shouldn't be killed.

Dazai's opinion on morals has always been skewed, and tonight, the Mist has made him more likely to side with thieves, but a part of him can't stand idly by and let Chuuya go on a rampage. He's not affected by Corruption in this world, sure, but it's clear that he's affected by something else.

Dashing toward the redhead:]

I'll get it back!

[Blurted out, quickly and almost panicky, Dazai catches Chuuya's taloned hand for a moment --]

Just try to think of every time I'd been able to calm you down. Think, Chuuya.

[corruptedgravity]

[ Considering how fast a fox was along with his own speed, it was beyond surprising that he'd been stopped so easily. He'd been so ready to tear that man's throat out, lips curled into a vicious snarl that bared sharper than normal canines.

It then registers as he looks over to Dazai that the man had actually spoken to him just before grabbing onto his hand. He wants to snap out something vicious and bitter, angry and illogical, but the words don't come as Chuuya's face scrunches up a little into something indiscernible. Only for his whole expression to soon soften a touch, though it was just enough of a difference that only someone like his former partner would be able to pick up on it. ]

...Just... get it back before I lose it again...

[ He wasn't necessarily talking about the actual hat as it was referring to that feral attitude about him before, brought back only from those words and the familiarity of how this moment seemed to him. Even now his instincts were screaming at him to attack the man but he was holding himself back now. ]