☆ 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

[starseedling]

[Some of the shed 'finger vines' that had touched the ground are already growing again, rooting into the earth and morphing into their own stand-alone plants. It happens very quickly. Tiny flower buds are already beginning to emerge.

Steven stays on the ground. He doesn't seem to be paying attention, but his lower legs are knitting themselves into the soil like roots.]

No... This is new... It's never felt like this, before.

[He flexes his wings behind him, thin moss and tiny flowers spread across their surface.]

It's probably magic.

[hippocarnival]

Isn't it always? [Yuya wraps his arms around himself, rubbing the scales on them through his sleeves. He thought magic was plenty fun, at first, but now it just feels like a real pain.

He finally looks back at Steven when he's firmly rooted himself into the ground. He blinks slowly.] Hey... what are you doing?

[starseedling]

[Steven doesn't really seem to realize what Yuya is referring to. Instead, he looks at the grass a short distance away from him, wrapping his arms around his torso.]

I don't know where my friends are.

We just got back, and someone is ruining things already...

[hippocarnival]

You're sinking into the ground. [Like, in case Steven hasn't noticed he's becoming one with the earth. This seems... a little beyond growing monster parts.]

[starseedling]

[Normally, his reaction to that knowledge would be much sharper. Right now, he just looks down at his feet, and sees the way they are being swallowed up by the earth. They don't even really look like feet, anymore. Weird.

And probably bad. He shifts his legs, and finds them stuck. Granted, he isn't trying very hard.]

It's because I have root feet.

[He explains that as if Yuya's only concern is that factual information.]

[hippocarnival]

... Okay. [Maybe he should... get Steven somewhere without dirt. He talked about taking Yuya somewhere safe, but it looks a lot more like he's the one that needs help.

It's a little easier to focus on someone else than his own predicament and pain. His tail has ceased stretching out of him, so it's mostly lingering agony from all the morphing.

Still, he steps carefully as he approaches Steven and reaches for his arms.] Can your root feet get up?

[starseedling]

[Yuya can take him by the arms, but as soon as he does, Steven's fingers are already winding and growing around his wrists. Granted, Yuya has already experienced this, so maybe it isn't as weird the second time. Steven doesn't seem to have much active control over it at the moment.]

I think they're stuck.

[He looks at Yuya, his widened pupils going small. He looks down, staring into the distance.]

I'm stuck...

[hippocarnival]

Can you... control this at all? [He tugs, contemplating if he'll need to get a shovel.] Make it shrink? Loosen up? Pop them off again?

[starseedling]

[He closes his eyes, straining as if something is threatening to break through the surface. So detached from the events so far, anything that risks him being grounded feels like the most terrible thing.

He shakes his head, fast and repeating.]

I want to go home.

[He doesn't look at Yuya, or at his feet, or at his hands as they twist around and up Yuya's arms. He doesn't want to acknowledge this. He doesn't.

Only, now, Yuya is stuck here with him.]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya shoots the vines a wary look. He tugs again, as much to test Steven's grip on him as how rooted into the earth he is.]

Well... that means you have to stand up first, right? Come on, focus on getting away from the ground.

[starseedling]

[With his eyes still closed, Steven starts pulling against his feet. His wings buzz, trying to pick him up, but the roots themselves clearly aren't moving. That means there's only one other option.

The roots that were once his toes start snapping, forced to their limit. If it hurts Steven, it isn't really clear. He pulls on Yuya's arms regardless, trying to finish the job.]

[hippocarnival]

[That's no less alarming the second time (moreso because it seems much more forced this go around), but Yuya's not sure how else to get Steven up out of the ground.

So Yuya leans back, to help put more force against the roots and, hopefully, pluck him clean out.]

[starseedling]

[With Yuya's help, the roots finally give way. Steven hovers on wing, keeping his mangled toes away from the ground. Already, the roots he left behind are slowly morphing into their own independent plants.

He's still holding onto Yuya's arms of course, with creeping finger vines all the way up to his elbows. Steven stares back at him, as if unsure of what to do now that it's finished.]

[hippocarnival]

... You're not going to let go, are you? [Little awkward, but okay! They'll work with this.]

You live somewhere in the haven, right? I think you're going to have to direct me.

[starseedling]

[Steven blinks, and his pupils dilate back to full size. He shakes his head.]

No, I have to stay here. They need my help.

[A lot of the refugees are staying in the shelters, as they were instructed by others, and Steven presumably isn't the only one casting their attention in this direction. But, he made a commitment. Whatever emotion broke free moments before seems to have been pushed down again.

There seems to be a tunnel vision that comes with this mental state. Everything but the task before him is cast aside.]

[hippocarnival]

[No... he thinks Steven's the one who needs help. He's also a little reluctant to let him touch ground again, so hopefully Steven will just keep floating with his wings there.]

Then you really need to come back to earth. [He tugs once, gently.] Come on, can you focus?

[starseedling]

[Hopefully Steven won't take that statement literally.

His pupils narrow again, centered on Yuya. He does keep his feet above the ground for now, hovering over Yuya like a hummingbird next to a flower. He doesn't really want to get stuck again, either.

His moves his fingers, like he's trying to pull them away from Yuya's wrists.]

What do you mean?

[hippocarnival]

I think this stuff is getting to you. [It's getting to everyone, but Steven seems to be in outer space and while that's enviable, it's probably not good considering half the city seems to be going on a rampage.]

Try moving your... fingers. Can you make them smaller again? [And not like, completely wound around Yuya's arms.]

[starseedling]

[No, but he can do this:

That is, he just rips his fingers off again, leaving the remains wrapped around Yuya's arms. It's easier than shedding his feet, apparently - the vines from his fingers seem thinner.]

I'm not letting it hurt me.

[He stares at Yuya for a few more moments, and then flutters over to land on one of the nearby stoops. At least he seems to have enough sense to avoid the dirt for a while. He stares off into the distance, as roars and screams echo through the city.]

[hippocarnival]

[Having Steven's weird fingers left to dangle off him: just as unpleasant the second time.

He's just... going to peel them off as quickly as he can. Deal with that before he looks at where Steven's fluttered off to.

Yuya shakes his arms, almost biting his lip until he feels the tip of his fang and remembers, and then his face just twists into conflicted expressions.

It's a minute before he follows, moving to sit on the corner of the stoop, his back angled to Steven's slightly. He presses his hands to his knees, winding his tail around one leg. Weird, but managable right now.]

Remember that song we played for the refugees?

[starseedling]

Kind of...

[Steven keeps staring out into the distance like he's watching for threats. Everything before tonight feels distant in comparison, like it's something he can't spare the thought to.

He looks down, a flash of hazy resentment coming to the surface.]

They came here to be safe... after all the things they suffered... and now they have to deal with this. I told them it would be better.

[hippocarnival]

It will be better. One set-back isn't the end of everything, right? [That's what they'd been trying to bring to them at the time. Hope for a better future and that it was worth fighting to reach it.

But it's also that music is something obviously important to Steven, and maybe it's what he needs to center himself against this new wave of being twisted out of his skin.]

I think I remember how it goes still. [He starts, stops, makes a couple attempts to get the tone right before he starts to sing one of the songs they played.]

[starseedling]

[Part of him doesn't want to sing. Part of him feels betrayed by the very ideals he'd been trying to portray, as if his messages of hope had all been a lie. Yet, when Yuya starts... it's hard not to follow. It's a part of him, not matter how hard he may be trying to reject himself, at the moment.

It takes a few verses, but Steven softly joins in. It's without his usual confidence, but it's there. He curls his arms around himself, a tangle of flowery vines, as his toes grow over the steps, tiny roses growing alongside them.

On the grass ahead, where he left his roots behind, roses are growing, too.]

[hippocarnival]

[It's a start, and it renews Yuya's efforts. His voice raises a little as he sings with greater enthusiasm their folk song about keeping forward.

He tilts his head over his shoulder to look at Steven, smiling wide as he sings.]

[starseedling]

[Steven's voice strengthens alongside Yuya's, though he doesn't end up smiling in quite the same way. Instead, he just seems slightly more at peace - the dullness of his reactions comes across a bit more like serenity than numbness.

There are aspects of this shift that he can't control - he can't just be normal, right now. But he can look at Yuya with understanding in his eyes, even if he glances away a moment later.

When the song winds to a close, he is quiet for a moment before speaking.]

Are you still hurting?