☆ 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

[long_live_the_queen]

[Her ears caught that sound immediately, and Kaede's head snapped up. The patchwork creature came to a half, growling the odd lowing sound this form seemed fond of making instead of sensible silence.

She knew that shape, jagged with crystals as it was. She knew that growl--a sound normally reserved for intruders. For strangers.

It didn't bother her. Kaede's shoulders were just stiff and needed shaking out. That was all. The pit in her stomach was just fatigue.]

Fang. I'm too tired for this.

[This form had distorted her voice too, warping it and pitching it lower and more gravelly than it should be. It seemed to echo, though this street wasn't built to catch sound like that.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[No words answered her. The feline's form merely kept prowling along the walkway, peering through the railing. Since the... whatever that beast was wasn't moving away, she leapt into the stairwell, jumping from landing to landing until the second floor.]

[And still making that low, almost popping growl. Closer, Kaede might be able to see the complete absence of anything resembling lucidity in the cat's green eyes.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The patchwork creature's gaze tracked the shadow as it moved; the glimmer of the crystals made the task ominously simple. When Fang--what should have been Fang--jumped down two stories without answering her, Kaede stiffened, feathered hackles bristling as her neck arched down. Another lowing growl escaped her jaws, and she didn't back away.

So this was it, then. The (other?) Turnskin didn't need to get any closer for Kaede to see the absence in her eyes. Words wouldn't do any good now.

Kaede still had some of those paper slips a harried Coven Witch had all but thrown out at the nearest person who seemed to have their wits about them. He didn't have time to stop and help her figure out where to put the things--whatever clothes Kaede had been wearing had long since shredded and ripped away, taking with it any hope of pockets. So Kaede had improvised, sticking them to her pelt like some strange ofuda. With luck, their effects hadn't been entirely worn away.

The whispers of the moons had called to her, too. They still were, they always had. But whispers they had stayed, even while maddened howls rose all around her. Where others found solace in oblivion and the silencing of conscious thought, Kaede was still here. Left behind to pick up their pieces.

She didn't need to. But this time she was making an exception.

With another echoing growl, the Chimera stepped forward, stiff-legged and aggressive.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[That step forward shattered the fragile tension. In an instant the Kaede-monster turned into a challenger, Fang sprang forward off the walkway, roaring, claws out and aiming to land on her back.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The shell that used to be Fang lunged, and all other thoughts ceased being important. The Chimera's lowing growls turned to snarling roars as the beast's fury fanned to open flame.

She had a moment to act before the jaguar-beast made contact--Fang was fast. Kaede lunged forwards to get out of the way, but not fast enough to escape claws digging into her flank. She doubled back on herself and her attacker with a guttural snarl, antlers lowered to begin a charge.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[The fog-feral creature that used to be Fang had her hunter's caution, but also her recklessness. For an instant, it looks like the were-creature was going to scatter away from that charge—then her hind claws scratch at the street, propelling her forward towards it.]

[There was a small space between the tines of those antler's; Fang hurled herself towards that space, claws coming down at Kaede's head.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Shit. She'd already committed too much to this charge, so stopping was well out of the question. She could turn, but that would put her neck out of alignment at the worst time. The threat of being gored clearly did nothing to help.

There was no more time for sluggish thought. Kaede lunged up to meet Fang halfway, changing the angle of her antlers. It wasn't enough to stop one set of claws; sharp pain tore into her face behind an eye and before her ear, talons raking down her cheek. The patchwork creature she was roared and wailed at once, one echo chasing the next. But she didn't turn her head aside, antlers still pointed at Fang's face and torso.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[A paw-hand flew up to catch one branch of antlers, stopping the moment of Fang's head and sparing her face of colliding with the tines. She twisted, as well, but had less luck with that; the points cut across her ribs and stomach, but fortunately didn't puncture.]

[A jaguar's screaming roar met the chimera's, and once Fang's hind feet touched the ground again, she viciously pivoted and yanked on the antler she'd grab, though whether she was trying to throw Kaede on her side or break the antler was difficult to tell.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Once Fang had grabbed onto the antler it effectively gave her control of Kaede's head; the pull wrenched her off her feet, dragging her sideways. Her claws scrabbled on the cobblestones beneath but didn't gain enough purchase to keep her standing--something of a blessing, since that would have done awful things to her neck.

The Chimera hit the ground on her side, but not heavily enough to stun her; one of the scrolls on her shoulder crinkled, and Kaede grabbed for it in a distorted hand. A bit closer--if her antler lasted that long.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[The antler wasn't the goal. Once the hyena-beast was on the ground, the turnskin leapt on to Kaede's side, jaws going wide for her neck.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Fuck.

A weight slammed into her side, and all she could see was teeth. Kaede rounded her back to bring up her rear legs and kick at the Turnskin's side and abdomen, though the injured one was weaker. One foreleg came up to protect her neck, the other with the seal crumpled in the palm raised like it could stop Fang's jaws on its own.

She felt a piece of the sedative calm fall away from her as the seal adhered to something else--to Fang, or the ground, she couldn't see past the thrashing fur and shadows.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Kaede's back feet struck square; Fang's claws dug into her shoulder and back to keep from getting thrown off. Her teeth managed to get around the chimera's forelimb, but before she could clamp down, something struck her in the eye.]

[The turnskin recoiled as her vision flashed with stars—just as it started to come back, it was like someone took a hammer straight to her brain.]

[The turnskin flopped to the ground unconscious, that crumpled seal plastered over her left eye.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The pain Kaede had been expecting didn't materialize, at least not in the way she thought. Teeth didn't clamp down on her throat and choke off her windpipe, jaws didn't crush her arm. Claws did pull long lacerations into her shoulder, though, and Kaede snarled as she twisted away to escape.

But escape she did, with nothing snarling right after her. Fang had gone quiet, and untangling from the Turnskin's limbs was all Kaede needed to do before she could roll to her feet and finally get a look.

Well. That answered whether or not they still worked. Fang was alive, yes, just out. Really out.

The Coven Witch hadn't specified how long the seals would last, though. After a few moments of getting her breath back, Kaede circled the Turnskin slowly, until she was at an angle where her injuries were less visible. The Chimera lowered her head, and waited another cautious minute.]

Fang. Get up.

[Her voice still echoed, but it almost sounded like Kaede's this time.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[It wasn't a lasting thing, no. Her brain's On-Off switch had been forcibly flipped back and forth, but nothing magical was keeping her in unconsciousness.]

[Some part of her mind must have recognized that name, as she sluggishly stirred. Gods, did a damned train hit her head?]

[Fang's eyes cracked open, disoriented, and she immediately started pawing at the seal, ripping it off and blinking unevenly as her eyes readjusted to the same level of light.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[There was no answer. When Fang stirred, Kaede's ears lifted hopefully--but there was no reason for that. The feline Turnskin tore the seal off her face and didn't respond or acknowledge the Chimera's presence. Kaede's posture stiffened and her ears flicked back, but she didn't growl. Exactly.]

Fang. I'm talking to you.

[Not the shadow, not the shell of what she was.]

Their thoughts aren't yours.

[Kaede didn't truly, completely, know Fang. But from what Kaede did know, she wasn't some tool of the moons, some shadowed aspect of their will. She was a person. She didn't answer to anyone she didn't choose to.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[She was aware something was there. It didn't... alarm her, for some reason. Not until the creature spoke.]

[Fang scrambled to her feet at the extremely unfamiliar voice, glaring and blinking disorientedly.]

What. [Is the irritated growl in response.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The patchwork creature let out another set of low, anxious noises. Almost like humorless cackles. Kaede's ears flicked back further in distaste.

And she sighed.]

Do we have to do this again?

[Two more sealing papers left. One should be for Kaede, in case the madness was polite enough to give her some warning before it set in entirely. Two was one, one is none after all.]

[belligerentwarrior]

Do what? [She immediately snapped again.]

[The details of here and now slowly filtered through. Fang hurt, in places she didn't remember being injured, but that wasn't a new feature of the full moons. Her head pounded in a way she couldn't explain away. And as fearsome as the creature before looked and sounded, something was... familiar. Disarming.]

[The scent. It wasn't right, but it reminded her off...]

...you're Kaede, aren't you? [The were-jaguar's eyes relaxed a little and her tail stilled, but the wary tension didn't completely leave her.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede's posture stayed tense, her long tail swishing in unsettled motions behind her.]

Stop you from mauling anyone else.

[But then--the reaction changed. The Turnskin didn't lunge at her, but those ears didn't come up, either. Kaede's antlers remained lowered.

Still. Those were words--more words, more lucid ones. The creature's tufted ears--still like Kaede's--lifted up, a little.]

I am. I look different.

[Another tail flick.]

Do you know where you are yet?

[belligerentwarrior]

[Scents. They registered faster than anything else right now, and she easily recognized the ones here. Fang blinks more, her vision slower to confirm what she smelled and one eye throbbing in time with the pain in her head.]

Yeah.

[Another blink, and her eyes settled on the oozing wounds on the chimera's shoulders. Things clicked into place; something twisted painfully inside her, her Turnskin's instinct at war between feeling justified in protecting her territory from an unfamiliar-looking Monster, and revulsion at knowing she'd harmed on of hers.]

[But a feline's face isn't so expressive to show that conflict well; her eyes narrowed and her ears pinned back. Fang slunk forward towards the stairs, giving Kaede a wide berth, idly noting how much her abdomen hurt. One more pain, to go with all the others she'd won from fights these last two days.]

Don't plan on maulin' anyone else.

[long_live_the_queen]

[For several steps, Kaede just watched her. The Chimera's head panned to track the jaguar, her antlers still pointed in Fang's direction. But Kaede didn't pivot once Fang had passed her by. Not even a turned back seemed to incite any retribution, even with an antlered head staring over the shoulder. Relief unfolded in Kaede's chest, only to be swept away by a bone-deep fatigue. The creature's tail drooped closer to the ground despite herself.

After a few more steps, Kaede lifted her head. And after a few more, the hyena slowly paced after the jaguar, gritting her teeth to avoid showing how much she favored that front leg.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang glanced over her shoulder as she climbed the stares, watching Kaede trail after her for a moment before turning her attention forward again.]

You should've said it was you sooner. The Monster doesn't want to hurt you any more than I do.

[long_live_the_queen]

[When Fang spoke, the Chimera's ears immediately pricked forwards to pick up on any danger, any threat.

But there wasn't.]

I—

[...oh.

Kaede came to a stop on the stairs, glancing away at some unimportant curl of mist. One of her antlers was still warily pointed in the Turnskin's direction, but her ears had flattened.]

...sorry.

[Her voice didn't echo so much this time. It was low, almost whisperlike without the sibilant hissing.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[That apology sounded as miserable as Fang felt. She doesn't stop her ascent back to the fourth floor, her own ears still back as well.]

Not like it's your fault. Just sayin', if it happens again.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The patchwork creature rumbled something, and was silent again. By the time they did get to the fourth floor landing, putting one foot in front of the other was all Kaede could think about. Her teeth were gritted together, or else her tongue would be lolling out of her mouth like an exhausted dog.

Just...get inside the apartment. Then she could rest.

If Fang would let her. The Chimera shambled forwards a few steps before pausing, as if sluggishly remembering to be on guard but not very enthusiastic about it. She looked at the Turnskin warily, but couldn't keep the fatigue out of her gaze.]