☆ 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

[quickwhip]

[ Is this where they become friends or something? Hell if he knows, so used to always being on his own. So, he sighs after listening to what Berserker has to say and gives a lazy wave of his hand. ]

Fine. I see your point. Doesn't mean I'm gonna start being chipper about not being alone there.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Friends are an alien concept to Berserker. He's learning that allies can be friends, though. ]

I'm not expecting you to be, but you'll have to accept it sooner or later. Or you might piss off someone who's less merciful than me complaining about it to the wrong person.

[ Though... ]

I wonder if those will only last as long as the mist does. I don't want to give you false hope, though.

[ He doesn't know for sure the mist caused his own mutations and his own irritability, but it feels like a safe conclusion. It might clear up and leave everything as it was or these may be permanent changes. Again, he doesn't know. ]

[quickwhip]

[ What. ]

Are you telling me this is not a permanent thing? That this is all some kind of stupid joke?

[curruid_coinchenn]

I don't know. [ He answers honestly. ] All I know is that I rarely have this much trouble controlling myself on full moons and I wasn't this furry before the mist rolled in. [ He stretches out his wings, the normal leathery membrane covered in soft, dark fur. ]I feel like they're connected.

[quickwhip]

Full moons?

[ That's when he noticed his fangs. Well... Alucard did. But he'd also felt so restless and meant to try and jump out the bloody window. So maybe that could be it? ]

That's... typically not all that uncommon for monsters. At least the ones I'm familiar with.

[curruid_coinchenn]

I've been here for five months...the pull of the moons hasn't been this bad on me since my first one. My Bond lessened the pull, so it's only been an annoyance since then...

[ This is personal, but it's relevant, so he continues. ]

I was with my Bonded earlier and his touch did little to ease my mind when it's normally enough to keep the feral instincts at bay. Something's different, just take my word for it.

[quickwhip]

His... touch?

[ Ok, so... he never really listened to much of whatever it was the Coven had been mumbling about, it's true. But he's heard a bit of this and that concerning... well... this and that and something about monsters and witches being bonded or something. But he never did get all the gritty little details about that and so... touch? ]

What exactly do you mean by that?

[ And then quickly ]

Wait. Do I even want to know?

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Well, there was that, given they were lovers, too, but that's not what he meant. Berserker narrows his eyes for a moment. ]

You can better share the magic through the Bond with physical contact. Forehead touches, holding hands, cupping the face and neck, things like that.

[ Though he can't pass up a chance to menace someone. ]

Since you brought it up, yes, it works with sexual touches. [ A beat. ] Not that I see you getting that much.

[quickwhip]

[ Wow. He went there, huh? This little shit. ]

I'm... not looking for that here?

[ No no no, he is not about to have this sort of conversation. Especially if that actually does benefit this bond thing. ]

I've got more important things to deal with like turning into a fucking vampire of all things.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Of course he went there, he's petty as fuck. ]

I wasn't, either.

[ Look, things happen. He's not going to needle on it further it, though. Trevor's reaction was satisfying. ]

You're the one who asked. [ A shrug. ] A Bond with a witch will help with that, too, even a temporary one.

[quickwhip]

Right. I'll keep it in mind.

[ All of that, to be honest. But, deciding to move on from this fascinating conversation, he sighs a bit before he holds his hand out, a glance away as he does so. ]

Look, let's just call it a night since I don't want to get involved in anything and neither do you.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ He knows that Trevor's right, but he's not about to head back home when he's still feeling this borderline feral. ]

Go, then. I'm not keeping you here.

[ Berserker turns away, glancing back over his shoulder with a slight smirk. ]

Try not to pick any more fights tonight.

[quickwhip]

Uh. Aren't you forgetting something?

[ To which he shakes his hand out in front of Berserker. That's right, Berserker. He wants you to shake on it. ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker gives him a blank stare. ]

What exactly do you want me to shake on?

[ Because he wants to know exactly what he's agreeing to before blindly shaking on it. ]

[quickwhip]

[ He really didn't think this through because now he's just standing there STARING and wondering... what to say. ]

It's not a bond thing if that's what you're worried about?

[ That just slipped out but he sighs then. ]

Just... you know... shake on it and agree to drop this. That we're good. You know?

[curruid_coinchenn]

... No, that's not what I'm worried about.

[ As for the actual reason, fine. That's something he can agree to. Though he does find it a bit offensive. As he extends his hand, it's accompanied by a moderately annoyed glance. ]

Fine, since my word isn't good enough for you. Are you worried I'll stab you in the back or something?

[quickwhip]

I don't know. I thought it'd be a nice thing to do but now you're making me second guess even offering.

[ But he still takes the dragon's hand and gives it a shake. Heh. A Belmont shaking a dragon's hand... soon to be a vampire shaking a dragon's hand. Shit. ]

There. Now we're good.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Berserker's handshake might be a little too firm, but he's at least mindful of his claws. Small favors. ]

As you say. Don't let the night get to you too badly now.

[ For as irritating at Trevor is, he can't mind him too much. He's defiant (pointlessly so, in his mind), but he doesn't back down and won't just let Berserker have his way. It's refreshing somehow. A grudging respect might be forming yet. ]

[quickwhip]

[ Chalk it up to the fact that he had been offered a drink by him upon his arrival. Would probably be the easiest thing to swallow. Because if you were to ask Trevor himself, he probably wouldn't even know what to say himself. Being genuine is hard? Something like that.

But he lets his and slip away from those... claws.. yeah... and gives a lazy wave then as he turns to continue on his way. ]

Same to you. Don't go turning into a dragon or something.

[ Though not allowing the night to influence his mood and mind too much... well, there's still quite a few hours left. ]