☆ 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

[beariot]

I am very much n-not bold, sir! [ Ursula stammered more, shaking her head wildly as her tail betrayed her once more, straightening out and twitching in curiosity. ]

I'm a nervous wreck. A total mess. Also my name's Ursula. [ This was going terribly. ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

How're you not, when some part of you still went about clinging to a 'stranger'?

[ Seems like there's some boldness to it all. ]

Also, I don't think you're entirely in agreement with yourself.

[beariot]

Trust me, if there's one thing anyone who knows me will all agree on, it's the anxious mess part. [ Ursula sighed, shaking her head. ]

Look, I'm... flattered, really, and the beast part of myself is definitely intrigued but I can't get over the whole "bad idea" vibe your, uh... proposition has.

N-no offense. [ Although... ]

W-would you like to join me for coffee, instead? I still feel like this is all my fault and would like to make it up to you.

[kuroi_taiyo]

Having fun in a way that makes you feel good is a bad idea?

[ That's what he sees it as, at least. It seemed like she was hung up on the name thing, but maybe that whole 'anxious mess' thing is why she was backing out as hard as she could. ]

Ah... Sure. Coffee then.

[beariot]

Hey, I'm not trying to make a judgement here, it's just like I said, I... need a little more to get me to the same point B you want to land on, you know?

[ She hoped that made sense, at least. She wasn't about to give in to THOSE instincts without a little more incentive... ]

There's a cafe I like not to far from here. I guess if it helps, you can think of it as an impromptu date?

[ Fang would be laughing so hard at her right now... ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ It's definitely a weird way to phrase things, but given the way her body was responding, it seems that part of her already wanted to be on that same point. Though he didn't think that a date was how she'd resolve that internal conflict.

Fang would be laughing hard, and Judar coughed out a laugh that he did his best to stifle. ]

Yeah, sure. If that's what you really need.

[beariot]

Do you just... not do the whole dating thing where you come from? [ Look she's in bad enough shape, she doesn't need all of this. ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

I mean, I didn't. Can't say whether or not it was a big thing in general in my world.

[ Mostly because he was a part of war and fighting things, and just indulged with what he needed when those kinds of times came about. ]

[beariot]

[ Ursula let out a sigh, shaking her head and relaxing somewhat. Suddenly things made a lot more sense. For this guy, it didn't seem to simply be instincts driving him, though she was certain that didn't help. But knowing he was at least coming from some place of sincerity was... somewhat flattering. Her tail twitched behind her, and her nerves began to settle. ]

There's a cafe not far from here. Do you have a particular preference?

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ He hasn't even admitted that he doesn't know what coffee is, given how much further in the 'future' it would've been. At least with world comparisons. So, similarly, he's not even completely sure what's at these cafes. It didn't seem familiar, so he glanced by and forgot about them.

Basically, you threw him into a whole field he's got no clue about, and Judar's just trying to go along with it all. ]

Preference... On what?

[beariot]

[ This was starting to feel like an uphill battle with her civility. Not because she was getting frustrated with the guy's lack of social graces, but more her own clinging to them feeling more and more pointless. ]

On coffee.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ It's not his fault he's from a world of ales, spirits and teas more than cafes and coffee. ]

Not really? Can't really have a preference on something I haven't had before. I haven't really checked out the new kinds of merchants in this place.

[ Mostly because he doesn't have disposable income yet. ]

[beariot]

[ Well, that at least gave her something to focus on. ]

I guess that puts a pretty big responsibility on me to assure you've got an ideal introduction to it, then.

In that case, I should probably make some for you myself.

[ Though she was absolutely certain she shouldn't take him the the apartment... Maybe something in the market? ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Now he's really confused on where this is all supposed to go. ]

Why're you constantly jumping and changing plans? I'm starting to think that you don't want people seeing me around you, or something.

[ That's meant to be a joke. He doesn't care if people see them together.

Then again, they could've made out in public and not cared about voyeurs either. So don't put much stock on someone that was more feral than they were letting on. (So it must be really bad.) ]

[beariot]

Th-that's definitely not it! [ Ursula waved her hands before her, tail swishing as her ears pressed back a little. ]

W-what I mean is, I can definitely control how good the coffee is if I make it myself. There's a little sundry store nearby I buy it from. They may let me use their press to make you some!

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ This is enough new things for Judar to be kept a little off balance. Of course, when he's that way, he's more likely to tease and try to make others the same way, but it's fiiine.

Though now he's wondering if this coffee is some kind of juice, for needing a press. ]

So you're saying that you're that much of a coffee expert?

[beariot]

[ It's bean juice, Judar. Hot bean juice. ]

Oh, I don't know about expert, but I definitely have discerning taste. My people tend to take coffee pretty seriously. [ A small, nervous laugh but there was at least some confidence in her smile. She reached to take his hand with hers, giving it a light squeeze before tugging him along. ]

It's down this road, just a small ways.

[kuroi_taiyo]

Your 'people'... So everyone in your world is that picky over this coffee stuff?

[ It's very subtle and quick, but there's a moment of confusion that shows more in the eyebrows than his eyes as his hand was grabbed. It wasn't anything that he pulled out of or refused, or even fought against, but it was an odd thing that he was following along with. ]

People really are being pulled from all kinds of worlds in this place...

[beariot]

[ Arriving at the market store, she opened the door, the scent of coffee beans immediately strong and pouring from it. ]

Not all people from my world. I meant my countrymen. I'm from a place called France, and while coffee isn't a native product, we're a little obsessed with it.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ As expected, there's no familiarity to the country's name. At least he doesn't ignore things he's unfamiliar with. In some ways, it just strings this curiosity a little further. Well, that and the smell this place has. ]

Obsessed because it's addictive, or has some special effect, or...?

[beariot]

Well... [ Ursula had to stop, chuckling for a moment. What an interesting guess... ]

It has caffeine in it, which is... yes. Addictive. To a degree. But it's also delicious.

[ Ursula spoke to the clerk, who greeted her by name and complimented her new features, saying they suited her. A blush and nervous laugh later, she asked for some of her usual, as well as a press so she could grind up a cup for her new friend who'd never tried it before. She was happily granted as such, on the house, as thanks for helping out the shopkeeper's son with their mid-term tests earlier. ]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Aside from mind control, it's one of the other reasons he's seen strange things become huge fads, or staples, in a culture. ]

Haven't had a drink I've become addicted to yet, so it should be fine...

[ Despite the jokes, however, he is paying some attention. The reminder of Ursula's name, but also the fact that she seems to be more than just some customer to this place. Was it just this place, because she loved coffee that much, or one of a few stores that would give her this extra little perk.

However, his attention is flickering between that and all the bodies around, including Ursula. From following her tail, to up that line to other parts... ]

We should do this before I start feeling... bold again.

[beariot]

Now now, you can't rush good coffee. [ Ursula pat his shoulder, taking up the beans and the grinder and setting to her work. It was fairly simple to watch and figure out what she was doing, grinding the beats first with the press and taking the resulting power and placing it over the pot with a scrap of muslin acting as a filter. Into the filter she poured hot water from a nearby kettle, and the scent once more filled the air, that much stronger as the coffee was brewed.

Once that was done, she carefully removed the wet grounds with the muslin, setting it in a tray and taking up the glass coffee pot, pouring out a small cup. A bit of ground chicory root, some blackened sugar, and just a teaspoon of cool cream...

She handed the cup back to her companion. ] Careful, now, it's hot.

[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.

[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. ]