☆ 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

[chosenside]

Just one day you're walking around and they start... molting. Maybe it'll even happen at night, when you're sleeping.

[Theseus agrees with a sympathetic tone, reaching over to lightly stroke the new wings that's sprouted on Zack's back. First feeling the tips of the feathers before moving over to the actual bone structure that allows him to fold and spread his wings out.]

Got anyone to help you with that? Even if it's moral support.

[And okay, since he's just standing here... his hands slowly start to move from his newly formed wings and to the knotted feathers. Really, something needs to be done about them.] Smoothing this out will probably help.

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack winces a bit and his wings flap a little at the movements but he sucks up his complaint quietly and sighs.]

Support? Well, sort of I guess.

[He's not looking forward to waking up to a detached wing or two in his bedsheets with him. Being a monster is a pain in the ass enough already and now this... All these knotted feathers and moulting entire wings.]

How bad does it actually look?

[chosenside]

Doesn't look too good here, if I'm being honest.

[There's a small pause, before Theseus becomes more confident about this, gently trying to untangle the feathers without causing Zack any more discomfort. Newt would be able to give him some pointers if he was here, but he's not, so Theseus will just have to make do on his own. He's not entirely helpless with it at least, just his technique isn't as refined as it could be.]

Get this all untangled and it'll be one less thing to worry about. If you don't mind-- and I certainly have the time now... [His hands stop moving suddenly, waiting for Zack to give him permission.]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack can't help the wince he does give even if Thesues is being careful. A small growl rumbles in his throat like any injured dog might give before he tries to settle himself down. He knows he needs the help. Even if he doesn't want to admit it.]

Yeah. Can you do what you can? I know I'll probably have to find a witch with some healing magic in the end too.

[Because there are bloody feathers that probably need to be pulled out too.]

Sorry, man. Wasn't really expecting to need someone to help me out this bad.

[chosenside]

Be best if they took a slight look here.

[Theseus agrees softly, but he definitely intends to do his best for Zack right now. Maybe if he had all of his magic back, he would be able to completely heal him without any outside help, however that isn't the case.]

I'm glad to help, actually reminds me of my childhood some bit. [He starts, raising a careful hand to the feathers as he begins to tend them. Theseus figures that it might be best to tell a story while he's doing this, distract him from the knots to at least some degree.]

I grew up with a number of hippogriffs-- my mother raised them. Caring for them was hard work, but rewarding nonetheless.

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack lets out a small wince but he does his best not to complain any more than that. He sighs and stretches his wing out for better access and honestly the more they're tended to the easier it is for him to breathe. His muscles feel less tense as they are worked on. It's fine, two dudes standing on a bridge helping each other out. Right?

He grins shortly after that.]

I'm so glad I remind you of a hippogriff. [He snorts.] Whatever that is... You have a lot of weird creatures back home? Did you live on a ranch or something?

[Don't worry, he won't ask what a hippogriff tastes like.]

[chosenside]

[Just a couple of dudes here.]

A magical beast that's a cross between an eagle and a horse. I promise that they're far more majestic than they sound-- of course, that's not the reason you remind me of them.

[Theseus teases lightly, but continues with taking care of Zack's feathers. Multitasking isn't so bad, especially since he's honestly enjoying this a bit, despite the blood and pain Zack's in. At least he's trying to help on that front.]

Slightly, but hippogriffs were the only beasts I grew up with. We didn't have a personal zoo-- that's a hobby of my brother's right now.

[activatingcombatmode]

[At least he won't look like a ragged mess after this. Just slightly less raggedy. He would have asked Cloud to help him with something like this but ... He's gone. And without a bond now Zack's gotta get help where he can.]

Phew, here I was worried you were gonna say it was part hippo.

[He laughs but it's cut short with a heavy wince as one particularly awkward feather gets moved.]

Tch... [He lets out a breath.] I think you mentioned your brother before. Is he here too?

[chosenside]

Part hippo? Never. Now, if I was raised with a group of creatures that resembled porcupines... could hardly think of anything more fitting!

[He laughs lightly, before pausing for a moment when he sees Zack wince from his care. It's only when he begins talking again that Theseus resumes, taking extra measures to untangle his feathers.]

He is. [Here, Theseus becomes exasperated, but there's always something fond in his voice as he talks about Newt. They haven't always gotten along, but it feels like their relationship has been improving a lot since arriving in this city. Sure, they've had their arguments, but... he feels lucky.]

And because he's my younger brother, he thinks it's perfectly fine to get in all sorts of trouble! If I find a gray hair, all the blame is resting on him. [Theseus is too young for that!! Be so devastating...]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack laughs warmheartedly, a hand coming up to shake through his 'porcupine-like' locks. Wild black hair is just something he has to deal with! All thanks to his JRPG genes. Luckily it's actually soft locks of hair and not capable of actually stabbing things.]

Awww, come on. I was born this way, man.

[But he has to smile at the way Theseus talks about his brother too. Zack's an only child but he can tell there are typical brotherly feelings there.]

It's good, though. That you've got some family here even if they're the annoying type.

[He glances over his shoulder at Theseus. A wing flexes and stretches out and Zack lets out a relieved sigh.]

[chosenside]

No hair is resistant to hair gel and some good old combing. [Although, as Theseus glances at the wildly spiky black hair, maybe there's just one sort of hair that's truly resistant to all that. The true power of JRPG heroes...] Well, maybe you're the one exception.

[It's not like porcupines can control their quills either!]

...Do you have anyone like that? Family or friends from your home? [Theseus asks with a curious look, finally pulling his hands away as Zack stretches out his wing. Looks like he got most of that out.]

[activatingcombatmode]

[With the work on his wings mostly done Zack turns around and gives both a steady stretch. He nods his thanks.]

I'll have you know there isn't a drop of hair gel in my hair.

[Yep, the true power of JRPG characters... As spiky and slick as they look, his hair is actual natural soft and standing hair.]

And ... Nah. I had someone here for a while. An important friend from home but ... [He sighs a bit with a smile.] There was some unfinished business he had to take care of back home. He was lucky enough to go back.

[chosenside]

[Hair isn't supposed to do that...! A man suddenly turning into a chimera? That's completely explainable, but this? Sorcery. Wisely, Theseus doesn't say any of this, but he's certainly Thinking about it.

At least until Zack brings up his friend, and the mood suddenly turns again, a more quiet air around him.] It's difficult, even knowing that he has important things to take care of. A loss is a loss, especially when you don't know when you'll return home and see him again.

[Because that's definitely going to happen.......]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack grins although there is something self-deprecating about it. He raises his hand to wave it off casually.]

Yeah, it's tough. But I like my life here so far, you know?

[Haha, because he can't really go home but that's not gonna be something he's gonna drag through this conversation--]

I'll see him again when I see him...