☆ 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

[darkcharge]

[ Vanitas is not a kind person. He is not empathetic nor does he sympathize with people. While he can acknowledge truths, like information and situations being similar, there's no real feeling attached to it. So encouraging little speeches aren't his thing. Comforting someone else is not anything he is equipped to do, nor does he desire o do such things. ]

Your soul, your heart, is comprised of all of the things that make you who you are. Memories and the feelings attached to them. Things you like and dislike - what makes you happy and angry and all the things between.

[ He rolls his shoulders, huffing. ]

Is everything the same because you want it to be? Or is it because you don't know how to be any different? That seems to be the issue, not whether or not you have a soul. It sounds like, to me, you have a perfectly intact soul.

[ As for the rest? Well one can learn anything, but learning and knowing how to apply that knowledge are two different things. Vanitas himself is in a similar situation. He no longer has a purpose nor a goal. In that, he sort of feels like a ship adrift in the sea. ]

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu does not expect kindness. All humans are different. Some are grumpy and others are kind. And their best friend has been a cruel tyrant of a king, don't worry Vanitas, they got this.

So they listen closely, trying to envision what they mean. How dislikes and likes and feelings and memories make a soul. Because if that makes a soul then they would have one. But why doesn't it feel like that? Perhaps the other is right and they have a soul, a soul that the gods attached to a simple lump of clay and that could grow but only in one way.

And really, there aren't many things that anger Enkidu or frustrates them. They don't mind being called names or being beat in battle. They don't mind being rejected. All they wanted has been at their side a long time ago.

But it seems all gone.]

The best way to walk alongside of humanity is to possess a human soul. [They are getting awfully melancholic over this.] Not that of what I am now. I do not consider it a soul at all. It is merely...something that drives me. I want to grow like a human does.

[They look at the other.]

Have you lost yours? Or is it broken?

[darkcharge]

[ If Vanitas had been any of the others he shares a partial connection with, he might have been rather insistent. Might have been rather disturbed that Endiku is getting this melancholic. Something might have driven him try to get them to not think of themselves in such a fashion, that they truly do seem to have something like a soul or a heart. Worry would eat at him.

However he is not any of them. Vanitas doesn't have anything like empathy. If Endiku doesn't consider themselves to have a soul, then perhaps it is true. It isn't as if Vanitas could really know otherwise. Different worlds operate by different rules after all. ]

I can't really say that I understand such motivation. [ Though he sort of does, doesn't he? After all he wants to be whole too. That implies he wants to learn and grow like everyone else. ] Humans don't really learn from their mistakes...

[ Vanitas clicks his tongue against his teeth. ]

As for me... I suppose you could say my other half is missing.

[enkidoh]

I don't expect you to understand it.

[They return to touching their horns again, tracing the shape of them. A part of them doesn't understand it either. Where are they now they cannot be a weapon anymore? Why is finding a new purpose the biggest ordeal they've ever faced? And really, they've faced quite some ordeals...]

Humans do learn. Their soul always grows. But it is not always a positive growth. They can become more angry or very bitter.

[Oh?]

So you are searching for that other half, not? [Enkidu cocks their head.] How did that happen?

[darkcharge]

[ His struggle with purpose isn't too different from theirs, in the end. Hadn't he also been raised to be nothing more than just a weapon? A tool? A pawn in a much larger game? Vanitas had always been aware of this and had merely accepted that as his reality. Now this is no longer the case.

And he doesn't know what to do any longer. ]

Some people wouldn't think of someone becoming angry and bitter as growth. More like giving in.

[ Most of the Lights that he has had to deal with, primarily. He can't see any of them really allowing those personality traits sit there and fester and become something worse.

But the conversation steers itself towards Ventus. Natural, since it seems that both of them are broken in their own ways. ]

He made a mistake that nearly cost us our life. Then our master decided to break us in half to salvage what he could. So we became him and I.

[enkidoh]

Giving into what?

[That is an interesting statement and Enkidu scoots a little closer, looking at the other curiously.]

Just because those emotions are negative it does not mean that they stagnate the growth of a human soul. I do not believe that. Even when a human displays negativity about something there is always their willpower that gets them out of that.

[When Vanitas says that Enkidu hums thoughtfully.]

So would you say you have a new soul or half a soul? Is there such a thing as half a soul? [More humming.] Can't a soul restore itself and become a new one?

[darkcharge]

[ He, in return, leans a little away. Vanitas has no issues with invading another's personal space. Having his infringed on is... Well he's not sure what to make of that. ]

Giving into the Darkness. Allowing it purchase in your heart where it can just fester. Not everyone has that "willpower" to get out of it. Ultimately they are consumed by their desires.

[ That's what he has always been taught. To think that someone believes that negativity doesn't stagnate... What a world that they must come from.

But then she asks a question: Does he have a new soul or only half? Can't it restore itself? ]

Ventus believes that we can be him and I. Individuals instead of the complete person we used to be. I don't buy it, but restoration? I suppose I might find out.

[enkidoh]

And do you feel like someone who has given into that Darkness?

[Really, Vanitas, you seem fine to them.]

Perhaps Ventus wants to be their own person and maybe you should try that as well. Because you are not him. You are you. [That seems logic. If his soul is that of a human it can grow beyond anything. It can reshape itself, it can heal, it can be guided by sheer willpower.]

You seem troubled but kind.

[darkcharge]

I haven't given into that Darkness. What I am is Darkness.

[ Of course he's heard those sorts of words before. Ventus can be Ventus. Vanitas can be Vanitas. He just needs to give it a shot, a chance. Before, Vanitas would have immediately shot that down. How could he be himself when he's only half of that person?

He snorts. ]

You're wrong. I'm not kind or anything of the sort. What I do is feed off of negativity. Those emotions create the core of who I am. Of what I am.

[enkidoh]

You do not look like darkness.

[That is the wildest assumption they've ever heard.]

So every negative emotion represents darkness? A human cannot be angry? They cannot cry? What would their souls become if they are unable to allow it to grow? Even half of a soul...one gifted with human willpower should be able to grow.

[Well, you are a conundrum, Vanitas.]

When you look closer at things there is no such thing as a negative emotion.

[darkcharge]

Fear. Anger. Despair. Loneliness. Letting emotions like that dictate one's actions is a path towards the Darkness. It's not that having them is awful, of course. It's allowing them to rule you. With everything there must be balance.

[ Vanitas shrugs. If he is so opposed to Light and positive emotions, then he wouldn't be seeking his other half, now would he? Granted, he may well believe that they are idiotic and pointless, but Light and Dark must exist in tandem. ]

I can't have balance. The other half, the half that contains the Light is gone. So all I am is the Darkness that remains.