villagemod: (sᴛᴏɴᴇ)
The Village Mod ([personal profile] villagemod) wrote in [community profile] villagelogs2020-12-05 01:22 am

018-020 » what he hides

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Western Mathias.
WHEN: Days 018-020
WHAT: The fog recedes!
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Graham Plowman "Edge of Darkness"





DAYS 018-020
THE HIDDEN REVEALED

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
— Benjamin Franklin


As the sun rises in the distance above the sea, the fog slips away from the unsettling town, winding through streets and across buildings until it is nestled soundly in the forest. There it waits, ready to snare any who dare test its limits — residents would do well to remember what happened the last time they encountered the fog so intimately.

With the fog receded, the western portion of Mathias is now revealed and available for exploring. There are more businesses on the town square and even some on the street that runs off the square. The schoolhouse is nestled by the southern treeline, not from the little makeshift cemetery at the end of Jackson Boulevard that is courtesy of a few kind residents in town. To the far north of the square is a sprawling garden, now covered in snow, and a greenhouse that once supplied the botanical shop. And to the west, beyond the square, is another residential district of the same size as that to the east. What is different, however...

These buildings are all in some form of decay. From the beginnings of rot to completely collapsed and little more than a pile of proverbial bones, none of these homes are anything resembling livable. Well, as far as one can tell, at least. For between the streets of Hill Lane and Stine road there is a crack in the earth. A dozen feet across and fifty feet down, the crack extends from one side of the forest to the other, either end cut off by the fog. The view to the other side is clear but there is no way across.


THE NEW ARRIVALS

There are quite a few new faces in Mathias on this day. Awaking throughout Day 018, they will find themselves laying in the snow beside that unsettling crack in the earth, houses both quaint and decaying surrounding them as the snow begins to cover their bodies. Best get inside and warm up, dears.




SPECTRES IN THE NIGHT

The days are short now that winter seems to have set in unseasonably early. Though the clocks in Mathias fail to properly keep time or sometimes even work at all, the sun rises around 8:00am and sets at 5:00pm. There is far more darkness than light in these days, but in that darkness there is, in fact, light.

In the distance all across Mathias, there are lanterns lit against that darkness. Their lights dance across the snow, the warm flickering shining like tiny stars and offering an almost ethereal glow to the crisp white snow. It would be a beautiful sight to behold... if it weren't for the shadowy figures that held them. With partially raised arms, the figures hold the lanterns and walk the streets of Mathias, drifting in between buildings and disappearing into the forest. Still yet, there are some that simply stand in place, as if waiting for something or someone.

No matter where or when these figures are seen, they always seem to be facing away from our residents, and attempts at reaching them are all for naught. They will fade from view if one gets too close, and return to sight when that distance is regained. And in the morning, those lanterns may be found in the snow, their lights extinguished but their glass somehow still warm.


STRANGER IN THE SNOW

Those investigating the western part of Mathias and venturing near that inexplicable crack in the earth will have the most unsettling feeling of being watched. Most of the time, there is nothing there and no one to be seen, but then—

On the other side of that expanse, sitting on a porch, in the shadow of a home, or standing in the oddly moonlit street, there is a man. His features are shrouded in darkness and not much can be discerned about him, but instinct tells you he is dangerous. There is a sense deep in your bones that he is maliciously amused.

He makes no move to speak, nor will he respond to any attempts on your part. Instead, he sits, or he stands, and he watches. By the end of Day 020, all sign of him will be gone, along with the eerie feeling of being watched.







LOCATIONS


Unless otherwise noted, all new locations have working electricity and other utilities.

BENEDICT BOOKS Nestled quaintly on the square surrounding the Town Hall, a thick layer of dirt covering the front windows. A portrait hangs at the front of the store to illustrate the namesake of the little shop... that may, in fact, not be so little. Dust covers everything in sight and detritus litters the wooden floor, as if someone left the door open and allowed half the forest inside. (more info)

MATHESON ANTIQUES Also on the town square is an antique store that is a lesson in chaos more than culture. The items within are stacked haphazardly, creating narrow aisles running throughout the space. Furniture, light fixtures, old revolutionary and civil war memorabilia, all of it is jumbled together with no rhyme or reason. Indeed, one wrong move could create an avalanche of aged wood and peeling paint.

POE'S CLOTHES Located on the town square, this shop carries only the basics. Loose jeans in a few sizes, khakis, solid color dress shirts and blouses, flannel in various styles, socks and underwear.

SPIN RIGHT ROUND RECORDS On the square across from the beauty store, the music shop is as dusty as everything else in this town has been. Tables line the walls of the long shop, filled with rows and rows of vinyl records, while a few wall shelves display cassette tapes for sale. One side of the store is for New items, while the other holds the Used section with items for resale. Residents may recognize some of the artists but many are unfamiliar to them.

CLINIC Outside the decayed, crumbling building just north of the square is a still miraculously intact sign with the name of the clinic's doctor, Dr. Ken Suzuki. There is no way to treat patients in this location, but with care, some salvageable supplies may yet be found in the remains.

BARKER BOTANICALS Not quite a flower shop and not entirely an apothecary, the botanical store to the far north of the square is something of an amalgamation of both. With a few broken windows to let in the rain, parts of the shop have been overtaken by nature, the house plants growing beyond their pots and rotted flower petals littering the floor to tell of seasons past. The still unclaimed walls are filled with decaying plants and jars of dried herbs and other vegetation, along with a few essences and tinctures.

GREENHOUSE A few dozen yards from the botanicals shop is a sprawling garden, now covered in snow, and a greenhouse that once supplied the botanical shop. The glass is still miraculously intact, though covered in grime so thick that one cannot see inside.

GALLERY The gallery is essentially a large empty space with framed and matted black and white photographs of the town lining the walls. There is a small selected of prints available for sale near the front entrance, and a few rooms at the back of the building — a dark room for developing photos, a small office, and a locked room.

MOVIE THEATER This single-screen theater is quite small, having only 40 seats, but there is a large collection of movies in its storage room. These are all old film reels however, so hopefully someone knows how to thread a film projector.

HISTORY MUSEUM Across the street from the Historical Society, this once esteemed wooden building has seen better days. Windows and doors are boarded up and there is visible rot and decay on the exterior walls. Part of the roof has fallen in and the accumulating snow threatens to collapse the rest of it as well. It is not wise to venture within.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY This brick building has also seen better days, though in a different sort of way. Where once had been carefully cataloged collections and cozy reading rooms for aficionados of local history, there are now stacks of bankers boxes and weathered tomes in every nook and cranny. There is no organization to any of it, everything seeming to have been stashed in a hurry and then left forgotten. Anyone who dares to dive into this archive will need to devote quite some time in order to find anything worthwhile. They will also want to bring their own light source — the electricity does not work here and the windows are quite dark from the accumulated dust and grime.

SCHOOLHOUSE A much smaller school than most of our residents might be used to, there are only a half-dozen rooms in the building, with a few comprising classrooms, meeting areas, and workspaces. All ages were taught here, and one might almost imagine the sound of children's whispered voices and distant laughter while within the empty building.





CONDITIONS UPDATE
SNOW continues to fall in Mathias. Days 18-19 see light snowfall that very slowly accumulates, but the snowfall turns moderately heavy on Day 20 and sees significant accumulation. The temperature hovers just below freezing and dips lower when the sun goes down.

VOICES are not openly haunting our residents, though they may still be occasionally encountered in the more heavily decayed buildings where some rooms seem to almost swallow whatever light tries to enter them.

THE FOG has receded from the town proper and much of the eastern and northern beach. The path through the northern forest to the lighthouse is now also clear.

DISAPPEARANCES continue to plague the town. While Daisy Johnson has returned, Zed Martin, Rey, and Quentin Coldwater have now vanished without a trace.


OOC UPDATES
MADNESS has now been unlocked. Congratulations to Inky for Claire earning the first Madness! Who will be next? (Please be sure to keep your sanity updated regularly; Stars has created an amazing tracker for anyone to use if they'd like.)

HELPERS are officially in residence! Kelly is our Registrar and Stars is our Librarian — both of these delightful members of our community are helping behind the scenes to keep things organized and updated (and doing wonders for the mod's own sanity levels), so please give them some thanks for their hard work!

REPORTING updates is still a thing that your mod and helpers beg you to do. Changes to locations, plot notes that affect the community, and discoveries should be reported over here so these can all be noted in their appropriate places. (For clarification, reported Discoveries are not public knowledge unless a character has ICly shared this information.)

A MAP of Mathias now exists, thanks to our wonderful Librarian! Please note that it is not to scale and there may be a few minor errors due to your frazzled mod. Expect updates in the future as more secrets are revealed.

BULLETIN BOARD — don't forget about it. That's all.


CLAIMING AP REWARDS
Normally, only one AP reward can be claimed per log, but due to the plethora of new and old locations to explore, this restriction is being relaxed. Instead, for this log only:
— Players may spend AP on up to three rewards, though only Spot Hidden may be repeated.
— If a player is spending multiple Spot Hiddens, they must be with different characters and in different locations.

If two characters are investigating the same location together, they may each spend a Spot Hidden on that location. Players should record their spent AP after the AP request has been approved. Sometimes there is nothing to Spot with your Hidden and the points will be "refunded" to use elsewhere.


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prevenance: (eli23)

[personal profile] prevenance 2020-12-19 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
Not much but there are some things back here that I think might help. I'm coming back.

( he gathers up some gauze, water, and a few bandages that he's found and makes his way back out to the front room. he's grateful to see that she's still sitting and that makes it easier for him to cross the room and kneel down in front of her. )

You're going to need to show me the wound, Elena.

( no, he is not going to let her do this on her own. )
descendent: (pic#14417978)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-12-19 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ she would like to keep her eyes tightly shut, thank you very much. she knows she can easily slip into a well-earned sleep, but she opens her eyes and looks at him blearily. he's not stefan, and that makes her a touch sad.

bringing her hand up to the right side of her neck where her thick hair covers it, she stupidly considers not showing him. she can look after herself, certainly... but she's refused to look in any reflective surfaces and hadn't so much as gotten up to peer at her neck and examine it while he was gone. she's scared of what she'll find.

it's very slowly that she leans forward and it's very slowly that she peels her hair—now matted with blood and sticking slightly to her wound—from her neck. she scrunches up her face as she tries to pull it over her shoulder. her wound is very clearly a bite mark, with torn skin and dried blood coating her neck and some fresh blood oozing out. ]


It's not that bad.

[ that's what she's been telling herself, at least. ]
prevenance: (eli13)

[personal profile] prevenance 2020-12-19 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
Hm.

( it's not that bad, it's true, but it's bad enough. she's not going to die but he should have made them stop so he could have looked at this a long time ago.

frowning, he leans forward, trying to smell an infection and thankfully can't. a small stroke of luck. he wishes he had rubbing alcohol but he settles for dousing one of the gauze pads in water so he can press it lightly to the wound, holding it there to try and clean it. )


Who did this to you? ( he can't stop the question from slipping out. )
descendent: (pic#14315198)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-12-19 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ wondering what he's trying to smell and if he can smell anything (damon's blood? klaus' venom? klaus?), elena makes it a point to relax. she needs to relax so he doesn't become overwhelmed with the pounding of her heart and read further into it.

elena winces as the bandage stings. she lifts her hand to press it against her wound as if the pressure will stifle how uncomfortable it feels. even if he thinks she's trying to avoid answering, she's momentarily overwhelmed by the pressure on her sensitive neck. ]


A vampire.

[ an easy and safe answer. she tilts her head to the side and feels some water trickle down her neck. ]
prevenance: (sr2pTrj)

[personal profile] prevenance 2020-12-19 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
( really, elena, really? that's the answer you're going to give him. honestly, he has headaches reserved for klaus, kol, finn, rebekah, katerina and now he's going to have one specially caused by elena gilbert.

he really needs a vacation.

elijah doesn't snap at her but he blows a noisy breath out through his noise and sits back, reaching to unwrap the bandages while she holds the gauze against her neck. )


Which vampire?

( if it had been just a random vampire, she'd tell him that. her avoiding the question tells him that he knows whoever did it to her. )
Edited 2020-12-19 02:46 (UTC)
descendent: (pic#14201044)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-12-19 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ the question she desperately wants to avoid. she meets his noisy breath with an exasperated and pointed look of her own. ]

Does it matter? They're not here.

[ she thinks to tell him it was damon, but damon had never bitten her. he'd always broken his own skin and shoved his wrist into her mouth. in a way, damon is the vampire who harmed her... he just harmed her in a way that wasn't so visible in its scarring. ]
tinstar: (Peering over yonder)

[personal profile] tinstar 2020-12-19 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Color Raylan pleasantly surprised. There was no hint of condensation or being made fun of. Raylan smirked and glanced around the ground, eyeing the possibilities.

"Nah, I've been here since day one. Ain't had much enthusiasm for meet and greets, me with no cookies and welcomin' basket." Sarcasm, obviously. "How long you been around then?"
tinstar: (Soft)

[personal profile] tinstar 2020-12-19 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
"I suppose so," Raylan granted, though it was the memories that came with it that brought him back. Helen and his mother talking in the kitchen while she made dinner, shooing him out from underfoot when he got too rambunctious.

"Not somethin' I'd expressly want either, except that we don't have it like we do at home, I think. The whole wantin' what you can't have thing. But if what you say is right, the Gull'll provide. I'd ask if you had anythin' from home you wish you had here, but I got a feelin' I know what the answer is."
abrightboy: (self deprecating smile)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-12-19 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
Malcolm glanced over with a self-conscious smile.

“Can I assume you’ve caught on that I only eat at all out of basic biological obligation?” he noted. “That being said, you make excellent scrambled eggs, which is one of the few solid foods I can tolerate,” he added.
hellblaze: <user site="plurk.com" user="silkcuts">. (work 🔥 blinded by the sun.)

[personal profile] hellblaze 2020-12-19 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
Damn this floor is like made of space rock.

— Damn straight John is going down that stairwell. What will he and Elena find for now?
tinstar: (That's funny)

[personal profile] tinstar 2020-12-19 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Don't know if that's a good or a bad thing," he admitted over his shoulder as he wandered into the kitchen and pulled down two glasses. He'd only met Five in passing, despite the man staying on his couch for a night or two, but the nights were starting to blend together again and Raylan wasn't mad about it.

Anytime they seperated, something bad happened here.

Reaching under the sink, Raylan took out a spare bottle of moonshine and poured them both generous fingers, smirking. "It's more a 'shine warms a soul up than anything else," he promised as he walked over to hand the glass to Klaus. "Don't know if you got any of this the first time around so I'll warn you, it ain't for the faint of heart. Bit like gasoline, but you get past that after a few drinks."
thering: (Doc24)

[personal profile] thering 2020-12-19 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
Nauseating. And everything in your gut will tell you something is wrong, that you shouldn't linger. [He didn't make it this far by ignoring his instincts. He would push through the fog if he knew he was in danger, if someone was lost in it. He would not wander around in there merely because he was feeling adventurous.]

That was before people started dying, too.
thering: (Doc21)

[personal profile] thering 2020-12-19 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
"I'll believe anything at this point." Stranger things have happened in this town. And if that's not what really happened but she doesn't want to tell him, he's fine with that too.

"Well we can always come back tomorrow if that's the case," he offers. He didn't have any reason to believe that whatever might have already been taken from the shelves wouldn't simply reappear the next day.

"I think a lot of places we have come across are rather similar. Some of the houses along Phillips Drive are intact, modern in ways I haven't seen before. Others right next door are a pile of rubble. Same with the library." He plucks his torch from his holster as he starts venturing in deeper, looking around past the central waiting area.
tinstar: (Default)

[personal profile] tinstar 2020-12-19 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
"More or less," he admitted with a smile before glancing over again with a lingering look. "Yeah?" The smile spread.

"Well good. We all gotta eat; I'm glad I can provide somethin' edible. Still ain't fried chicken but I guess we all gotta make sacrifices. Unless you're just sayin' that to be polite."

He hoped not.
abrightboy: (secret smile)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-12-19 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
“Oh, god no,” Malcolm said. “It’s hard to find things I can stomach when I’m not scavenging. Those eggs are sustaining my life.” He looked over. “I can eat chicken, too, but....probably not fried,” he admitted.
thering: (Doc286)

[personal profile] thering 2020-12-19 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
I do. They have moved into a house down the road from us. We are in 1306. [He's seen several pairs of people from the same place, but three is new. Dean never mentioned his last name but Claire had been here slightly longer.]

Miss Claire had... died, before. We buried her, the three of us staying at 1306. Raylan, Malcolm Bright and I. [He imagines Castiel already knows this. It must have come up in conversation around the dinner table at some point.]

I was worried about her before, but. I have been worried ever since.
bestfuneralever: (N4_106)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-19 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I think so. [He nods a bit and makes a vague 'follow me' motion to her over his shoulder, leading her up the stairs to the next floor and he slips into one of the unoccupied rooms, digging around in the closet for a moment. It's not a fashion statement, but it's at least a set of dry clothes.]

Think these'll fit? [He's really not sure, or the best at gauging things like that, so good luck, Elena.] If not, you can probably find something in there. [He jerks a thumb back toward the closet.]
bestfuneralever: (N4_92)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-19 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Agreed," he says through a soft, amused scoff.

His eyebrows lift at that. "Sounds like a promise." he practically purrs the words. He likes the sound of it, if he's honest. Even if Negan doesn't mean it that way.

No time like the present. "Oh, I knew a guy once...big into making everything himself, but- uh..." He laughs a little. "it's been awhile, and besides a bottle or two... I was sober for three years, so I have a feeling this," he reaches for the bottle presented to him. "is probably gonna knock me on my ass." Which, if the deep swig he takes from it is any indication, he is perfectly fine with happening.
bestfuneralever: (N4_98)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-19 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
[He slides to sit up on the counter, legs dangling off the edge, and leans back on his arms against the countertop.] I've been trying to figure that out. It's pretty weird. I mean, I've never been in any town, no matter how small, that didn't have a ghost or two hangin' around. It's like- like there were never people here to make ghosts? If that makes sense?

[It doesn't. He knows it doesn't. Academically, maybe. But literally? It's insane. If a town exists, people had to have lived there. And some of the houses look like people had just abruptly left, all those belongings still hanging around in the empty shell-homes.]

And there was no cemetery, no evidence of people ever having been here, 'cept whatever was in the remnants of the houses, you know? So.... no people. No bodies. No ghosts... [He shrugs.] I dunno-- It's like who-or-whatever brought us here is holding something back.
bestfuneralever: ({Curls} Drink ~ Smug)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-19 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
"Neither. Both." He laughs a little. Honestly, more a compliment than anything, but Klaus isn't the best at being up front about those sorts of things, either. Joking is better. Easier.

He lifts his eyebrows as he accepts the glass. "I didn't, so I appreciate the warning." He eyes Raylan over the glass as he takes a careful sip of the stuff. He's right. It's awful-tasting, but he's not sure he cares too much.
tinstar: (Shadowed Hat)

[personal profile] tinstar 2020-12-19 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
Raylan smirked and shrugged. "I'll take it, I suppose. Better than remindin' you of that one asshole who did you wrong one time."

His own drink had him baring his teeth slightly as he swallowed but he grinned like a vicious idiot. "Delightful, ain't it. Next batch, we can send a bottle home with you. Tempt the fates. You come over for somethin' specific or just to kick around?"
villagemodama: (sᴛᴏɴᴇ)

[personal profile] villagemodama 2020-12-19 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
The railing of the stairwell is not the most sturdy, it has clearly been around for quite some time and not well-kept. The stairway turns before long, again and again, steep stairs leading down and down. Light does not filter from the library for long, so either light will need to be created or they'll need to retreat and find something to carry to light the way before continuing.

If they follow the stairwell down, it will be a slow few minutes of careful movement, any light casting an eerie glow on the stone walls. And at the bottom, there is an entrance to a dark stone tunnel, which is three-quarters blocked by large stones.
tinstar: (Hat tippin)

[personal profile] tinstar 2020-12-19 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
"If we find the stuff, I'll make it one day, maybe we can change your mind. Might be smart to start with soups and cornbread.. Maybe we'll find somethin' Doc likes, surprise him."

Might be nice. Food seemed like the only thing he could take any comfort in, here in Mathis and he didn't realize quite how much he was leaning into it.

"You wanna hit up the Gull and then come back to the house or do you want company?"
bestfuneralever: (N4_145)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-19 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Exactly." He gestures to emphasize the point.

He smiles at the offer. "Thanks." He definitely appreciated that thought. "Fate never cared about me much anyway." he laughs and makes his way over to drape across a chair, glass in hand to sip on when he feels like. "Nothing really. Just tired of staring at the same four walls. Figured I'd stare at someone else's walls for awhile."

He points vaguely, "And look at that. No chalk on yours." He smirks a little. He adores his brother, but sometimes all the timespace equation stuff just makes him feel a liiiittle claustrophobic.
bestfuneralever: (N4_101)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-19 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
Klaus is particularly attuned to the presence of another person in the room with him; hard not to be when he spent so many years trying to escape that extra presence. So when Max comes in, he can feel it, but he doesn't look up, not even when she comes to look over his shoulder at what he's drawing. He doesn't mind, it's not like it's some secret. He's surprised it even came out as well as it did, he hadn't sketched in years.

"Hm?" He does finally look up when she speaks, trying to let his ears and his brain catch up to each other in that delayed way that happens sometimes when people interrupt a zone like that. "Oh- no, it's just... nonsense." He laughs a little. Truth is, taking a look at the whole now, he supposes Five was on his mind, but that eye isn't his brother's, either. Hmm...

"You can't sleep either, I take it?" He's had an unsettling feeling gnawing at his insides tonight, which is probably why he hasn't been able to get to sleep. He doesn't know where all the anxiety is coming from, but he doesn't like it. Especially not in a place like this.