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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enduresurvive: (guuuurl)

[personal profile] enduresurvive 2021-01-02 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ellie's eyes go wider with each of those words. Witch. Archangel. God? Seriously? This magic crap is way too much for her. ]

Wait, wait, hold on. You do magic too? Fuck, is anyone in this town, like, not a magic guy?
vampirebats: (pic#14493371)

[personal profile] vampirebats 2021-01-02 07:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, I know, but... they gotta mean something, right? Shit doesn't happen for no reason." Not this sort of shit, anyway.
vampirebats: (pic#14493366)

[personal profile] vampirebats 2021-01-02 07:39 am (UTC)(link)
Hey, not his fault he's antsy. He could be dying over here or something... but whatever Doc is writing, it's not terribly interesting. Well, maybe the signature catches his eye, but he doesn't pry right now.

He'd been hoping for a little hot and heavy, old timey notes maybe.

He huffs out a sigh as he straightens up, idly paces a little. "Well, in my world? You get really fucking sick and then you die. You come back alive with a hell of an appetite then."

So, you know... deathly ill is a good sign. "Whatever's left of you... it's not really you anymore. Just a goddamn corpse wandering around."
vampirebats: (pic#14493366)

[personal profile] vampirebats 2021-01-02 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
"Crazy's always the easy part. Keeping your goddamn head's the hard one." And he's not always sure which he's managed to do, but that's not something to dwell on now.

"Have a feeling this place wants us batshit crazy as it can get us." Or maybe he's just paranoid. either way, he's following along.

"Man, been a long time since I've been back to any sort of school. This is a trip."
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (mist above)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2021-01-02 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
I don't do magic. I can do magic if I need to. I leave the magic to my little brother.

( Which is also probably misleading. )
descendent: (pic#14417981)

[personal profile] descendent 2021-01-02 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ elena does her best to pick up the rack her mind still a flurry of activity thinking about worlds and angels and an angel being here. ]

Does he have a halo?

[ she's like a dog with a bone. ]
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (oh no did that hurt)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2021-01-02 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, same for me. It's gone.

( He brings his hands up before jogging back. )

This is not what spirits do.
vampirebats: (pic#14493361)

[personal profile] vampirebats 2021-01-02 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Coal miner too, huh?" Damn, there were some unique guys around here, huh? He uncovers another stone and gives it a throw.

"I don't deny that... just. Man, I was dealing with enough freaky shit, now we got ghosts and demons and goddamn gods. It's been a hell of a trip. But I guess it is interesting." Sort of.

"Negan. You?"
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (intent and study)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2021-01-02 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
Don't ask to see his angel form, we don't need anybody going blind here. He has a trench coat.

( Is that enough? It's easier to move the rack as it pushes along the snow and not into or against it. )
descendent: (pic#14280606)

[personal profile] descendent 2021-01-02 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ she wants to ask why, but elena stops herself. technically, the rack does. it takes a lot out of her to move it after her ordeal back home, but she wants to act like she's fine, so this is making her feel a little fine.

voice strained, she chuckles lightly. ]
How did you even meet an angel?
descendent: (pic#14417969)

[personal profile] descendent 2021-01-02 10:02 am (UTC)(link)
It's comforting that his first instinct isn't to rip open his wrist and offer her blood to heal her. This can almost be considered normal.

While she wants to watch him or at least offer to hold her old bandage, she finds herself stuck. She stares at him, eyes narrowing as she tries to do the math in her head. 2017 is in her future, not her past.

"That's in seven years," she says, sounding surprised. She's so used to people being from the past that being from the future is… "It's 2010… in Mystic Falls. How—" Elena shakes her head.

It's easier to settle on something she does know. With an incredulous laugh, she regards him with an amused smile. "You are probably the safest oldest person I've been around aside from Elijah today."

She trusts his information. Perhaps she shouldn't trust every kind person she meets, but she would like to think she has a good read on people who mean her harm by now.
descendent: (pic#14418068)

[personal profile] descendent 2021-01-02 10:21 am (UTC)(link)
But I took the lantern. If I hadn't taken the lantern, the spectre would still be here to do… whatever it is they're doing.

[ she looks to the side as if a spectre will appear in the corner, lit up like a firefly. none come by. she shakes her head, peering into the darkness like it's capable fo giving her an answer. her heart races in her chest; this is her fault. if she had left the lantern in the snow like everyone else did, then they wouldn't have been out here.

then they wouldn't know something dangerous is out there. a part of elena is glad to have witnessed it, but the portion of her that feels guilty over causing any harm is louder. ]


They probably left the lanterns behind so we'd look after them and leave them where they were.
thering: (Doc200)

[personal profile] thering 2021-01-02 12:52 pm (UTC)(link)
If Doc is writing hot and heavy old timey notes Negan can be sure that he would be doing so alone, away from the all seeing eyes of nosey individuals clad in leather jackets and attitude.

"Alright. So we'll just wait until we die." Doc swallows and nods, crossing his legs at the ankles as he leans back against the table he'd been writing on previously. Maybe today can be a cheat day and they'll have two cigarettes. They might not live past tonight after all. And to think, he had fought pretty hard to win against tuberculosis, time and proverbial and literal demons to make it this far, just to be claimed by a room full of spores.

"You must feel better off here. None of that to worry about, whatever is happening inside the museum aside. Abandoned homes and working appliances, a so far endless supply of food. Decent people." They haven't turned on each other yet, even if it might still be early days to be proclaiming that.
thering: (Doc199)

[personal profile] thering 2021-01-02 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"Heh. Sorry, sweetheart, but I do find it amusing you find the year 2017 more peculiar than the 166 years since 1851." Mostly everyone else has latched on to the fact that the years don't quite add up to the fact that Doc looks like he stopped aging for well over a century.

He redresses her wound, taping the gauze over as neatly as he can. Her hair is in a bit of a mess, but there's not much they can do about it here.

"Elijah?" He hasn't met anyone by that name yet. Turning around briefly to close the first aid kit up, Doc grabs another wet towel and wrings it dry in one hand before reaching over her shoulder to curl his fingers around behind a clump of matted hair and pull it forward, wrapping the wet towel around it and giving it a light squeeze to try and loosen and break up the blood partially dried and tangled within it.
aprofoundbond: (They still say I'm a dreamer)

[personal profile] aprofoundbond 2021-01-02 01:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, I believe we finally made it so. It's still a work in progress, I think. But it's vastly improved over what it used to be. [Now that Heaven is open, with people free to roam and connect with all of their loved ones, Castiel truly feels as though Heaven lives up to its promises of Paradise. Castiel is grateful that Jack worked with him to help reshape Heaven; he feels truly proud and accomplished at everything they were able to achieve.

He quirks a wry smile at Henry's next question.] The original design was very flawed. Used to be that Heaven was personalized for each individual in that you were always alone, reliving your best memories for the rest of eternity, with special exceptions for certain soulmates who could be together. It sounds nicer than it actually was. Heaven is now open, and people can visit with who they like, making new memories for themselves forever. No more reliving the same moments over and over again.
aprofoundbond: (Wait here then)

[personal profile] aprofoundbond 2021-01-02 01:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you the only one capable of stopping them back home?

[He asks, more curious than anything else. Castiel is used to dealing with egos of every size, usually mostly from his own brethren. And if Constantine has the ability to back up his ego, that makes said ego a bit more tolerable, in Castiel's experience.

At the mention of Manny 'flapping off like a bastard,' Castiel can't help but smile; he's made his fair share of hasty exists on Sam and Dean more times than he can count; he feels a sort of kinship with this Manny, hearing about him flying off like this.

He follows as Constantine opens the door, walking into the school building with both eyes and ears as alert as he can make them. He desperately hopes they aren't about to stumble upon a room full of young bodies.]
aprofoundbond: (Nerdy dude with wings)

[personal profile] aprofoundbond 2021-01-02 02:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[Castiel arches an eyebrow at Dean, biting back a smile. Even after all these years of experience with angels, he still seems to see them through a lense of partial innocence.] More than you would expect. Not as raunchy or explicit as human jokes, to be sure. Have you read all of the Bible, Dean? There's a lot more sex in it than people assume, particularly the Song of Solomon. Enochian humor is like that.

[He frowns at the mention of hauntings involving time travel. Now that is a new one, even for him.] No, I can't say that I have. Do you think that's what this is?
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (hard not to be angry at you)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2021-01-02 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I know. ( He's not a scholar, but he boned up. ) Everyone beget everyone. And knowing.

( Lotta people in the Bible knew each other. )

Cas, I don't know what this is. None of us do. I'm just spitballing. You warming up?
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (that pierces)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2021-01-02 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
( Dean is all concentration now, backing them up and both glancing behind while also lifting his side of the rack. But, it doesn't mean he can't multitask. )

I uh - I was pulled out of Hell because there was more work to do. God wasn't done with me yet. I was in Hell, because I sold my soul to bring my brother back from the dead. Not that I don't deserve Hell. But, I cemented it. Invisible hell hounds ripped me apart. ...A few months later, I crawled out of my grave, had this big handprint on my shoulder. A few days later, I met Cas in person. He tried communicating like the angel he is but, he blinded our psychic and blasted all the windows in this gas station I found. It's why angels need a vessel.

( Unfortunately, Dean's explanations range from in depth to terse, and with Dean concentrating so hard, his mouth just keeps running. )
abrightboy: (consider this)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-01-02 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, I mean... we don't know that. They could be playing with us. But, on the other hand? Occam's Razor would suggest that they do serve a purpose of some sort."

He riffled a couple of more cupboards, grabbing a few blank notebooks. Might come in handy in the investigation, so they could keep track of things.

"You seem pretty comfortable with the idea of abandoned buildings. Is that common where you're from?"
prevenance: (150loFu)

[personal profile] prevenance 2021-01-02 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
That's one man's opinion. I think I was a merely curious new arrival to this place, hoping for guidance on how to get around.

( yes, that's it exactly. he smiles easily at dean. )

Do you always get so flustered when you're questioned?
prevenance: (nIJJ70t)

[personal profile] prevenance 2021-01-02 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
And it's a question that I've answered. Finn and I are not close. He was the oldest and thus, he was more serious, more...stern.

( he'd grown up with just their parents for awhile, until the other siblings came along and it showed. )

But, you don't have to worry either which way, Elena, because Finn will not be standing above you, staring down at you and giving you nightmares.
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (happy to kick your ass)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2021-01-02 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
No. I'm a cucumber.

( Way to claim plausible deniability, Elijah. )

You want guidance? Stay in after dark. Avoid fog. Answer the phone.
prevenance: (eli01)

[personal profile] prevenance 2021-01-02 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Elena, Elena.

( elijah steps in front of her, reaching for her shoulders and trying to get her to focus on him. he doesn't want her to spiral out of control and end up losing herself in the sadness that she's going to feel about this.

he's not going to let that happen. )


You. Didn't. Know. And you cannot blame yourself for doing something you thought was helpful in an unfamiliar place. If you didn't do it, someone else would. You are not responsible.
vampirebats: (pic#14493440)

[personal profile] vampirebats 2021-01-02 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sounds like a plan, sure." Hopefully they don't. He feels pretty good still. He settles across from Doc after a moment and considers that. Does he feel better off here?

"Back home, I knew what I was dealing with... Here? I haven't got a fucking clue. Not sure how I feel about that, but... can't say I mind getting to take an actual hot shower regularly." You don't know how much you fucking miss the little things when you don't have them.

"But there are decent people. Maybe we can keep breathing, make sure they stay alive."