villagelogs | 018-020 » what he hides

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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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ there's a grin when he hears that tone. not that because it's funny or entertaining, but, because he understands it. oh does he. he hates mathias township. he hates whatever is that controls this place. he hates that it fucks with their lives, their loved ones, and now their souls. it could fuck right off into hell for all he cared.

of course, he'd try to save whoever he could. dead or living.

but, he'd gladly send the whole place downwards at the moment. ]

Specters of some sort. They don't quite seem to realize we're here. Or, they do, and they're bloody good at ignoring us. Get close enough to them and they tend to just disappear.

Reminds me a bit of the fairy lights. Which, [ he clicks his tongue, ] you better hope it's not one of those.

I think I can handle it.

( the fairy lights but if he doesn't have to deal with it, all the better. he's a little more concerned about the specters, about why they're here and how.

he sighs, peering out at the lanterns and then back at the other man. )

Did you say you've already died once?

( so now elijah's going to wonder what you were, john, instead of thinking about the ghostly people out there. )

Sure, you probably can. [ He doesn't sound convinced. ] That doesn't mean you should want to.

[ John shifted uncomfortably then, letting out a low hiss. He reached up to rub at his side. Shit. Remind him to never fracture his ribs again. It's damn annoying. ]

Me and a few others fell victim to the killer fog in town. Can't say choking on my own lungs is the way I'd want to go out. [ He plays it off casually, as if it happened every other day. ] Woke up on the beach a few days later.

Killer...fog?

( elijah doesn't say anything about john's unconvincing statement about elijah's survival and elijah isn't going to share why he knows he'd survive.

besides, he's too taken by the news of an apparently killer fog. he's lived through a lot of things but a killer fog? that's new. )

You weren't able to get out of it?

Ask any of the brain-y types in town, and they'll tell you that it's the Fog itself. Some sort of gas or poison in it that causes the ah, choking to death bit.

[ He gives a half-shrug and grimaces at the motion. Damnit. This is going to get annoying. ]

It rushed me on the porch of one of the houses. Bit hard to get out of it once you're inside of it. [ His eyebrows perk up. ] If you want my opinion? I think it's something controlling the Fog. Not that you asked.

I didn't ask but I appreciate the information.

( because it gives him more information on what to avoid. thus far, the list is getting very long and he's only been here a scant few days.

that might be a record. )

And you have no idea who might be doing the controlling? There has to be someone in charge of a place like this.

Better you know then try to throw yourself in and learn the hard way.

[ he's trying to be helpful. it won't happen often. take it while you can! ]

That's what I think, mate. Not quite sure what it is yet. Yet.

The town is not that large, not from what I've seen. Whomever is doing it can't be that hard to find.

( he knows how that sounds but elijah hasn't ever been good at censoring himself. he doesn't think the person controlling this place and these circumstances could be far from this place so...

perhaps it is one of the people he's met. perhaps it's someone else. )

You've made no progress on figuring out what this place is and why it exists?

Oh, well, if you count the bastard that was at the other side of the ravine down the ways? He's good at hiding from even my magic. That says something.

[ meaning that he's bloody well tired of the games and he hasn't even been here a month.

not even a month.

he's already died.

honestly, john hates this town. ]

It's a place that existed like any other place. Something happened, now no one exists in the town. Found bits of pieces of information, but, most of it is gone to pieces and faded bits of paper.

Wonderful.

( honestly, elijah wasn't sure if there was a place that he could grow to hate more than mystic falls but just a few days in this place and he's beginning to think that mystic falls has competition.

he sighs, rubbing a hand over his brow. he's over a thousand years old and he thinks he feels his first migraine coming on. that shouldn't be possible but apparently mathias is going to make things possible.

he's so glad. )

Tell me about the man on the other side of the ravine.

Don't know too much about him. Other than the fact he's covered in shadows and very powerful. Took my shots like they were nothing and sent me a few fleet flying.

[ though, john knows he didn't pull out serious blood magic or anything extra at that level. his brain hadn't been thinking that. he's angry, and emotionally reacting, and it leads to stupid decisions every single time. ]

Now, I'm guessing you picked one of our lovely homes here as a residence?

Covered in shadows and very powerful?

( elijah ponders this and considers asking form ore but he thinks he wants to see this man for himself, witness him, because he is a powerful man himself and john's description makes him wonder if he's the man controlling this place.

he thinks that he can't be the first person to wonder this and it has to have been explored but he wants to see it for himself. )

I have. I'm staying with a...friend of mine. ( were he and elena friends? he's going with that. ) We arrived together.

[ have fun with that, elijah. come back and join the broken ribs club! john will set up memberships and they can all grump together. ]

Oh, friend. From here or home?

[ good to know, because, a bunch of them arrived together back a few weeks ago. ]

Home. I don't know if I've made any friends here.

( he doesn't even know if he can consider elena a friend from home either. elena's an acquaintance and someone who he's helped torment but a friend?

well, that isn't important. her pulls his jacket tighter around him. )

Elena Gilbert. You might have met her already. She does enjoy making her presence known.

Casual acquaintances at least. Mates are overrated.

[ he says, as if he doesn't extremely value raylan or john henry's opinions on things. he says, as if zed hasn't been there to help ground him before she disappeared again. then there's coulson, who might as well be the closest thing he has to a "coworker."

then the hargreeves brothers.

when did he get so damn involved with these people? ]

Elena! Bit young, but, fair in that fairytale sort of way. We had a bang up time in the library together.

Did you?

( was there a place in mathias that elena hadn't yet ventured? he's not her keeper, of course, but he is going to keep an eye on her as much as he can.

they know no one in this town though elena seems to be making friends left and right. he sighs. )

And how does one have a bang up job in a library? I thought libraries were more meant for quiet, studious research?

[ oh -- testy. john lets a grin crawl on his face at that. someone doesn't like the implications of a little bit of innuendo. well, how far can he take this? ]

Oh, you know. Few tables moving, some scratch marks on the floor. Bit of volume echoing between the bookcases.

Helped when the bookcase came crashing down so we could try and break the floor.

Edited 2020-12-19 10:55 (UTC)

( it's just his default state. )

You do realize she is a teenager, correct?

( and even if that's a joke, he's still going to let him in on that fact just to...make sure he keeps it in mind for future interactions. )

And I'm fairly certain she would not give you the time of day. If there was any volume echoing anywhere, it would be the sound of a book smacking off your head.

[ john chuckles at the chiding. ]

Mate, you need to lighten up. No point in being stuffy here in Mathias. The town doesn't like the idea of preconceived notions.

She's fine. Minus the big where she looks half-dead, but, that's not my fault. [ he pulls out a cigarette. ] We just took a gander at the hole I made in the floor a few weeks back. Go on and ask her how the rest the time went.

Promise, she's just as innocent as she was going in. You need to learn to take a bloody joke.

She was injured prior to her arrival

( by his own brother but details. he's not going to share that with someone he barely knows. he doubts elena would really care for him telling her business to those she doesn't know.

he doesn't address the whole 'lightening up' bit though rest assured, you weren't the first person to tell him that, john. )

You made a hole in the floor? For what reason?

( again, he's just going to not address the thing where he can't take joke. he can...when he wants to. )

I figured. Only way you look half-dead like that is if someone drains you of something. From my experience? Mathias is more about the actual killing out right, not the slow burn death.

[ though what the hell does he know? he's only died. once. ]

Why the hell else would you put a hole in a floor? To see if there is anything underneath the goddamn thing.

Edited 2020-12-24 06:00 (UTC)

Perhaps I'm just a different sort of person but I've never much cared what's underneath the floor unless there's something that gives me reason to care.

( you have a smart mouth, john. that's not very nice. )

So, was there a reason you thought there was something underneath the floor that required a hole? Or are you just that incessantly curious?

The section of the library is burned from floor to ceiling. Barely anything of the books left. I'd say that's enough reason to think maybe they were trying to get rid of something they were hiding.

[ it's usually why he gets punched. ]

Huh.

( elijah agrees with you, that does seem like they were trying to remove evidence of something. so, maybe john ha the right idea though with the way he talks, he wonders if he's found anything worthwhile. )

And did you find anything when you made said hole? Or was it just an exercise in futility?

Couldn't get through the fucking rock to get down into whatever is in there.

[ which means it was a bit of finding, a bit of exercise, a bit of just john just being a child. ]

Found a passage way inside though. Bookcase I mentioned. Though, now, we can't get through the bloody door.

[ we meaning him and elena, of course. they found it together. half-dead elena. she's a good one, her. genuine and seems a bit innocent in that sense she's seen the world for what it is, but can keep that hope that it might turn out better.

elijah's luck to have her. ]

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