villagelogs | 018-020 » what he hides

Entry tags:

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.

navigation | faq | setting | mod contact

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Doc looks pointedly up towards the shelf of unlabeled moonshine bottles, expecting his gaze to be easy enough to follow. Given this is a face he doesn't recognise it is quite possible that this is the latest unfortunate soul to be gracing them with his presence. Their little open bar gathering feels like a long time ago, now.]

We have been making some homebrew. It's... well no one's died or gone blind from drinking it yet but it might be a little too harsh for you. [No offense son but you don't look like you could handle the way it burns or puts hairs on your chest. Doc isn't sure what other conclusion to draw with a youthful face and a city boy look. Nobody drinks it for that warm, enriching aroma of gasoline.] You should be done after a couple glasses. [Whether that looks like rolling on the floor or sobbing over his mother or passed out flopped over the armrest of the couch.]

( oh, that sounds like a challenge. or maybe it's a warning but to elijah's ears, it sounds like a challenge. he can't help but stand a little straighter, pulling his jacket around him to button it instinctively. )

And you're basing that entirely on what?

( oh, he knows. )

My appearance? You think I wouldn't be able to handle it because of how I look?

( it has to be that since elijah hasn't done anything else to give him any idea of who he is and how he is. )

Well, the technique does need a little more refining. It hasn't been aged, hence the lack of colour. [Doc gives the young man another once-over at the mention of his appearance. Everybody gangsta until they crack open a bottle and take a sip of some moonshine. And then they're making faces, going pale, and he's trying not to shake his head thinking about the cleanup efforts involved when they start throwing up all over his floor. He's not intimidated by the posturing.]

You look like a refined young gentleman. Last time we cracked a few bottles open it had not gone down particularly well with the-... [What was the word they like to use? Millennium?] Younger crowd. [Ambling into the kitchen, Doc fetches a bottle off the shelf and turns to hold it out.]

In any case, you are welcome to it. Just thought I should warn you. [This ain't no hippie organic quinoa-infused kombucha with floral overtones shit.]

It's been quite some time since someone's called me a young gentleman.

( it actually makes him laugh because if this man only knew exactly how old he was. elijah's not in a rush to tell him because he's amused enough to let it fly for now. )

How old are you, if you don't mind me asking, that you think I'm young?

( he has the look of someone from the past, an old fashioned sort that doesn't exist in this day and age. maybe that's just his style or maybe it's something else. )

I'll have a glass and it it decimates me, I will not hold it against you. It will have been my own fault.

( but he's pretty sure he'll be fine. )

Old enough for your peers to be calling me 'old man'. [Actually he believes the word one of them used was 'ew'. Not that he had been serious about hitting on someone barely a few years more than a tenth of his age at the time.

Doc moves around the kitchen counter to fetch a couple of glasses from a cupboard he knows well by now. He wouldn't mind handing over the whole bottle, but sometimes strangers think others harbour ill intentions, so he's pouring a small one out for himself to prove it isn't actual drain cleaner. For his new friend, a respectful three finger serving.]

I never got your name, sir. Mine is Henry. John Henry. [He places the fuller glass on the other side of the counter, leaving the bottle open. The smell is eyewateringly potent and it goes down like a grenade but he probably makes it look easy, raising his glass and knocks his small portion back.]

Elijah Mikaelson.

( his last name isn't known here save for by one person so he expects no reaction. it's strange to have that happen for the first time in a long time but elijah thinks he might be able to work it to his advantage.

his eyes flick down to the glass and he picks it up. the smell is potent, almost enough to make him turn away but he refuses to do so to prove this man wrong. he's had moonshine and mead before so he thinks he'll be able to stomach this unless someone's slipped vervain into the mix. )

Before I drink this, what have you been using to make it? What am I about to put into my body in the hopes of enjoying a glass of alcohol?

[Doc turns the empty glass over to demonstrate he's downed it all before setting the glass down the right way up.]

It is made from cornmeal. Only other ingredients are sugar and yeast. [Water of course. And time. The recipe predates him; it is just how homebrew was 'always made', so he wouldn't know if it was something from the 1800s or before.]

Haven't yet died from drinking it. [And trust him, he's been drinking it plenty.]

Then, I think I'll be fine.

( this didn't appear to mixed with the white oak ash dagger pieces so he thinks he'll be fine. he doesn't down the whole thing at once though. he's not a barbarian, he does have some manners.

instead, he gives it a sniff and then takes a sip. it is very strong and he can see why the warning was there. it burns his throat and sets his lungs alight but he survives. )

Has anyone else died?

( the statement seems to suggest so. )

From drinking this? No. [It might be a jab, but he's fairly good humoured about it. He did warn him, after all, that it wasn't going to be particularly pleasant.]

There is something nefarious lurking in the fog though, should you wish to be venturing out in bad weather alone. A few among us have-... been caught unaware by it, before. [Hard to explain how they died and then, well, did not. Or came back. Or whatever it is. He's still not certain if they came back quite the same as before they had gone.]

Yes, I've heard about...the fog.

( elijah's not sure what to think of it though. he doesn't think that so many people would band together to lie about something like a fog but it's still hard to believe.

elijah stares down into the glass and then takes another sip, jaw working back and forth. )

Have you been among the ones who've died and been resurrected?

[Oh, good, someone else has broken that news to him, so the old man with the black hat and the dated mannerisms doesn't have to.]

Not in that way. [He busies himself bringing his glass to the sink and washing it, back mostly but not completely turned to the stranger. It is rude, for one. Possibly not safe to do so, either; this little township has been going the extra mile to make them feel unsettled, unsafe.]

A young lady did not manage to return, like the others, so I would not advise testing it.

Hm.

( telling someone like elijah that means he is absolutely going to set out and try and figure this out. maybe not right away but he will. he cannot let something so curious go unchecked.

he takes another sip of the alcohol, feeling its burn slide down his throat. it's quite strong and while he can feel the threat of drunkenness if he drank too much, he feels fine for the moment. )

But you've experienced the fog? What was it like?

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.

But they come back.

( or at least, some come back. he'd mentioned that one person hadn't returned but others have. he looks down at the glass, at the liquid within it and hums quietly. )

Are they different when they come back? Has death affected them in any way?

I do not know them well enough to say for certain. [It may be wrong, thinking it a small blessing that the people he knows better made it fairly unscathed, but that train of thought does bubble to the surface from time to time.]

They seem the same. The trauma of it all aside. Why do you ask? [Was Elijah expecting... zombies or something?]

No reason.

( oh, there were many reasons but those were reasons he wasn't willing to get into right now with a near complete stranger.

so, he keeps it to himself even if his lack of answer is probably answer enough. he sighs, looking around the home he's certainly in and thinking of what he wants to ask next. )

Is resurrection very common where you're from or have you had plenty of time to get used to it happening here that it doesn't surprise you?

[Doc had been more worried about the toll it would have taken on them and their loved ones, mentally and emotionally. He hasn't yet had any reason to suspect they were more... undead, in some way. Demonic or... what have you.]

It was a surprise. [They had scared the bajesus out of him when they first started popping up. He was disappointed, not to see Jill return in the same way.]

But there are many things I do not understand. I would not presume to know what truly happens when our time has come. Maybe we are all already dead. [Doc shakes his head a bit and shrugs. Maybe he's just- lost it and snapped and none of them actually exist except for strange manifestations inside his own head. Either one of those scenarios would certainly explain a few things.]

( well, elijah knows for a fact that he is dead and any resurrection is just going to bring him back to his state of undead vampirism. so, he doesn't really fear death. not anymore.

what he fears are things that he will not tell a soul because he doesn't want people knowing the things that can cut him down. his family is hunted enough for what they are in new orleans, he doesn't want that to happen here. )

You are not afraid of death?

( a rare thing for a human. most that he's spoken with seem to have at least a slight fear of dying and what comes after. )

I am. [He hasn't beaten it so much as he has cheated his way out of it, and even then his eternal longevity comes with its own set of limitations. He knows he isn't destined to wind up someplace nice once he's gone. Any man with a list of sins as long as Doc's, who knows what he knows, would want to stay alive as long as possible.]

I would think we all are. If not our own then someone else's death. But if today is the day, then. Today is the day. What can I do about it? I make my own luck, where I can, but the luck is still in the draw. [Sometimes you get a good hand. Sometimes you get a real shitty one. And even playing the hell out of the cards don't make that hand you got any better than the one you might have deserved to be getting.

Elijah might think him a simple man, accepting these circumstances as truths, not fighting against them. It's fine. He's been called worse things. And sometimes he's just tired of fighting.]

( it is a rather simple way of thinking but that's not a bad thing. elijah sometimes wishes his life were a little simpler where he could think like that but it's not.

still, he admires people who are comfortable with themselves and can accept their fate so easily. )

I would hope today is not that day because that might mean it's caused by this moonshine and since I've tasted it as well, I might succumb too.

( poison is such a pain to endure even for him. )

Death has terrified me in the past but I've grown accustomed to the fact that it will happen. I more fear leaving my family alone than anything.

A number of us have had a few bottles of the stuff. I think you'll be fine. ['A few', he says. Probably one of the biggest understatements he's made since he got here. If nothing else, it might at least give Elijah a bit more of an iron gut.]

Well I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to think that anyone would care much when I am gone. But if they do I would hope that they will remember the good times, and that they will look after themselves, and each other. Remember the lessons, carry on without regrets. Not much else we can hope for. [This line of conversation is familiar. Number Five echoed similar sentiments. Doc understands the need to protect. The compulsion to not let others make the same mistakes he did. But he is also acutely aware that he can't always be there, in several places at once. He needs to get better at just letting go, at letting whatever happens happens instead of fighting against fate, time, the natural order of things.]

An admirable sentiment. I don't know if my family would remember me quite in that fashion but it's nice to imagine.

( his family is chaotic on the best day but, underneath it all, he knows they love each other. he just knows that some remembrance might be difficult because of decisions he's made in the past.

he has regrets but he cannot change anything now. )

You have no family? ( curiosity not surprise tinges his tone. ) No one waiting for you wherever you've come from?

[He has people he cares about. The Earp girls, in particular. But they're family to each other. He? He's... beyond being their protector, the undead guy who just won't leave, he's not sure what he's worthy of being, to them. He does think of them as found family, to some degree, but he certainly doesn't think he's deserving of being regarded in the same way in return.]

They're all gone. Been gone a long time now. [He doesn't expect anyone else to understand, even if Elijah happens to be one of very few around here who could understand.]

I'm sorry to hear that.

( he can understand the pain of loss even if his family members tend to not stay dead. he's still had to deal with their losses, even for a short time so to have to deal with it permanently is...an immense task that he doesn't know if he's up for.

it will happen but he hopes it doesn't happen for a long, long time. )

It never quite goes away, does it? The sting of that kind of loss? It mutes and it becomes more subdued but it's one of those things that tends to stay around for the entirety of your life.

It comes and goes. That is the nature of that particular beast. [He meets people all the time that he knows will come and go, too. To say it bothers him all that much would go against the image he tries to portray of himself as some kind of strong, unaffected asshole. He feels guilty sometimes, outliving them all, and not being able to remember all their faces as clearly as when they had been alive. He doesn't know how to untangle grief from guilt from regret. Far easier to just push everything into a bottle of bootleg liquor and be done with it.]

But I doubt you came here to dredge up all this history. I only wish there were more pleasant topics that this town would give us to discuss.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject