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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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.

I was looking for wine, actually, and I was given this address as to where I might be able to find something.

( he holds up the glass and laughs quietly. )

And while this is definitely not wine, it's good enough. So no, I didn't come here to talk about the past and family and what their loss means. But I've enjoyed the conversation anyway.

( for as much as one could enjoy something like this. )

I haven't talked to too many new people as of late.

[Dean's been making some... fermented fruit thing, but there's no guarantee that it would taste any better or worse than the moonshine. If Raylan had turned up with some of those goods, Doc hadn't seen them yet though.]

It's a small town. Worth getting to know the folks. [You can always keep to yourself but that won't stop other people talking about you, maybe come to harass you anyway. It also means you're alone when shit goes sideways and, especially in this place? You don't want to be alone. Plenty of quiet folks who like their privacy still do well reaching out to a few trusted confidantes. At least, that was Doc's experience.]

If you need any introductions, I would be happy to assist. [He wouldn't claim to know everybody but he knows many of the usual suspects, especially those who have been here as long as he has.]

For the moment, I believe I'm fine. I don't need to know everyone but those that I need to meet, I'm sure I'll meet in due time.

( but he does appreciate the offer and shows his gratefulness with a slight smile and a nod of his head. )

How many people would you estimate are here? Just for my own information.

Twenty, maybe twenty five. [If he thinks about it hard enough he could say he knows almost all of them. But it always feels like there are more people than he knows, whether that's because this small town has an influx of paranormal strangers or otherwise.]

At the very least, if there is an incident, word will travel fast. [Small blessings, to offset the cons of small and remote town life.] Rest assured that while we have not found a means of escape yet, we would not sit idle in these houses we are squatting in if something were to happen to one or two of us.

No, I didn't think you would. I doubt there's very many people who would want to be here for the entirety of their lives.

( elijah's spent a lot of time in undesirable places but he thinks that mathias make be at the top of the list of place he would not want to call home.

so, he's glad to hear that people aren't idly sitting by and just letting things play out. )

And does anyone have any theories on what might have brought us here or what keeps us here?

Oh I could think of a few worse places to spend eternity. [Admittedly it is not a thought he has dwelled on all that often these days, but this place does lend easily to some negative thoughts.]

Unfortunately no answers have turned up on that front, that I know of. The who and why, at least. [Although he may be the wrong person to ask on that front - he doesn’t care so much for those questions.] There does not seem to be a way out. We cannot traverse through the fog and there has been no transport in or out that we have seen. [People just... show up. Much in the way the two of them had.]

( the fog, again. no matter what he asks, that seems to be one of the things that appears in all of the thoughts that others have when questioned.

which he takes to mean that the fog is somehow important to what's keeping them there. )

Because when people have tried to traverse through the fog, they die.

( does he have that right? they die and sometimes they come back or they don't. )

Fog has never been an impenetrable barrier where I come from. It can be thick and confusing but you can get through it. Which makes me curious about this fog.

That is our general understanding of fog, yes. [Doc hasn't yet met anyone who thinks a killer fog is normal. The worst it does is cause some accidents, due to low visibility. Nowadays more so than it used to in the past, with how fast everyone's going, always in a hurry.]

I do hope you aren't planning on trying anything. [It is not a challenge, nor should it be taken lightly. And the last thing he wants to do is bury another body.]

I haven't made any plans.

( not yet, at least. that doesn't mean he's not thinking of making a plan. he can't help but be curious and he thinks that if there's anyone who won't end up dead by going into the fog, it's him.

he is, after all, already dead. )

You shouldn't worry about me, though. Even if I do decide to see the fog for myself, I'll be fine.

[Doc sighs through his nose. As though he hasn't heard that one before. If you happened to be trapped in the fog, if you didn't know what it was capable of, that is one matter. To knowingly get yourself killed - he has endless patience for a great many things. He does not think he has patience for that.]

Suit yourself, son. [He has done what he can to warn others of the danger.]

( elijah can't stop a laugh from slipping out at someone calling him, of all people, son. he probably has centuries on this man and here he is, being made to feel young. )

I do appreciate the concern but if I do choose to go and see this fog for myself, I will be fine.

( he holds up the empty glass of moonshine. )

I survived this, didn't I?

Most people did. But I appreciate that you did not throw up all over my floor. [He can't say the same for a few of the other people he might be inclined to call 'son' when they imbibed his moonshine that other night.]

You are welcome to take a few bottles with you, unpalatable though it may be. We are always making more.

I appreciate that. I might take a bottle or two though I am going to have to hide it. My current roommate is a little young.

( he's sure that elena's had alcohol before but he doubts she's had this sort of alcohol and he doesn't want to be the one that makes her sick.

he'll just stow the bottles away and use them when needed. )

That's very kind of you. If I can assist you in anyway, do let me know. I'm sure I can help.

You don't want them getting their hands on that then. [He hasn't seen anyone younger than Miss Ellie, but then, he's only just met Elijah Mikaelson, so he might have missed a handful of other people showing up.]

As long as you come hollering the moment you find a way out, consider us even. [That's all Doc wants, is to get everyone home safe.]

You have my word.

( and while elijah doesn't offer his hand, he does incline his head in a nod. if he were to find a way out, he would share it with everyone here because no one should be trapped here against their will.

he would wish that on no one. )

Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sure I'll be back for more. Hopefully not too soon since I intend to make these last.

This door is always open to anyone. I do also keep a stock of first aid kits, should medical attention be required. [You don't normally get strong homebrew and neat stitches from the same place, but. Small town being what it is, the people being who they are, if nothing else it should be convenient.]

Though I would strongly discourage any dangerous activities, of course. [He has first aid kits, not scalpels and tweezers on a sterile operating table. There are already enough troublemakers here using up those kits as it is.]

I will endeavor to keep myself free of any danger, I can assure you. I've no desire to end up a victim of this strange town.

( that doesn't mean he's not going to explore and try and figure just what he's gotten himself into but he will try and be safe. he wasn't his headstrong brother, after all. )

Thank you, again, for your kindness. I do appreciate it and I look forward to seeing you again.

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018-020 » what he hides

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