018-020 » what he hides

[villagemod]

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

Comments

[prevenance]

Because it's...locked?

( that's what he would assume, at least. most doors that are locked are easily taken care of by the likes of him but that's also not something he's prepared to reveal just yet.

besides, going in and kicking doors down might make him seem a little like a barbarian and he doesn't want that. )

Or is there something else that's keeping the door from being opened?

[hellblaze]

Covered halfway in stone. Figured it wasn't best to chance our health further trying to go at it at the moment.

[ he'll go back at some point. probably a few days once things have settled. once he's slept. he's got the feeling it isn't as simple as inserting a key and turning it.

nothing in mathias is. ]

[prevenance]

Yes, that would be an obstacle.

( stone isn't usually much of a deterrent for him but he's beginning to wonder if this place might be different. so, he doesn't make the offer to find this door and try and brute force his way through it. )

I suppose that it's too much to ask of this town to be able to find pickaxes and the like somewhere convenient, hm?

[hellblaze]

[ maybe someday, elijah. it'll be a blast! ]

Haven't found anything of the like yet, but, suppose you could say never say never. Few shovels are around the area I think.

[prevenance]

Better than nothing, I suppose. There's very few things that are impenetrable, though.

( it could very well be that there was nothing behind that rock and stone but, from personal experience, most of the time if someone wants something to stay buried, they hide it and do their very best to make sure no one gets through. )

I would suggest explosives but if there aren't any pickaxes around, I doubt those are very abundant either.

( it could be that he's joking. he's probably joking. )

[hellblaze]

[ a slow smirk crawls across his face. ]

Now, there's a euphemism.

[ he's like twelve. ]

Haven't found any, but, I haven't really gone looking for them yet. Not something they keep at the general store. Although, making them...

[prevenance]

You're very juvenile, sometimes.

( he doesn't mean it as a slight, though. he just means it as a fact and he even accompanies it with a smile. )

You've experience with making explosives? Now, there is a skill that could come in handy. Though, I don't know that many people would enjoy sudden explosions going off.

[hellblaze]

Sometimes? [ he chuckles. ] Oh, it's more than sometimes, mate.

[ to which, on that note? john holds his hand out to the other man. ] John Constantine. Exorcist, demonologist, and occasional dabbler of the Dark Arts.

[ to that he makes a bit of a face. ] Not the traditional sort of explosives. The magical sort? I could bang out something if we had the right things.

[prevenance]

And what sorts of things do you need, then?

( not that elijah's going to be able to get anything in this town since there's not too many witches setting up shop here. it won't be as easy as going down to the quarter and getting what he needs. )

I have no way of getting those things, I'm sure, but indulge me. I'm curious. It's been some time since I've met a dabbler in the Dark Arts.

[hellblaze]

[ ...alright, so, he wasn't expecting a real question to that. shit. now he has to think of what he'd need. ]

Seems like Mathias misplaced her 'How To Blow Mysterious Doors With A Magical Cherry Bomb' guidebook.

[ a pause then... and he reconsiders. ] Magic isn't unheard of in your reality? Well, this makes it all a bit easier, doesn't it?

Suppose we could try to find something flammable in the flower shop. Something that can conduct energy well enough. Vegetable oil will have to do, I suppose. We haven't found proper anointed oil yet. [ yes, he sounds annoyed. ] After that, get something that can make a big impression with the explosion. I wonder if any of these houses have a rice cooker in them.

[prevenance]

Magic isn't at all uncommon.

( witches were something he was familiar enough with. some liked it, some hated him, but their magic was something he was very familiar with.

he'd rather avoid feeling their wrath if he can help it. it always gives him a headache. )

Well, your ingredients don't sound as difficult to get as some spells I've come across. But, it would be quite easier to accomplish if there was a convenient shop located nearby.

[hellblaze]

For most people here it is.

[ good thing john's wrath is never really magical based. it's more petty. ]

That's just because I'm avoiding real magic. All magic has a price, which you probably know. Bigger the spell the bigger the blow back. I need to live to see the ripe old age of thirty-six.

[ meaning that it's not... as easy as you'd think. doing magic here in mathias. ]

You know, you're supposed to share your name in return when I've given you mine.

[prevenance]

Elijah.

( he nods. he supposes he could give his last name since it's not going to hold the same sort of power it has back where he comes from but he decides not to. )

Does all your magic require some sort of dark object? Or do you have offensive or defensive spells that you can use without the use of objects?

( less about elijah, more about you, john. )

[hellblaze]

[ elijah. fine enough by him. ]

Not usually. Sometimes, I might need a bit something extra. Never hurts to have an extra punch in your back pocket. But, usually, I go the old fashion route. Barriers, wards. Enough of your own energy can go a long way either way.

[prevenance]

Hm.

( that sounds a little more familiar. witches he knew definitely used different ingredients for different spell but for the most part, they could throw spells around with their hands an their own power.

they were powerful and they were dangerous. )

Better your energy than mine. I believe my energy is better served elsewhere. Far away from dark objects and those that wield them.

[hellblaze]

Not much of a fan of deep magic, me. Always comes with too high of a price for my liking... and someone always pays it.

[ and it's always the people around him that seem to pay that price. ]

[prevenance]

Yes, I can see how that could be the case. Most of the time, if you take, you have to give in another area.

( and magic was no different. he sighs, rubbing his chin. )

And here, from what I know, the price might be quite high. I suppose it's a balancing act of how much to do and if the price is worth it.

[hellblaze]

My guess is that whatever they brought upon themselves, or other brought upon them? The town paid the price. Either by being feasted upon, sacrificed, or simply unmade. Not the best options, but, they're the first that come to mind.

[prevenance]

Not the best options but those are...definitely options that I can see happening especially with the state of things.

( this reminds him of croatoan, of how people had just disappeared one day and left little behind. )

And who's to say that won't happen again? To us.