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.

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Comments

[hellblaze]

Not yet, but, given I'm here? They might.

[ That's as egotistical as it sounds. Heaven recruited him for a reason -- right? That means they can't really stave it off without him -- right? Then again, he wonders, if he's just being used as a pawn in it all. Oh, sure, he'd eventually get a wiff of it and go hunting. All Manny did really was speed up the process. ]

They were a bit more grey then pearly white, but, yeah. He flapped off like a bastard more than once.

Though, most the time, he just hitched a ride. Like you are.

[ John doesn't answer the wondering. Instead, he opens the door and slips inside. Anything involving children gets him instantly engaged. It makes him angry. ]

[aprofoundbond]

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.]

[hellblaze]

Apparently the only one that Heaven felt would be easy enough to wrangle into it. I break rules, Feathers. I push when you probably shouldn't. Honestly? I'm just a bastard.

[ He imagines its namely because he's one of the few that are insane enough to go after this fight. He'd fight it anyways. It's the fact he's got a damned soul dangling over his head. Manny knew in an instant that John would jump to his feet to save himself - to save Asta. ]

I wonder if we can find the grades of the valedictorians.

[aprofoundbond]

Sounds like Heaven is lucky to have you.

[As sarcastic as that may come across, Castiel finds that he actually means it. In his experience, it's always the 'just a bastard' types who end up saving the whole damn day.

He actually smiles at hearing Constantine describing pushing the rules; hearing him say that actually endears him to Castiel more, and it's a sign of how far Castiel has come since his initial existence as a mere soldier of God that he now so openly appreciates anyone flaunting the rules. But then, he thinks, that's life, isn't it? Finding ways around elements that try and trap you in.]

I break rules too. Sort of a habit from getting too close to humans, but I don't regret it, not for a single moment.

[He doesn't know what to expect or find in this school, but, oddly, he finds himself glad he isn't exploring it alone.]

Perhaps. Would also finding the subjects they studied here prove useful, do you think?

[hellblaze]

Maybe. Or, it's just another way to get me to do the dirty work they won't do.

[ He doesn't much like the idea of being in the good notes of Heaven as an ally. To get his soul free? Oh, sure. No problem. On speed dial for Heaven to call whenever a cat is in a tree an angel won't say? No, not his scene. ]

Well, Daddy must not mind too much. You still get to flap about with us lowly mortals.

[ John isn't a fan of this school. Not that he's a fan of Mathias period. Still, when evil touches children? That's when a line is crossed. John is an outright bastard. He'll betray someone, kick them in the bollocks, and not look back as he runs away and leave them to their fate.

Children though.... children are innocent. ]

Beyond knowing who is here? No. I'm just a nosy prick.

[aprofoundbond]

[Unfortunately, Castiel has to concede that Constantine makes an extremely valid point; the Heaven he describes is a Heaven Castiel is all too familiar with, the kind of Heaven that prides itself on the work of others.] A fair point. I can only speak for my own experiences in my own Heaven, but the old Heaven was very much like you describe.

[He winces, both at the use of the word 'Daddy' and just thinking about Chuck in general.] As it happens, God doesn't care much what I do. Or he didn't, anyway. [He shrugs. And, in the end, from what Castiel understands, his defiance came to bite Chuck right in the ass.

He nods, keeping an eye out for anything that might prove useful.] I imagine that's a skill that comes in quite handy here.

[hellblaze]

I figure it's all the same Heaven. Just how it functions changes from one side of the multiverse to the next. Don't see why there'd be multiples of the Almighty. Then again, who am I to say? I'm just a bloke in a trenchcoat who sends demons back to where they belong.

[ John is abrasive, rude, and honestly not too delicate about emotions. Most people learn to roll with his snide remarks. Especially when they get directed at himself. ]

Suppose it does. Until you get nosy in the affairs of the living. That's when they get a bit ah, prickly.

Go on then, O Feathery One. Pick our heading!

[aprofoundbond]

I'd like to believe that other versions of God exist that are what the God I knew should have been. Perhaps I am just an overly optimistic angel in a trench coat, though.

[Castiel shrugs. Too much heart and too much hope; these have always been considered weaknesses in him by others. But Castiel has been through enough now that he considers them strengths, not weaknesses. And he likes having said traits to cling to, here in this unknown environment. He likes holding onto aspects of himself that have gotten him through much in the past.

He manages a chuckle at the mention of 'prickly living.']

The living tend to be quite prickly, in my experience.

[He arches an eyebrow at 'heading.' He tilts his head, considering Constantine for the moment.] Are you asking me to pick a direction? Or something else?

[hellblaze]

Or, He just likes showing different sides to others. Or your 'God' might of just been someone paradin' as God. Weirder things have happened.

[ Someone has to have hope in this bloody god forsaken town.

John gestures with his hand to the area around them. Yes, he is saying pick where to go, Feathers. Honestly, the fact that Zed is missing has him not too much caring about the Mystery of Mathias at that moment. The fact that Zed is missing matters more.

Still, he'll humor you lot. ]

[aprofoundbond]

You're not wrong. I've seen my share of strange and unusual.

[More than his fair share, really. His life and experiences, both in Heaven and on Earth, have amounted in all sorts of weird; sometimes, even Castiel can admit that, even to himself, no matter how well he's adjusted to the abnormality of it all.

At Constantine's hand gesture, Castiel nods, deciding to venture right, for no particular reason whatsoever. They need a direction to go in, so this is the one Castiel chooses.]

I wonder what happened here. To this school, I mean. Even for such a small size, without students, it just seems so...bare.

[hellblaze]

Given the state of the town? It either took a beating with everything else... or fell into decay cause no one was here anymore.

[ He hopes that no one was in the building when whatever happened went down. Children are a touchy subject for John. He's never been an innocent one, but, he protects others that have theirs. He'll send any right bastard to Hell if they so much as harm a child.

John follows after him. ]

[aprofoundbond]

I'm not sure which of those options is better, to be honest. Possibly the latter, but that still begs the question of what happened to the people in this town.

[And the fact that children seem to definitely be involved somehow leaves a distinctly sour taste in the back of Cas' mouth. The best case scenario Castiel can think of in the moment is that everyone in Mathias simply vanished, taken away by some unknown force or entity or other. The other potential scenarios, he doesn't want to even consider unless he truly has to.

As the walk, Castiel does his best to take in the environment of the school around them, gaze searching for any scratches, notes, or markings that might help them find something.]

Do you think looking through lockers might help?

[It feels like an invasion of privacy, but, at the same time, Castiel believes that they should explore every available avenue open to them, for any potential details.]