villagelogs | 021-023 » the ghosts of fallen leaves

021-023 » the ghosts of fallen leaves

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Western Mathias.
WHEN: Days 021-023
WHAT: A cold storm approaches.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Emily Kinney & Lauren Cohan "The Parting Glass"

DAYS 021-023
THE WORLD TURNS WHITE
“Are ye the ghosts of fallen leaves, O flakes of snow,
For which, through naked trees, the winds A-mourning go?”
— John Banister Tabb
The howling wind is what wakes the residents of Mathias each day now as the world turns slowly into a bleak stretch of white. Snow continues to fall in thick curtains of flakes that accumulate on trees and rooftops, swirling sideways in the gusts of wind that bow trees and whistle through any crack they can find. The drifts of snow grow taller against the buildings and the wind makes the already freezing temperatures feel bitterly cold.

By day 022, the far ends of streets begin to resemble the hazardous fog with how little becomes visible as the winds pick up. Buildings can still be discerned as dark shapes but the weather's warning becomes clear — a storm is coming. And by day 023, the storm arrives properly, the wind still screaming through the streets like a winter banshee announcing so many deaths to come. These conditions are far from hospitable and only the truly mad would be foolish enough to venture outside in weather such as this.

THE NEWLY ARRIVED
With an embrace of wintery white, Mathias offers a chilly welcome to its newest residents. They awake along the southern treeline bordering Mathias, near the small makeshift cemetery containing a handful of wooden markers erected without names or signifiers of those buried within. And not far from them is the schoolhouse, where in a snowdrift they will the frozen corpse of a young woman named Rey.

LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS
“A lantern can give you light only when you light it”
— Munia Khan
When residents wake on the morning of day 021, they will find outside in the snow the abandoned lanterns of those shadowy spectres who have moved so silently through Mathias. Each nestled in a patch of frozen white outside their door, the lanterns are now cold to the touch, the half-burned candle within each one seeming to have been lit so very long ago. Inside the glass encasement is a small rolled piece of paper, upon which is written:

keep it lit
There is nothing more, and the prior owners of these lanterns will not return within these days.

There is one lantern waiting outside the building for each resident wherever they are sleeping — the exception for this is those who may have already claimed a lantern as their own. Removing a lantern from its resting place results in no apparent reaction, nor does lighting or not lighting it. However, whatever residents ultimately choose to do with these lanterns should be reported.

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— SNOW continues to fall, resulting over the three days in upwards of a foot of accumulation. The winds blow in gusts over 35 mph.

— 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 still receded from the town proper and much of the eastern and northern beach, with the path through the northern forest to the lighthouse still clear on day 021. On day 022, however, as the storm worsens, the fog returns to the paths in the forest, urging residents to stay huddled within the town proper or else.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue to plague the town. While Zed Martin has returned, Rey's corpse will be found in a snowdrift near the Schoolhouse; she disappeared on day 018.

— THE STRANGER is gone.

— THE SPECTRES are gone.

OOC UPDATES

— DISCOVERIES have been collected and collated for your review. Please note that this is OOC information only, put together for the purpose of helping you as players see connections and possibilities for CR and your own character's potential avenues of exploration and investigation. (If we are missing something, please report it so we can add it to the list.)

— AP REWARDS have a new option now — Ideas may be requested if you find yourself stuck. You may now claim up to 2 rewards per log: (1) idea and (1) other reward.

— SANITY may be regained in two ways: self-medication and treatment. In Mathias, this means such coping mechanisms as drinking or drugging oneself into a stupor that allows them to face their fears and issues, or talking to someone about those fears and issues. Since both of these will take some time, best get started. (A form will be added to the Sanity page.)

— REMINDERS — Don't forget about the bulletin board. Please continue reporting your updates to locations, plots, and discoveries. The map of Mathias has been added to the locations page for ease of reference. Make sure your character's sanity level is kept updated. Prospective players are still joining the TDM, so it's recommended to track new top-levels so you don't miss them.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Use this space to ask general questions about this log and the circumstances or locations presented within. Please direct more broad game questions to the FAQ.

let it be known, I do my best for no magic this log!

Please let me know if any of these need to be my AP redemption and I'll do that!

— John is going back by 1308 and nabbing the skeleton key from it. Does the key have a certain shape, emblem, or marking on it?

TOWN HALL, as John will be there the majority of this log!
— IF the skeleton key does have any of the mentioned above, would John find any similar markings/shapes/emblems on paperwork in Town Hall?
— Is there any paperwork indicating where this mysterious "Archives" can be found?
— There was an "MH" noted in 1308 John found earlier. Does any information, paperwork, or pictures indicate who this mysterious "MH" might be?
— The Mayor's Office! Is there one? If yes, what can we find inside - if we can get inside?
— Are there any pictures to note of people in the town (the mayor, "mh", ect?) or any particular landmarks?
— Does anything happen if the "why did this happen" note is removed?

— Ya'll is there a kitchen in this joint or did they all get good ordered from Grey Gull, as found in paperwork way back on Day 1?

LANTERNS, as we all have our fun and Elena started the pet trend.
— If they always need to be lit, will any of the candles in the emergency kits work to replace them?
— Do the lanterns have the same look to them or do we need to report a design for them too?

♥ Thank you for your time, Keeper.

Edited 2020-12-20 08:30 (UTC)

1308
— There is nothing distinct about the key, beyond it clearly being a classic skeleton key shape.

TOWN HALL
— Nope, per above.
— There is nothing about the location of the Archives.
— There's nothing in particular in the Town Hall to indicate who MH is.
— There is no Mayor's office or any mention of one. If John goes through some paperwork, he'll find mention of a board of selectmen, but no reference to the election of such a board. (They also do not have offices here.)
— There are a few pieces of artwork around the building, either paintings or photographs of the town in daily life. There is nothing overly distinctive hanging on the walls.
— The note may be removed without incident.

— There's a small office kitchen.

LANTERNS
— Any candles can be used as replacements!
— Each lantern is a little bit different, either in design detail or from being weathered by age. They are all fairly simple in design, so no need to report a design for them.

1308
— Does the skeleton key open anything in 1308...?

TOWN HALL
— Taking a brief nod from other questions days back... if you write a response to the note, will an answer show up?

LANTERNS
- Will the lanterns react to anything if it changes locations?

— Nope!
— Also no.
— Not yet...

DRAT. Hokay, reading back on some stuff to remind myself on what it looks like!

— Was there a section for town meetings? Board to sit and listen to the complaints of the people and have a community meeting center. John's gonna camp his ass there.
— Mayor's Office/Board of Selectmen offices are no go. What department offices are found IN Town Hall? Are these all on the base floor, or on the second floor?
— What can John find as he is going through the reception desk and the desks of the other departments? He's there for an entire day.
— Names for Selectmen are no-go, what about how many were there at any given point? Documentation on interactions between them and one another or anything in town (Grey Gull, another building)?

Edited 2020-12-20 11:20 (UTC)

— There's a large room in the building that is used for things like town meetings.
— The offices are on both floors and cover a range of departments that might be found in a small town, minus any that have to do with judicial proceedings.
— Everything is incredibly mundane and typical of what you would find in such offices. There is nothing remotely unusual about any of the paperwork or items in the buildings.
— This information is also not documented.

Will the grave markers provide a clue about a "definite" location (ie. A certain type of tree that is most prominent in a specific part of the world).

Will the notebooks/textbooks that are left behind in the school house provide a frame of reference regarding time period? Do they follow the same theme as other books in Mathias where there are little inaccuracies compared to how it would be in the real world, and do they seem to favour a certain type of curriculum (Catholic vs Public).

Does the school have lockers or cubbies that may have names / clues about the youthful residences who resided in the town? Any books that may say "if found, please return to so-and-so at this address" type deal? Do teacher's desks or offices also have anything out in the open with names? Any abandoned agendas or day planners?

Are all the rooms in the school easily accessible? Is there a part of the school that isn't easily accessible but could be broken into with a little bit of effort?

Since it's an All Ages school house, does that mean there's a science lab for the high school aged students, and, if so, is there still equipment and supplies in tact?

Edited 2020-12-20 08:30 (UTC)

— The wood is from a tree fairly typical in the general geographic area of Maine/New England.
— The texts in the school are all local to Mathias, created by the school and following something similar to a public school curriculum. The examples and levels of technology referenced indicate a time period in the late 20th century.
— All names within the school are smudged beyond legibility, despite other written text being perfectly readable.
— Everything within the school is unlocked and accessible! Almost like they hadn't expected to have random people just wandering through the halls.
— There is not a science lab, though there are science texts within the building. How odd.

Will old school sleuth methods work on the illegible names? Can Sherlock essentially do the thing where he puts paper over it, rubs a pencil over it, and the depressions of the name appears in the rubbing?

Do the science texts have anything on them to suggest they’ve been used in a lab setting? A chemical smell, or stains from different fluids/solutions?

Will Sherlock find anything of interest out in the open (without any real searching) in his new home?

— He can try but it won't work. In fact, nothing he tries will reveal those names. Sorry, Sherlock. Enjoy being frustrated.
— Yes, there are definite signs that they've been used in a lab setting, for those who know to look for them.
— He would easily notice that there's no sign that these people planned on leaving. No bags packed, nothing tidied away like you might do before a trip, and no signs of a struggle or quick departure. Everything seems completely normal — except that they're not here anymore. Beyond that, nothing of great interest.

I promise Elena won't go murdering NPCs this log. 😬

Boarding House questions…

1. Elena and Elijah are in room 1 of the Boarding House. Does the room have anything like a receipt or business card in the pocket of a coat or anything in the drawers that could have belonged to someone who once boarded there?
I'm thinking of having Elena go to one of the King Lane houses (she was in one when she first arrived, but blood loss paired with disorientation and Elijah's handsome face distracted her from really exploring and knowing the details wasn't the purpose of that thread) and wanted to know if she returned to the house:

Jumping on the back of Lausanne's awesome questions about the school as I intend to have Elena go there this log…

~~Do vampires attend this school?~~

And lanterns...

I'm joking. But no, seriously. Do they?

Thank you! And sorry.

1. There's nothing in the room from the original occupants, but they may find a mundane note addressed to "Jill" in one of the drawers. (A fellow former resident who stayed in this room.)
2. There are photographs of the family along the walls and shelves. Mom, dad, daughter, and son. Typical family shots, kids doing kid things, and a photograph of a group of people in front of a large house surrounded by trees.
3. No diaries or financial documents, and all calendars have the years and most details smudged out.
4. Sure, why not. They're only mediocre quality though, sorry Elijah.
5. Yes, and yes. Typical gardening and home repair tools.
6. Just typical teacher desk things, nothing of note.
7. If you mean report cards with grades, nope. If you mean reports written by students, sure! Normal topics, nothing out of the ordinary.
8. There is no principals office, or any sign of a leadership position within the school.
~~Hahahaha how would she be able to tell that, exactly??~~
9. Insert shrug emoji.
10. When the candle is lit, it behaves like a normal candle. So yep, warm!

WHO IS JILL???

I know you're not going to answer that one, but I had to ask.

Just a follow up for:
2. Is the large house surrounded by trees a house Elena can recognise is in Mathias?
3. Do the calendars have images, like a theme i.e. locations within the USA or perhaps Mathias...?
7. Do the reports have any student names on it or would I consider this smudged out like the dates are conveniently for the calendars?

And thank you for the suits! It makes Elena super happy...

~~You know better than anyone Elena attracts vampires. You never know!~~

ELENA SHOULD ASK HER NEIGHBORS THAT.

2. It is not.
3. Calendar themes include cats, US national parks, and cheese of the month.
7. Reports have students' first names but other Important Information is inconveniently smudged out.

Edited 2020-12-23 05:47 (UTC)

💖THANK YOU.

Is it okay if I make up the student names (like Abigail, Sarah, Harry...) or did you have a set in mind? (Also I'm making one of the calendars ragdolls.)

(no subject)

villagemodama - 2021-01-02 03:01 (UTC) - Expand

Is there any sort of braille anywhere in town? Or will Melanie be stuck asking people to read things to her? >_>

Is there a tape recorder/any set of tapes to along with it to be found anywhere?

Anything in particular of note in #819 Stoker Park that a blind girl could notice?

Edited 2020-12-20 14:14 (UTC)

Yes please, Now that the Stranger is gone:

- Is Raylan's plank still there?
- Is the gap? Just in case!
- Can he cross it?

— Yep! Until that wind really picks up, at least.
— Sure is!
— Hahahahaha nope.

Okay. I'm just going to say that it fell in then, I don't want to lose more time to waiting or trying to figure this out.

Edited 2020-12-21 12:45 (UTC)

~~Can you give me some more details of how he's trying to cross, if others are around and what they're doing, etc?~~

Didn't see your edit.

Edited 2020-12-21 14:41 (UTC)

howdy ; editing to add some details in, as well as this: me

i'm back bug you with more time travel questions! five with otherwise be well behaved this log, relatively, until day 23, where he will be attempting to time travel.

(it will be a culmination of his countermania, coupled with the effects this place is taking on klaus, that will push him to further testing this place)

given the tasty clue you gave five on day 18 of it labeled lodge, 1964, would it be possible to revise my initial plan of having him time travel to the founding date in the 1600 to 1964 mathias?

he will be attempting a jump back in time to 1964 Mathias, even if briefly, to glimpse the events of that day. for calculation purposes, and with the absence of a solid day-month, he will pick the day of October 1st, and he will go to the house on 785 Hill Lane, where everything was markedly more 60s, in thinking that it's good to have a link to that time. He will have the picture in his pocket with him, as well as the wristwatch he found, and will attempt to jump back in the house (and that way being out of the storm). what would be the consequences/results of this? would this be best discussed over discord for more details, etc? lmk if this is to Extra (tm)!! happy to re-evaluate!!!

Edited (editing as i have an epiphany re-reading that discovery) 2020-12-28 14:45 (UTC)

HELLO MORE QS FOR YOU.

Is the metal of the lanterns consistent? That is to say, are they all brass/copper/whatever? Would Neal be able to find any repeating markings on any of them, and do they vary in age or just level of tarnish? Also: what kind of paper/what age is the paper that the notes are written on? ALSO ALSO (I'm so sorry): Is there anything significant about the candles themselves? Are they all the same type, and are they machine or traditionally made? How old are they?

Re: the bookstore in the tdm, are the windows still doing The Creepy Thing? What would happen if, rather than breaking a window, Neal were to cut a piece of glass free from it? I assume he wouldn't find anything significant re: the glass itself (except perhaps age), but would that sense of oppression be there?

What is an example of a change Neal might find in, say, a familiar book of poetry?

Also one more q: Is there a filing cabinet or some sort of thing Neal could discover and pick open in the Town Hall? Would he find anything of note inside?

ETA: ONE MORE QUESTION I'M SO SORRY. ...Well..... three........ questions... The fall test drive mentions a feather/branch symbol on the bulletin board--is that still there? Would any of the symbols Quentin put up be similar to occult/pagan/alchemical symbology, OR, ALTERNATIVELY: what do a couple of them look like? Also, is the "he is coming" map there?

I SWEAR TO GOD I'M DONE NOW.

Edited 2020-12-21 16:59 (UTC)

ANCIENT ANSWERS INCOMING because I lost this notif. Answering now for reference as Neal continues his Sherlock-like snooping.

— The metal of the lanterns is consistent, all a type of brass. There might be a few repeating markings, but they are purely aesthetic design markings. They vary in level of tarnish. The paper is early 1900s. The candles are all the same type, traditionally made with techniques common in the early 1900s.

— The bookstore windows are not still doing the creepy thing, at least not all the time...

— A change that will commonly be seen is a single pivotal line in a poem being changed. If a poem references an oak tree, it might instead be an elm. Or the tone of the poem might change, a few lines shifting it from hopeful to sad. The bulk of a poem will be exactly the same, but the changes will be noticeable to anyone with a keen knowledge of the poem.

— The symbol from the TDM is not there. The symbols Quentin posted may seem similar to various occult symbols, but there is nothing exactly matching anything Neal might be familiar with. There are many with a twisting or spiraling element to them. The map is not there.

SORRY FOR THE INSANE DELAY.

Jackson BLVD Residence
— Helen is going to be moving into a home here (see claims)! What details about the previous inhabitants can she find? Names, family size, occupations?
— Any personal affects left behind (diaries, scrapbooks, yearbooks)?
— Attic/basement space that might be a little unusual?

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021-023 » the ghosts of fallen leaves

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