021-023 » the ghosts of fallen leaves

[villagemod]

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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Comments

[thering]

[He smiles and ducks his head, missing a hat to tip but trying to compensate with a cordial greeting nonetheless.]

I was wondering if you have seen a gentleman, by the name of 'Malcolm Bright'. He is approximately this tall, [Doc gestures with his hand.] quite a friendly and social and chatty fellow.

I... [Doc has a rolodex of increasingly farfetched excuses for Malcolm's... eccentricity by now, and he's always blaming something he had mistakenly done in the morning for Malcolm's outbursts or skittishness whenever he encounters someone new.] Dissolved my medication this morning into a glass he accidentally drank from. He may be a little... acting a little frantic.

[notanemptymotto]

I saw him yesterday, I'm afraid. But, not today. The man who believes the whole town was built for a movie or a tv show?

[ Just to make sure she has the right name to the right person. Who knows. Perhaps there are several people by the name "Malcolm Bright" in town. She doubts there is an end to the oddities in the town. ]

Medication? [ Her hands drop to her sides then. ] What sort? I've yet to find any prescription medication in this town. Or, anything truly strong enough without taking three or more at a time.

[thering]

He has some interesting theories. [Doc is happy to listen and entertain all of them, though he does take them with a grain of salt. Too many unknowns and possibilities. As long as he can get Malcolm back to New York in one piece, he doesn't care if this is a zoo, aquarium, horror movie set or an organ harvesting farm.]

I have looked. There does not seem to be any to be found, beyond generic painkillers if you are lucky. Not much by way of specialist equipment either. [He ambles in a little closer so they don't have to shout at each other over a tumultuous sea of flannel.]

Are you in need of some medical assistance?

[notanemptymotto]

Now that is far more annoying than it needs to be. [ A sigh and she puts her hands on her hips. ] Nothing is ever easy.

No, far from it. [ Helen shakes her head. ] I'm a doctor myself... and I've had far worse injuries then this.

[thering]

Oh. [An actual doctor. It's about damn time too, what with all these troublemakers running around.] Well what kind, if you don't mind me asking?

[He's been keeping a small stockpile of supplies, replenishing his bandages and other fast going items, but he's happy to share with someone who knows what they're doing.]

Used to be a dentist. A long time ago.

[notanemptymotto]

Medical doctorate from Oxford University. I have several other degrees... but, well, I suppose they will become more relevant when they need to be. For now? Keeping warm seems to be the most important.

[ She's gone to the general store and stocked up. It'll take time to make anything that could be seen as more than just regular Tylenol, but, she's going to look into it. ]

I doubt a dentist would see much work here. What career path did you move into from there?

[thering]

It is. [Very learned women were uncommon but not completely unheard of in his time, so he is both impressed and humbled. And it's good to see that some people can stay level-headed and keep their priorities straight.]

I would hate to bore you with the details but I became a gunslinger and a professional gambler. [Probably made more money too. It's not a long story but it is not a happy one either.] I am currently staying at 1306 Phillips Drive. I have a small stockpile of first aid kits that I would be most willing to share. The bandages go fast 'round here.

[notanemptymotto]

A gunslinger.

[ An eyebrow perks up. That's rather telling, now isn't it? Hm. Not too many are gunslingers in the modern era. ]

I take it that means many of us here are accident prone. Well, that's hardly an encouraging sign.

[thering]

Yes ma'am. [He recognises the fact that it is a completely useless profession in a town where there are no guns. But it is more important to point out that he is no longer in the medical profession - has not practised for years - and is only doing what he can as best he can with what supplies he has to keep this sinking ship afloat.]

Well, you say us. I should like to think a few important characteristics separate the children from the adults. [You see this smile he's wearing? It's his I've Seen Some Real Stupid Shit (but still trying to be polite about it) smile that's making his jaw ache.]

[notanemptymotto]

[ She may not have much of a use for her additional degrees unless certain things are done or made. It's more than understandable, Doc. ]

Even adults do something reckless now and again. How often tends to be the key factor.

[thering]

[He chuckles and licks his upper lip before ducking his head and nodding. Yes, he can acknowledge that making questionable decisions is a universal trait. Far be it from him to suggest that he is immune to the occasional stuff-up.]

Speaking of which. I am sorry to cut this short, but we are fast running out of daylight hours. I must continue my search for Mister Bright. Perhaps we can resume another day? We would love to have you over for supper, or I could come visit, drop off some supplies. [It is not a far trek but he would never suggest someone go to the hassle of trudging through the snow just to pay him a visit.]

[notanemptymotto]

Best of luck in your endeavors. [ A dinner offer already? Well, manners at least exist somewhere in the town. ] I may take you up on that offer at a later date. Clothes first.

[ Helen nods down to the attire in her hands. Always best to look presentable anyways. ]

[thering]

Of course. Though I would say the function-over-form selection here may be a little sparse, you would look stunning in that. [Far be it from Doc Holliday to be impolite even though he's already on his way out with the door open. His gaze drops to the clothes she's holding onto before he makes eye contact again, flashing her a tight-lipped smile just as he leaves.]

Ma'am.