024-027 » neither reward nor punishment

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Western Mathias + ???
WHEN: Days 024-027
WHAT: The consequences of their actions.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here! The next log will be posted January 23rd.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Deadly Avenger "Onryo" 怨霊

DAYS 024-025
CONSEQUENCES
“There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments —
there are consequences.”
— Robert G. Ingersoll
When the unwilling residents of Mathias Township wake on the morning of the 24th day, they will find themselves in yet another set of frustratingly unnerving circumstances. None of them are where they last remember being, and some of them have strange marks on the palms of their left hands. It's all incredibly unsettling, but truthfully they should be used to it by now. No one will remember traveling to their new location.

Residents can wake up anywhere within their new location and in any position. Curled up in a bed, sprawled on a couch, huddled beneath a coffee table, propped against a wall... Wherever they are, they will themselves to be in quite an unusual state. While they are wearing whatever clothing items they went to sleep in, plus their shoes and a coat. The newest arrivals to Mathias Township will perhaps stand out for being slightly more appropriately dressed than their new neighbors. They are all a bit damp, physically worn out, and half-frozen from their apparent walk through a blizzard.

Each of the four locations is inescapable — residents are trapped, with exterior doors and windows being shut tight and a blizzard raging outside. The locations are stocked with fresh food and water and a large pile of firewood for the fireplaces in each building. The circumstances residents will face, however, may vary wildly between locations as the forces at work in Mathias respond to the recent actions of certain individuals.


BOARDING HOUSE | GREY GULL
NEW HOUSE | MYSTERY MANSION

These residents will wake with a mark on their left hand palms, a spiraling black symbol similar to those some may have seen around town. All marks are identical and cannot be removed, but will have seemingly vanished from their skin on the morning of the 26th day.

Castiel, Daisy Johnson, Dean Winchester
Elena Gilbert, Elijah Mikaelson, Helen Magnus
Phil Coulson, Quentin Coldwater, Sherlock Holmes

DAYS 026-027
IN THE AFTERMATH
After their ordeals of the past two days, the unfortunate residents of Mathias Township will be grateful to find that they were back where they are supposed to be, a chill still clinging to their clothes in whatever place they went to sleep the night of the 23rd day. New arrivals will wake in the living room of the boarding house. None of the residents will wake with anything in their possession from the locations in which they were previously trapped, including any notes or documentation they may have made during their time there.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— SNOW continues to fall heavily on Days 024-025, resulting in white out conditions from the wind that blows in gusts of over 35 mph; the temperature also drops drastically, making conditions extremely dangerous for residents. The blizzard clears on Day 26 and residents are left with a cold, calm world covered in white.

— THE FOG remains blocking the paths in the forest, urging residents to stay huddled within the town proper, and it also now blocks the northern section of town, beginning just before where residents know the chasm in the earth to be. Venturing into the fog is... ill-advised.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue to plague the town. Kylo Ren and Thomas Richardson have vanished without a trace.

— NO NEW DEATHS have occurred in town, but there is a new "grave" in the small makeshift graveyard near the schoolhouse. Rey's corpse has been moved and covered with stones to wait for the ground to thaw enough for a proper burial.

— THE LANTERNS will be gone from the morning of Day 024. No trace of them remains.

---

OOC UPDATES

— A GIFT for everyone! As a thank you for being part of this spooky little game, every character in the game is being gifted 2 Activity Points. These may be banked over here — instead of linking to an AC post, you may put "New Year gift" in that field. Happy 2021, friends!

— NEW LAYOUTS have been installed for our communities! Huge thanks to our Eldritch Librarian Stars for putting in the time to get this place looking shiny. (You may have also noticed some new page layouts being installed — these are also our Librarian's handiwork!)

— 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.)

— 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

Will Graham | OTA | Will match format

[this_ismydesign]

[ooc: Here is Will's plotting comment, it is always open! You can also hit me up on plurk Laekhund or Discord Lae | Will Graham#7268 ]

Day 24

[this_ismydesign]

Toto? I don't think we're in Kansas anymore

[ Will was a lumpy pile of wool overcoat on the floor. The dark grey herringbone covered the gore beneath and with his head tucked into his arm it was hard to discern the dried blood in his dark hair.

If anyone was nearby when he started awake they were going to be looking upon a horror show. Will was oblivious to his state, his mind bouncing wildly inside his skull trying to determine what was happening.

His immediate thought was that somehow, yet again, Hannibal had managed to survive the plunge of a hundred feet. Hannibal had survived and he had dragged Will back to the land of the living with him. That they were back in the clifftop house. Except he was not restrained in any particular manner, which he would expect from Hannibal. There was also a rich silence; no waves crashing against rocks.

And Hannibal would never decorate with a fake, whiskey table in the shape of a globe.

Alright, that had to mean he was dead, or dying. Either this was Hell or a hallucination cooked up by the synapsis of his dying brain. Pushing himself over and slowly up until he was sitting with his back to the couch front Will didn't bother with his appearance. His whole body hurt which he thought was weird but certainly not the weirdest thing he'd ever encountered in a hallucination.

Mostly he sat with his wrists balanced on his knees and looked around the room. The look in his eyes was one of tired resignation and every so often he heaved a deep sigh. How long did it take to drown anyway? ]

We're off to see the wonderful wizard of Oz

[ His ass was going numb.

That was what eventually prodded Will to get his aching legs under him, stand and leave the study. He traveled through the available rooms of the mansion, pausing every now and then to give the space a quizzical look. Sometimes he would go so far as to tap at a wall, frowning when it proved to be solid.

He shuffled quietly from room to room eventually ending up in the kitchen. Here he spent some time standing at a window, watching the white-out conditions beyond the glass. When people came into the space, Will turned and looked at them, up and down, staring at their face but saying nothing. Almost as if these figures were as inexplicable at the table and chairs.

Will was still blood soaked, bruised and acting weird. Not exactly a comforting individual to stumble upon in this eerie environment he looked like something that might be causing the rattling down beneath their feet. ]

[tinstar]

[Seeing a full grown man crumpled on the floor was.. well, about exactly what Raylan expected to see in such a weird ass place, but the amount of blood on him got a marked pull of Raylan's head and features, pinched in distinct concern as his pace stopped short.] What the hell?

[His first thought was that, with the blood pattern, the man might have killed someone. The second thought was that Raylan wasn't sure how great a vampire is if he couldn't eat all his meal at least somewhat neatly. He continued forward from his pause, one hand outstretched in a friendly manner with fingers spread, a gesture meant to calm with the addition of the southern tilt and gentle tone he used.]

Whoa, alright. You're okay. Or.. I don't know that's a lotta blood, you might not be. Is it yours?

[this_ismydesign]

[ Will's eyes narrowed on the man who spoke and his eyes darted over each of Raylan's shoulders before coming back to his face. ]

Where am I?

[ Answering a question with a question was usually considered rude. Will barely appeared to be recognizing Raylan as a person. His eyes immediately moving back to the doorway and the empty space behind the other man. ]

[tinstar]

[Slowly, Raylan squatted down onto his hunches a few feet away, hand still out in front of him.]

Honestly? I got no idea where we are. But there's nothin' roamin' the halls and I ain't gonna hurt you, [he promised earnestly, the sentiment warmed by the southern tilt of his accent.]

It's alright.

[this_ismydesign]

[ One thing Will tended to know, in fairly short order, was when someone was trying to 'handle' him. Was this man a representation of Alana Bloom? That didn't make sense. When his mind wanted to inflict a hallucination of Alana on him, it used Alana's image.

His eyes narrowed, not really a glare so much as trying to figure you out. ]

I don't recognize you. [ His voice was soft, wary but direct. ] What sage advice as you here to deliver in my final moments?

[ The ghost of Christmas Future has a southern drawl? Stranger things have happened. ]

[tinstar]

That's probably cause we haven't met yet. [Raylan gave him a gentle smile, hand withdrawing to prop his forearm on his knee. He'd learned a few lessons from the other wildly shaken people he'd found, so he was going to take it slow, however firm and to the point his 'Nice Shoes, how's the weather' cadence and tone was.]

My name's Raylan Givens and my only advice to you, if you want to avoid this bein' your final moments, is answerin' if that blood is yours or not. Because if it is, ya look like you mighta lost a lot. We might be able to stop it somehow, but that can't happen if I don't know that it needs to.

[Anyone else might have had significantly stronger reaction to finding a man covered in blood; Raylan had seen it more than a few times before. Only a couple of ways one gets that bloody to but that question could be handled later, when he was more sure that this guy wasn't going to die on some strange kitchen floor.]

[this_ismydesign]

[ Will stared at Raylan, his eyes bouncing from the space behind the man's shoulder, to his face and back again. Hopefully Raylan was willing to be patient because it was going to take some time before Will responded.

When he did respond, it was to laugh. The sound was a little high, slightly hysterical and at the same time sad. He shook his head as he laughed, looking down towards the back of his folded knees. ]

I can't even embrace death, without having to walk through the shades of my own hallucinations. [ He lifted one hand and rubbed the heel of his palm hard against one eye.

He moved then, quickly scrambling to his feet. Perhaps the way he managed to stand would help reassure Raylan that Will wasn't in immediate danger of bleeding out. Of course he was going to ruin it by moving on wobbly legs away from the sofa, fetching up against the back of a chair, which he kept between himself and Raylan. ]

Let me guess. [ Will crossed his blood soaked arms. ] You're the representation of my law enforcement past, come to remind me how far I fell and that you're here to lead me into Hell?

idk what ride this is but I love it /popcorns

[tinstar]

[The laughter took Raylan off guard. That was a new one, a new reaction and his head pulled back a fraction with the suspicion that narrowed his eyes a little. Oh. Hallucinations. That, at least, gave Raylan something to work with.

But the sudden scramble startled him and his hand shifted back to his empty hip in an automatic reach for a holster that wasn't there as he pushed smoothly to his feet, back at the ready.

But had this guy known he was a LEO before or after the hand-jerk to his hip gave it away?

Raylan stalked all of two steps before he stopped, eyes sharper and fixed on Will's face. Normally, he'd say crossed arms suggested that the man was settled but the scramble that had just happened belied the thought.]

I think you got a few things mixed up, kid. I ain't leading you or anyone else anywhere. [The height of his eyebrows alone would help put a point how Not your Vergil he was.] I'm not dead, you're not.. Well okay, you look like you mighta died and shown up here, I don't know what happened to you, but the rest of us ain't dead either. You ain't Dante, I'm not Vergil, this ain't.. Okay, I can't promise it ain't but it doesn't seem like Purgatory.. [His expression relaxed and pinched as he thought about it.] Been a while since I read that book...

[ Not that that was the point. ]

I deeply apologize for him!!

[this_ismydesign]

[ Will chuckled and shook his head. ] Virgil abandoned me in the world. Chased away, with his tail between his legs, by Hannibal.

[ It was actually the natural kindness and desire to assist and unknown that had pinged Will's gut reaction that the man was law enforcement. He'd been trained for that exact same soothing approach, get on the victim's level, offer human contact, etc etc.

The drop of the hand towards the hip had been like a neon sign.

Pushing off the chair Will began to pace the small room, staring up at the books. ]

Dante wished to find God's love, [ he spoke in a deep, soft tones; an instructor's voice ] to return from the path of sin. But he must learn to reconcile his sympathy for the suffering, with the violence of God's justice.

[ Will paused and looked towards Raylan. ] If this is a test, then I will answer you honestly. Monsters deserve the violent forgiveness of God's love, and I delight in administering it. [ Will spread his hands and shrugged. ] No reconciliation needed.

Oz; oops, he thinks you're the first ghost in Mathias, Will~

[bestfuneralever]

[Klaus has dropped all pretense of this being anything but a moment to pretend the rest of this town doesn't exist. Bottle of tequila in hand, he wanders idly through the mansion. He's hungry, so he winds his way back to the kitchen to rummage around and see what he might be able to find to snack on. Surely a place this fancy had something, even if none of it would be as good as anything Mom ever made.

He's poking around in the pantry and settles on a bag of chips and wanders back out. He sets the bottle on the counter as he busies himself opening the bag and then notices the guy at the window. He jumps, scattering chips everywhere--]

Holy shit! [One hand goes up to his heart like it might help slow it down.

He hasn't seen a single ghost in this entire town for weeks now. To think there's suddenly the existence of one when they've all been transplanted to some strange mansion is... unsettling. But there's no real doubt in Klaus' mind that's gotta be it-- look at all the blood.

Once he's calmed a little, he sighs and sounds bored as he asks-- ] So what happened to you?

[They've all got stories. And they all want his help, some way or another. He's gotten better about at least hearing them out, over the last three years.

He makes with cleaning up the mess he made as he waits to see what the ghost says.]

[this_ismydesign]

[ Will was aware of the individual moving around in the kitchen behind him. It wasn't any sort of special gift, just the reflection in the window.

By this point he's encountered a few individuals in and around the place. While he still hasn't ruled out the hallucination diagnosis, he's at least stopped staring at them in a creepy way.

Mostly stopped staring at them in a creepy way.

When the man startled and send chips flying everywhere, Will half turned his upper body to watch the carnage over his shoulder. He glanced at the chips then up at Klaus. Was it possible to make up a hallucination of your own prior psyche? If so why the long hair? ]

There are some on this side of the counter. [ He responded in a low, quiet tone. ] If you're trying to beat the five second rule.

[bestfuneralever]

Uh- thanks. [He's not worried about that-- Klaus has literally eaten a bagel out of a dumpster, he really....doesn't care. But he does want to clean up the mess, so once he's done on that side, he moves to the other side of the counter to start picking up. Once the mess is cleared, he leans his elbows against the counter.]

So, I notice you conveniently didn't answer my question. I know it can be hard to talk about-- [G o d he hates playing ghost therapist.] but it's usually better when you do. Helps move the healing process along.

[this_ismydesign]

Are you trying to psychoanalyze me? [ The incredulity in his voice was pretty obvious. ] My own psyche, trying to psychoanalyze me. Just when I thought I had plumbed the depths of crazy, death brings a new level.

[bestfuneralever]

No? [He frowns, tilting his head a little at that question.] Just-- the dying thing. It's a lot. Or, I mean, I assume it is. I haven't done it myself, obviously. [He points a finger in the other man's direction.] but I have talked plenty a ghost through their trauma.

So, less psychoanalyzing, more... talk therapy? [His features scrunch up a little. He isn't so sure that's the right label, either.]

cw: suicide ideation

[this_ismydesign]

[ The look Will gives Klaus makes it clear that he thinks the man is full of shit. Even if he is a figment of his own mind. ]

You sound like Zeller trying to profile. [ He said in a flat tone that made it clear this was not a compliment. ] I have no interest in talk therapy. There is no trauma involved in my death. I was completely at peace with my decision.

[bestfuneralever]

You thought you were, maybe. [Both eyebrows arch upwards.] But you wouldn't be stuck between the veil, if that was the truth. So-- what happened?

Day 25

[this_ismydesign]

I'm about done with these crazy ass situations

[ Somewhere between Day 24 and Day 25, whether through the efforts of the people trapped in the house with him, or Will's own brand of determining reality, he'd come to accept that this was real. His expression still suggested that the jury was still out on whether this was a good or a bad thing.

But at least he'd finally set himself to the task of getting a shower and cleaning himself up. The deep knife wound on his cheek was an ugly collagulated scab and there was a matching scab on his upper thigh. He moved carefully to keep from re-opening the wounds. Tossing his shirt, his pants were stiff with blood but the dark fabric hid the worst of the gore, especially when he wrapped himself up in the overcoat and bundled it closed.

Will still wasn't particularly proactive in seeking out the others he'd seen so far in the mansion. Left to his own devices he searched out the nearest source of whiskey, who needs food. Glass in hand, he began to prowl the mansion with more alert focus. He didn't poke at the walls, but rather sought out how far he could go before a locked door impeded his progress.

He might also be caught either staring at the ceiling, listening to the scratching over his head, or down at his feet when the floor seemed to rattle and bump. At least once, he tried stamping his foot down on the floor in response to the rattling, though nothing ever seemed to come of it. ]

Oh but for the want of tap shoes. [ He remarked in soft spoken, wry tones. ]

these crazy ass situations aren't done with you, will

[fika]

[ maybe, to a point, it would be easier if this was simply a figment of imagination. maybe then, five wouldn't actually be in this goddamn mess and nursing broken ribs for who knows how long.

he could never - would never - sit still though. definitely not in a place like this. big houses meant big secrets and plenty of corners to bury them.

however, five isn't the most patient of people; he never has been. so when the scratching starts, it wears on his nerves thin and fast. when searching high and low yields absolutely nothing, but the scratching persists, five finds himself pulling out the large knife he'd snatched from the kitchen a day before.

what will might see then, if he were to turn away from his best efforts at tap dancing, is someone who looks like a thirteen year old jabbing the blade with as much of a swing as he can into the floor.

someone hasn't had his coffee. for a quiet moment, the scratching seems to stop. ] Okay, this is starting to get really goddamn annoying.

GDI - overachievers

[this_ismydesign]

[ Most adults would be deeply concerned by a thirteen year old expressing such violence with a very large knife.

Will watched the young man -he briefly reminded him of Walter- stab and yell at the floor. To be fair, the scratching does seem to stop. ]

An effective, if disturbingly violent solution.

[fika]

[ if it helps, maybe will will one day learn that five is actually 58 years old, old habit and experience shoved messy into a youth's body.

sometimes, the heavy-handed approach is effective. even he'll admit. ] Yeah well, tap dancing clearly wasn't doing the trick.

[ finally, five flicks his attention up at will, and leaves the knife upright in the floorboards. better than him holding onto it for conversation. ] You're new. [ a sigh and statement, both. ]

[this_ismydesign]

[ At least it came as a statement, rather than a question this time. Will sighed. ] So I've been told. Let's skip the rest of the 'how long have you been here?' 'It's been a month or two, etc'

[ Sometimes he really did not have the patience for the banals of social conversation. Instead he turned and leaned back against the window, looking at Five from foot to head. ]

Do you have any useful information? Aside from proving the universal truth that knives tend to shut people up.

[fika]

[ you're in luck, will, to have run into someone with about as much enthusiasm for social gymnastics as a dying cat. after the cookie cutter confusion of everyone else who gets dropped into the ass-crack of a dimensional sneeze, this was almost refreshing.

five stuffs his hands into the pockets of his slacks, and smirks, a dimpled, serrated thing that drops away just as fast. ] Depends on what you think is useful, wise-ass. [ maybe it wasn't coffee he was missing. maybe it was whiskey. ] This is Mathias Township. No one's figured out the year, or why we're here.

We all just - popped in. Different times, different places. A merry band of idiots stuck together in a town that's actively tried to put a wrench into figuring out anything remotely useful.

[ to be fair, you did ask, though you probably asked the best and worst person. ] Oh, and sometimes, the fog can kill you. [ : ) ]

[this_ismydesign]

[ For a moment Five gave Will a headache as his brain tried to reconcile the child his eyes saw before him, and the unsettling smile, the unchildlike sarcasm. ]

Stay out of the fog, got it. [ Will said in wry tones. ] Are we sure we're not in some manner of Purgatory, or Hell?

[fika]

If that's the shit that helps you sleep better at night? Sure. It's Purgatory. [ enjoy the headache. there's painkillers here, for once, so you might want to use them, because this pint-sized troublemaker is going nowhere! he shrugs. ] All I'll say is - hold on to whatever it is that'll help you rationalize what you'll be seeing here.