037-040 » the reason for time

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central Mathias
WHEN: Day 037-040
WHAT: The dead return and the living wake to changes within Mathias Township.
WARNINGS: Some explicit sexual content in threads. (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Kammarheit "Sleep after Toyle, Port after Stormie Seas"

DAY 037
THE DEAD RETURN
“The only reason for time is so that everything
doesn't happen at once.” —Albert Einstein
The dead return to Mathias forever changed by their experiences. Waking along the beach, near the tree line, or among the graves, they will find that their bodies are not as they remember them. They are whole again and not torn to shreds by the shadow creatures that cannot be described, but they are also not as they were before the Hunt. These residents will find, so strangely, that their bodies are in the physical state in which they first arrived in Mathias — any injuries or recovery they have made since their initial arrival no longer exists, as if their time in Mathias has simply been a horrible nightmare. Except they all now carry a last reminder of the Hunt with them: spiderweb-thin healed scars marking their injuries from the Hunt. Those who were injured by fire in the other realm also carry those burns with them.

The dead are not the only things that have returned to Mathias. Inexplicably, fall is back, with the temperature finally reaching above freezing and snow falling from trees to reveal beautiful autumnal colors. As the sun rises higher in the lightly cloudy sky and the day warms, the snow begins rapidly melting, puddles growing in the slowly revealed grass and little rivers forming in the streets. And with that snow comes the frozen blood from the deaths to the Hunt, tinting the street river on Phillips Drive a sickening shade of red.

Another oddity that residents will notice: houses with broken windows from the encounter with the fog on Day 015 have now been completely repaired, though any boards put in place are still there somehow. A small bit of good news, at least? And truly, how kind of Mathias to clean up its own mess.

Finally, alcohol is back. Enjoy in moderation, friends, for more will not be arriving the following morning.


THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the beach near The Grey Gull. It's quite chilly out with their wet clothes, but surely there's something to help warm them inside the restaurant. Indeed, their timing is perfect, for alcohol has finally returned to Mathias Township — and not just the cowboys' homemade moonshine.


DAY 038-039
THE CHANGE OF SEASON
The continued warm weather proves that the unseasonable shift of the previous day was not merely a fluke. Once again, the sun rises and brings with it a temperature that feels almost spring-like, save for the fact that each day there seem to be more and more leaves on the trees in hues of red and orange. For those who have been in Mathias for some time, this new type of weird may be almost normal at this point, but newer arrivals will likely find it quite odd.

The gently trickling river running along Phillips Drive is still somewhat pink in color as the snow continues to melt and refreeze each night. By Day 040, the bloody snow will finally be gone completely, though the relief will be... short-lived.

DAY 040
THE BLINDING WHITE
In the late morning of Day 040, when the sun is visible through patchy greyish clouds, the fog sweeps into town like a like a tidal wave. It moves in quickly and without warning, not from the waterfront but the forest, cascading through every street in a thick wave of white. Rather than a soft blanket enveloping the town, it is a heavy weight pressing down, blotting out the sky in a way that almost feels suffocating, for none can see further than their outstretch hand.

Those outside when it rolls in are left wandering blind, stumbling toward shelter as you're unable to even see your feet beneath you, let alone any obstacles in your path. Perhaps you call out for help, hoping for another voice to guide you toward shelter or simply another living soul. Or perhaps you were lucky enough to already be inside when the fog descended, quickly closing doors and windows to keep it from creeping in.

Unlike the last time the fog swept into the town, residents who encounter it are not immediately killed. Instead, they are simply disoriented, possibly losing their sense of time and place, and it is only after prolonged exposure that they will begin to feel off. A sense of being ill will cling to them if they are in the fog for too long, including dizziness, lightheadedness, or nausea — the time it takes to manifest varies from person to person, as does the duration it will last after leaving the fog.

By nightfall, the fog still has not dissipated.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER conditions are fairly typical for late fall: chilly "sweater weather" days and nights that can dip just below freezing. You don't want to be outside without a coat, but it won't kill anyone if they bundle up. Probably.

— THE FOG remains blocking the paths in the forest beginning a few dozen yards past the treeline, urging residents to stay huddled within the town proper, and it also now blocks the western section of town, beginning just past Hill Lane, before where residents know the chasm in the earth to be between Hill and Stine Road. Venturing into the fog blocking these areas is ill-advised.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue. Castiel and Sam Winchester have vanished, and Dean Winchester has not returned with the others after his death during the Hunt.

— THE GRAVEYARD has now seen around a dozen burials, both below and above ground. With the weather warming, though, something may need to be done about the handful of temporary graves aboveground...

— ALCOHOL has returned to Mathias! A small stock of beer and cheap wine may be found at the General Store, and some homes may have a small store of alcohol in the fridge or pantry. The Grey Gull has also been restocked with its lower-end offerings of a variety of alcohol types. Alcohol does not replenish in the same way as food.

— THE GREY GULL has been cleaned up and stocked with moonshine. Along with the newly restocked usual offerings, the place almost seems like an actual bar again.

— THE GENERAL STORE is in a bit of a state following the brutal slaughter of two residents during the Hunt. Cleanup on aisle 3, anyone?

---

OOC NOTES

— FOOD is now being mysteriously restocked as per usual, including inside homes and at the General Store. Alcohol is not being restocked. Use those rationing skills, friends.

— REWARD REDEPEMPTION is back and will soon have a new option for anyone looking to spend big AP and learn a bit more of the lore of the town.

— MADNESSES due to the Hunt have been earned by Klaus Hargreeves, Ellie, and Malcolm Bright and may now be claimed. Players may also claim additional sanity loss from the aftermath of the Hunt; only losses from the Hunt itself have been deducted from totals thus far.

— SANITY REGAIN is now available! Players will submit a form with some details of the progress their character has made and the mod will review and decide on the numbers of points that will be regained.

— MOD STATUS The usual reminder that it's mostly just Amy steering this ship for now, so things will probably be pretty slow for a while. Apologies in advance, and please don't feel shy about pinging me if you're stuck waiting for something.

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Comments

[abrightboy]

“It’s an analysis of the recent deaths,” he told her. “Will Graham was investigating them right after they happened.”

[notanemptymotto]

Her eyebrows perked slightly. "And Mr. Graham considers this public knowledge for anyone to read? Generally you would need to ask permission for such things." Helen frowned. "It's rather detailed, isn't it?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm canted his head a little.

"Mr Graham isn't really what one would consider... 'socialized', Dr Magnus. But detail oriented, on the other hand, he definitely is."

[notanemptymotto]

"Ah, I see. The lone quiet worker type." She nodded in understanding as her eyes scanned over it. "Have you worked with him since he's arrived? Or, passing acquaintances?"

[abrightboy]

"I've spoken to him a couple of times. I saw him compose one of these profiles. I wouldn't call us friends. He's... very solitary. He's living with some of the most severe PTSD I've ever seen."

[notanemptymotto]

Helen pressed her lips together and gave another nod. So, approaching this man was most likely not the best idea. Fair enough. Some work better on their own than within groups. She had to wonder what her own profiler - Will - would think of the other two men here in Mathias.

"Making a working relationship would be rather difficult then, based on your experiences with him?"

[abrightboy]

"He's standoffish but not... hostile. I'm not sure he wants to... work, though. Might be worth talking to him if you want to know more about what he thinks. He's not going to... hurt you," Malcolm told her.

[notanemptymotto]

"He'd be more than welcome to try to hurt me, but, that isn't quite what I was worried for." She placed the report down on the table and folded her hands together. "Mental and emotional states are something to consider with people like us - the questioners. We need to be aware of that before we go about prodding them for their experiences. Even the ones who write the reports."

[abrightboy]

“He’s had a psychotic break, I can tell you that much. He was pushed too far by his FBI handler, which is.... very them, to be honest. So he’s very astute but... he’s only just clinging to fragments of reality,” Malcolm told her.

[notanemptymotto]

FBI Handler? Good Lord. That explained quite enough within itself. She did her best to avoid the governmental agencies when she could. Which, given the state of things back home? Would be harder then one could imagine.

"In a place like this? I think we all question what reality truly means. At least he shares that in common with the rest of us."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm’s face suggested Will was, in fact, a whole other level.

“People who saw the creatures dead on can’t really describe them. Like they were... shadows or smoke.”

[notanemptymotto]

"It's most likely a sort of defense mechanism the creatures have. Either for when they are hunting or when they are feeling threatened." She shrugged. "That hardly changes what they are capable of. Still, if we can avoid something that might trigger this attack again... it's worth while knowledge."

[abrightboy]

"There were noises. Outside. The night before," Malcolm told her. "It could have been them, but it's hard to say what purpose it served."

[notanemptymotto]

She nodded slowly to his statement. "Someone else mentioned a sort of canine like sound. Was that how it sounded to you?"

[abrightboy]

"I was stuck inside the house. I couldn't get out. I... I thought I saw it go by but I didn't hear anything until the screaming started."

[notanemptymotto]

Possible visual phenomenon, the creatures attacking while others were inside. It certainly seemed like classic hunting behavior. A very smart predator at that.

"When were you able to finally get outside?"

[abrightboy]

"When it was... over," he replied.

[notanemptymotto]

She nodded slowly in understanding, thumbing through some of the pages in her hands. "Do you believe that the creature who attacked us kept you inside our of fear or through some other force?"

Despite how absurd it sounded? Helen was rather serious about the question. She glanced up at him from the papers with a quick smile on her face. There was no judgement or thinking that his reality was questionable when it came to his answers.

[abrightboy]

"I'm not convinced they were even sentient, but I think whatever unleased them wanted us to see," he told her.

[notanemptymotto]

"Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Sentience." Her eyebrows perked up. "Everything has some level of sentience and intelligence. If we understand it by our limited human experience is another. We find ourselves in a reality, Mr. Bright, that makes us question much of our own understanding of the known. Something might seem void of higher intellect, but that is simply because we do not understand it. These creatures can still be vicious and to be avoided at all costs, but, learning of them is our best way of safeguarding in the future. Which includes not underestimating them."

Especially if they could cut them down to size so easily.

"Once you learn how they hunt, react, and fight? Then we can ponder about how someone might control them. The "how" can lead us to the "who."

[abrightboy]

"They're invisible," Malcolm reiterated. "Invisible. That's how they hunt and fight. They react by cutting people in half and ripping out their guts in about two seconds flat," he said pointedly. "Does that help? Because otherwise we'll have to wait until the next time they're gutting our friends to ask them."

[notanemptymotto]

"Invisible to the naked eye. Come now, we both know there are ways around that." She smirks rather mysteriously. "It may be warming up and their tracks gone... but surely there is some evidence of their attacks left on the areas they were able to."

Helen takes a seat across from him. "Perhaps their invisibility is not only an offensive ability, but a defense mechanism as well. They may have been here as soon as we arrived for all we know, and something we did triggered a change in their environment? Or, perhaps something changed in Mathias for all of us, and that caused a negative reaction. It is entirely possible they weren't hunting us, but rather trying to remove a perceived threat to their natural habitat."

Her hands fold in her lap then with a sigh. "They are very apt and capable with claw like appendages and understand how to disable and dismantle prey. Two seconds is quite a record. Any sounds or smells that we could use to detect their presence next time could be key. Or, being aware of the conditions that led up to it. Weather patterns, changes in temperature, or even slight changes in electromagnetic fields."

[abrightboy]

"Evidence of the attacks? There might still be some bits of the people they tore apart on the ground, though we did try to get them all," he said evenly. "The only sound I heard was screaming and the only smell I smelled was blood. If you think I'm being defeatist, you didn't see what happened," he told her. "My friend Neal was cut in half at the waist while he was still alive. He remembers it and he never really saw the thing that did it, even though he looked right at it."