villagelogs | 037-040 » the reason for time

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That I do not know. I have seen no trucks or wagons, no staff that replenish the shelves. They simply do. [He's sat there and watched them fill up again like some kind of inconceivable magic and this, like many other strange things about Mathias, he has slowly begrudgingly come to accept.]

We had a few days recently of the shelves remaining barren, but for the most part, it seems to work on its own. [Of course he would warn her if there is anything life- or sanity-threatening that she should avoid, but he would leave her to do some of these safer discoveries on her own.]

No reason yet to try and kill each other with our bare hands, but. I would not rule that out completely. [She seems like a practical lady. He is too. At the end of the day when it comes down to survival, when it's a me vs. you dog eat dog world, it's not personal.]

I would invite you to stay with us, but we are rather at full occupancy in this house, and you may not feel comfortable being the only lady here. [Not to mention Malcolm's night terrors. They keep everyone up at night.] Any unoccupied house nearby or room in the Boarding House, should you want that kind of living arrangement, is free for you to move into. Should you wish to meet them, there are a couple of ladies next door that-a-way in 1304, Miss Ellie and Miss Yennefer. [Speaking of Ellie brings a small twinge of a fond smile to his lips and Yennefer, well. He is a man. He has looked. He has thought, sure. She is drop dead gorgeous, otherworldly by every measure. And indubitably powerful, utterly short-tempered, and absolutely crazy. What more is there to say? Both of them would have him or any other man in town eating out of their hands.

So would Liz, come to think of it. It takes a certain kind of damsel in distress whom life had done over hard to still be managing to sit here standing strong, not elicit an ounce of pity beyond whatever misguided spike of kneejerk emotions that first impression gave. She too is gorgeous, and in a deceptively delicate package. If he had half her courage and resilience, he would easily be twice the man he had become.]

Yennefer is the one attempting to grow the tomatoes. The house across the road, 1307, we are using to brew some bootleg liquor. 1308 the other way next door is currently unoccupied. [He wants her close out of sheer protective and community instinct; he only has the two eyes to watch over everyone, even though he is under no obligation to be minding the whole town's business, but she is free to stay anywhere she likes, of course.]

Ma'am I hate to be-... oversteppin', but it is imperative you know, to avoid going into the fog. Or out at night at all, if you can help it. Should you receive any cryptic instructions, through the telephone or a note or any other means, you should heed it. If there are any notices posted on buildings or in the Town Hall noticeboard, you oughta heed those too. 'tis not a good idea to be living alone, but it is your choice. Should you need any help cleaning out any abandoned places, should you get hurt, should anyone give you any trouble at all - I am at your disposal.

So long as there is food for now. [She would figured out the rest as it came. The point was that she was dry, warm and in a safer place where no one knew her. That tended to be all she could ask for. Starting again wasn't anything new, how many times did she reinvent herself? Once alone at night, she would think about the implications of all of this. Death, magic and whatever else, but she could at least put her mind at rest that she had a means to survive.

She had to smile though. Not killing each other? What world did that not happen in?] There will be something eventually. Maybe not money, but a woman or something that they want? At least there aren't standoffs in the street, I suppose. [That was common enough in Bismuth, but less so on the frontier. Retribution there came in other forms.

She can hear the tenderness in his voice and that at least indicates who she might be able to trust or rely on. Anyone he was fond of, she would keep in mind. Still, living so close with others could bring trouble. She wasn't eager to take an empty house, not really needing the space or privacy. A boarding house would be better, so long as she wasn't expected to pay rent for now.]

The boarding house should serve for now. [He was certainly kind, the sort of man she might feel naturally drawn to. In many ways, he reminded her of her late husband. The bushy facial hair and the tender concern, they were the two elements of Eli that still came to her mind late at night. The sort of man that would try to help anyone in distress. That's what made it difficult for her to rely on Doc, well aware of what could happen to him...as it happened to Eli.

But he drew her mind away from that, talking about the fog and other strange things.]

What's in the fog?

I will make you some food. It will be ready after your bath. [He hasn't forgotten his offer, though he's not hurrying her along upstairs or to anywhere else. She can take her time here. Ask questions as she thinks of them. They don't need to be anywhere in a hurry. He'll even walk her to the Boarding House before it's too dark and possibly dangerous for anyone to be walking around outside risking anything, when she feels she is ready to leave.]

We haven't had too many beautiful women come along. At least, not until today. [He can't help it, but at least he's not actually actively trying to layer on the charm. He flashes her an almost boyish smile before ducking his head and nodding.]

The best guess was some kind of choking gas, in the fog. The people who had been touched by it seemed to have been suffocated. You can spend a little bit of time in it, so you would have time to seek shelter, but. Too long and it is likely fatal. [Maybe it is not a gas. Maybe it is some kind of infernal magic. Maybe a dangerous creature does lurk within it, attacks people at random, like the one that had mauled those who had just returned from the dead. In any case, it is a fate he does not wish upon anyone, especially seeing as he had been one of the people to bury the dead.]

Thank you. It's no trouble for you? [She wasn't going to object to food, especially freshly cooked. Her stomach was rumbling at the mere thought of it. This could almost be mistaken for home, and Doc's kindness was a large part of that. As much as she knew she shouldn't put him out, she was grateful for the hospitality, much needed after this large shock and the draining day.

She gave a small smile, having forgotten what it was like to have that sort of charm offered to her. It left her feeling more sad than anything, the shadows of the past never far from her mind.] There's always beautiful woman, but thank you.

[It's strange. She's never heard of deadly fog like that before, but it's enough to put her on edge. Dead might not stay dead here, but she's not really looking to experience it again. Once was enough for her for now.] Where does the fog come from? It can't be natural.

Not at all. [And honestly, even if it was trouble, what kind of a gentleman would say that? The only thing is, he is not like Neal Caffrey who can churn out dishes the likes of which he has never seen or tasted the divinity of before. He's a simple and practical man from the country. That she hasn't sampled Neal's cooking or seen the kind of New York City he has lived in is the only reason he is willing to even subject her to his pedestrian beef stew and beans on toast.]

The fog is not natural, no, but I don't know where it comes from. I wish I could tell you more, but. We are at the mercy of some very mysterious captors. Pursuing answers, it only seems to lead to more questions. I do know that the fog, it-- is some kind of means of controlling us, of limiting where we can go. [He knows how crazy that sounds, but honestly, he has been sincere with her so far, and he hopes that she would heed his advice. Ultimately he doesn't want her or anyone else getting hurt. If she wants to test or try something out for herself, he hopes in earnest that she would not do anything too extreme. But he would be there for her anyway on the off-chance that she does land herself in hot water.]

I suppose nothing and none of us are very 'natural' around here. [That's probably not of any consolation but he has a feeling she'll get used to this gilded cage. It's better than the one that had kept her in chains. He is at least certain of that.]

037-040 » the reason for time

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