059-061 » the place where you stop the story

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Southern Mathias
WHEN: Day 059-061
WHAT: Time returns to "normal" and Mathias grants a reprieve.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here! The next log will be posted the weekend of May 15th May 22nd.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Nathan Johnson "Foul Play"

DAY 059-061
A BRIEF REPRIEVE
“There is no real ending. It’s just
the place where you stop the story.”
— Frank Herbert
Residents awake to a peaceful morning with the sun shining and earth remaining still. There is no unsettling shaking to rouse them at dawn, and time has continued moving onward as they slept. Whatever state they were in the night before, they remain that way now, for good or for bad.

On the surface, there seems to be little lasting effect on the tiny town from that strange series of days, save for the memories of any traumatic experiences residents may have faced — but there are always consequences within Mathias. The perpetrators of acts against the town are tormented by nightmares of those acts being used against them, and those who did not raise a hand to stop those acts of destruction may yet face consequences of their own. For now, however, the unwilling townspeople should do their best to rest and recover from the disturbing ordeals of late, for this reprieve from the madness shall surely be shortlived.




THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the beach near The Grey Gull. It's a bit chilly out with their wet clothes, but surely there's something to help warm them inside the restaurant. They may even find some alcohol within — and not just the cowboys' homemade moonshine.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE HISTORY MUSEUM has not fared well with the return of "normal" time. The once esteemed wooden building is now a charred ruin, the recent fire leaving behind little of the contents within for study. The structure is unstable and it is not wise to venture into the ruins for long.

— THE WEATHER conditions remain fairly typical for early fall: warm days and cool nights. It feels almost like spring arriving except that there fewer red and orange leaves on the ground and more of them oddly returning to the trees and slowly fading to green. It's like watching one of those nature documentaries that have a timelapse of the seasons, only it's going in reverse.

— THE FOG has retreated from some areas!

— Residents may now wander the southern stretch of the forest surrounding Mathias Township — it is possible to leave the paths but potentially unwise to do so.
— The fog has also retreated farther into the western section of town, now stretching across town between Stine Road and Shelley Drive. This has revealed the Chasm in the earth that stretches from one side of town to the other between Stine and Hill Lane.
— Access to the northern section of the forest is still blocked beginning a few dozen yards past the treeline; this section of fog will urge residents to stay huddled within the town proper by inducing a physical reaction of panic and fear.

— DEATHS & DISAPPEARANCES continue! Max Guevara has vanished into the fog. Claire Novak's body can be spotted on Day 059 facedown at the bottom of the Chasm between Hill and Stine, near Phillips Drive; by the morning of Day 060, her body will be gone. (Attempts may be made to reach her body but will likely not end well for those involved. Such attempts should be reported under Exploration.)

— ALCOHOL is still in Mathias! Just barely. (Supply is running very low after recent town events.) 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 was also restocked with its lower-end offerings of a variety of alcohol types. (Alcohol does not replenish as food does.)

---

OOC NOTES

— PROJECT HELP Your mod needs help with some projects!

— FUTURE PLANNING If you haven't, please answer the questions here for future log planning. I will almost definitely need some of these answers for the log going up the weekend of May 15, so act quickly! Late submissions will not be considered for that log.

— UPDATES Don't forget to report updates as they come up! Changes to locations (like toppling a few bookshelves in the library), big plots you have coming up that will affect the game (parties, major property destruction, etc), or exciting discoveries that may tie into the game's mythology (even the things provided by the mod) are very helpful to have in one place so relevant page updates can be made.

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

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Comments

[trigeminalheadache]

If only he knew just how familiar with weird she was. Ralph had had trouble grasping the concept of the multiverse and doppelgangers and messing with the timeline, and he was a man who could stretch and mold his body beyond just human form. It took a whiteboard and days to finally help him get it. The well of weird ran deep where she's from.

If her experience helped her here in this town, she was both grateful for it and a bit disturbed. Just what was this place? Why did it pick these people? And why couldn't they get out? It felt terrible to do it, but she wished Cisco was here with her.

She nods knowingly at his remark, how meeting her is a pleasure and not a pleasure all at the same time. One wouldn't wish others to be trapped here, but there was a comfort in knowing they weren't alone. She looked up, making eye contact.

"Marooned is right. Never had the feeling of being washed up, and it's not one I'd like to repeat. Though, it's good to know it's not uncommon. And..." She half-shrugged, her lips curling. "I feel a little less special now."

That curl turned into a full smile. Caitlin was joking, obviously.

"How long have you been here?"

[tinstar]

It made him feel better that people who were used to weird were weirded out by this place, and he'd be the same kinda glad to know that it resonated with Catlin too. Them being unsettled meant his being unsettled wasn't due to just his ignorance or lack of experience, neither of which was worn well by a man of his age and skill.

"Hate to say it but be glad you came when you did. Last batch that washed up did it for five or six days in a row. Think of it this way, we're all some kinda special for Mathis wantin' us." And with the theories he already had, he wondered what trauma and fear lay in her that Mathis would be interested in. It must be there.

"Near three months, at this point. I was in onna the first batches. It's better now than it was. More room, a few more answers. I hope you like puzzles." He assumed she did, considering her position. "We could use a few more sharp minds on it.. You met any of the other people yet?"

[trigeminalheadache]

Her eyebrows shot up, her eyes briefly going wide. "Five or six days in a row?" That sounded horrifying. Each morning, waking up on the beach cold and alone. Having to make the trudge up from the beach, getting warm and clean and dry. She hated the experience just the one time. She couldn't imagine five or six times of it. "Did they remember the previous day? Was it like.. a Groundhog Day thing?"

Caitlin wasn't sure if knowing what was going on would make it better or worse. Probably worse. The frustration would grow day after day, knowing that you'd done all of that the day before and would probably do it again tomorrow. And how she hoped he knew the reference. She could find some other way to describe the time loop, but pop culture references made it easier.

She was not touching the 'some kinda special' comment. She'd been special all her life. But being singled out for it like this? No, thank you, she'll pass on it.

He'd be right on her liking puzzles. Most recently, it was how she'd figured out her father was still alive. And she was sure another puzzle would lead her back to him again.

"I've met Ellie?" She phrased it as a question, but he no doubt knew the girl. "I wandered into the Grey Gull after I woke up. She was nice enough to set me on the right path. But that means you are the second person I've met here. Congrats."

[tinstar]

"All we lacked was Bill Murry and that damned golf cart. Each morning started with an earthquake; I'm glad those have stopped too. S'what put this here in the first place," he explains with a gesture at the chasm near-by. "And the tunnels. Word of advice there - Don't sleep in 'em and don't be in 'em at night."

He sounded like an old paranoid man, doling out the local urban legends to the tourists in town. He hated it.

"An honor," he declared sincerely with a lift of his eyebrows. "There's about twenty or so of us here, the numbers flux but.. You'll meet everyone else. Mathis is shitty but the people are alright. Decent people. You might look into the boarding house for a place to stay, meet that crowd. It's better to not be alone at night. I'm sure you sense a theme."