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

cw allusions to physical abuse

[citharede]

[ She doesn't think much of his tightening grip at first. She's too lost in enjoying herself, enjoying the feeling of the Gift around her, enjoying the fact that she can show off a little.

But near the end of the song it gets painful. That twitch of OCD she's never been able to shake keeps her from stopping mid-verse, all but forces her to get to the end, but as soon as she lets go of the song her attention is on him.

That anger is terrifying. It takes her back to places she's scared sometimes will never go away. Places where she's small and helpless and can't do a damn thing about the man bearing down on her with that kind of fury in his eyes except brace herself and take it.

Then Kirigan lets go of her hand, bracing his hands on his knees, and Athena asks the question that she always asked when she saw a face like that. ] What did I do?

[skladka]

[ The Darkling takes a moment--he has to, the room spinning from the use of his power, an unfamiliar feeling of nausea burning in his stomach. He grits his teeth, willing himself to simply stop, as if stubbornness will somehow keep the sensation at bay.

It's this place, he realizes. He'd tried to use the Cut, and it had felt the same. His blood and bones must also be affected, his ability to amplify presently affected, and his knuckles are white as he grips his knees.

There's something else, something he can focus on as he tries to will the world to stop spinning: Athena hadn't wrenched her grip away, and instead she says asks a simple question that reveals far too much. 'What did I do?' she says, and he's reminded of many a Grisha's story, huddled, scared, confused as figures loom over them.

The way her eyes flash in fear is what pulls him out. He closes his eyes, eyes flickering underneath the lids and his jaw clenches tightly once more before willing himself to stand up fully, properly: he exhales softly, face paler than usual, but when he speaks his voice has something that's been lacking in their entire conversation. Warmth. Silent understanding. An apology. He fights a wince ]

Forgive my inappropriate behaviour--this... place.. [ he trails off, venom returning when he thinks of the village itself. ] It saps our power, our 'gifts,' but to amplify you...

[ His smile thins, gaze intense, making sure he catches Athena's eyes. ]

I did not expect a physical toll. You did absolutely nothing wrong, Miss Athena. What you did was more than impressive. In my world, it would be a miracle.

[citharede]

Shit. [ She says it softly, when he reveals that the amplification had a physical effect. She can't help a twinge of guilt at that, even if he says it isn't her fault.

She also can't help the little bloom of pride when he calls her more than impressive. ] I'd like. I mean, if you don't mind, I'd like to know more about Grisha. What you can do. If you want to talk about it. And I mean, not right now obviously, you're...

[ The last sentence trails off into worry. ]

[skladka]

[ The Darkling nods, allowing himself a small nod. ]

Of course. I'm proud of what Grisha have done for my country.

[ She's right. He needs to excuse himself, needs to rethink and replan. A trip to the chasm seems like a particularly good idea. ]

Another time, Miss Athena. This experiment was useful.