villagelogs | 065-071 » assign to oblivion / part iii

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: Mathias Township proper
WHEN: Days 065-071
WHAT: The residents of Mathias reunite under unnerving conditions.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross "Outside"

DAY 065-071
ASSIGN TO OBLIVION
“No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes
place in the interim, there are some things we can never
assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”
— Haruki Murakami

Only two days have passed since the town was fractured, leaving residents cut off from those they'd come to know and even care for. A mere two days of wandering the new streets, uncovering more secrets that continue to make little sense of this strange place. Two days with sunrises, sunsets, and nights that seem like any other.

And yet.

When residents wake on this third day, they will find that much has changed. All around them, wherever they may be, there are signs that time has passed without them. Dust covers everything, indoors and out, even areas that were spotlessly clean seemingly hours ago. The residents themselves are covered as well, dust clinging to their hair, skin, and clothing—

Clothing that they may not have been wearing when they went to sleep. Each resident, regardless of the state they were in previously, is now clad in a pair of white pajamas, with long pants and button-up shirts. Those who thoroughly explored Baneberry Hall will easily recognize these articles as identical to those well-stocked in the decaying great house. On top of this, the clothes they wore from home have disappeared, along with anything else they may have brought with them when they arrived or items from home that have been found within the borders of Mathias.

There is no sign that anyone has entered their place of shelter, nor is there any sign of what may have been done with these items or how they came to be wearing these clothes. The dust all around them is undisturbed, almost as if they had been sleeping there for quite some time, though it seems impossible for such a thing to have occurred naturally.

THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the lawn of Town Hall, at the center of the little town square. They, too, are bereft of any items from home and clothed in the identical white pajamas. There are shops all around them, with houses just beyond, and at first glance, everything seems almost picturesque. Except for the silence that is at times so complete as to be maddening... Welcome to Mathias.

SUMMERTIME
— When summer arrives, so too does an outdoor stand in front of the General Store. Sporting a handpainted sign proclaiming Whateley Farm, the stand is overflowing with a variety of produce: berries, plums, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, green beans, leeks, onions, peppers, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic bulbs. These do not replace the produce offerings normally found inside the market, but they do behave strangely. The stand replenishes sporadically, sometimes every other day or every five days. There is no discernible pattern to when it replenishes, nor is there any sign of how it came to be there at all.

— With the now-complete reverse change of season, much of the autumn debris has cleared from around town. Only a few stray leaves and fallen branches remain, their crisp colors at odds with the warm summer days. The forest has also cleared of much of the fall detritus, making it easier to both follow the paths and potentially spy things that might be out of the ordinary.

CONDITIONS UPDATE
— THE WEATHER Summer has arrived in Mathias, bringing with it warm days that average 70°F and comfortably cool nights. The skies are clear throughout the week save for Day 68 when a light rain falls from a grey sky throughout the day.

— THE FOG has maintained its new boundaries.
— 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 from the western section of town entirely.
— 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.

— DISAPPEARANCES AND DEATHS continue! Max Guevara and Liz Brundy have disappeared, and now that everyone is back together, residents will notice that Yennefer, Number Five, and Tony Stark have also vanished.

— ALCOHOL supplies have run dry, save for any dregs that have been squirreled away by individual residents. Moonshine can still be acquired by those in desperate need.

OOC NOTES
— 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. IC events are also helpful to know about in advance so they can be included in the log write-ups.

— MOD STATUS My non-RP life is busy and chaotic and I continue to ask for your forgiveness and understanding as game things continue to be slower, as I cannot promise timely mod responses beyond weekends and even that is not wholly guaranteed.

— ITEMS FROM HOME All items from home that characters would normally possess have vanished for this log and will return in the next. This includes clothing and possessions they had when they arrived in Mathias, items that were found in the rain, and items that were found in Baneberry Hall and removed from the property. Items from home that were left behind by other characters no longer in the game have also vanished. (All other items and clothing still remain, it is only items from characters' homes that have disappeared.)

— BANEBERRY ITEMS The items from home that were not removed from Baneberry Hall in the last log have vanished from the property. These items will not reappear in the next log. (Please be sure to comment in the appropriate spot on those logs about the state of your character's item for inventory purposes, ie whether they were removed from the property or left behind.)

— ACTIVITY CHECK Beginning with June's AC (posted at the start of July), all tags that consist of only dialogue will count as 0.5 points, not just those that occur in an inbox thread — this applies to both AC and AP totals. This adjustment is an extension of what has been in place since the start of the game: that all dialogue-only inbox tags counted for a half-point. Since such tags have occurred regularly in log threads as well, the half-point status is simply being extended to all tags regardless of location in order to be fairer in point distribution. (Examples will be provided in the AC post to assist with proper counting.)

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Daddy issues you say? You've come to the right town Dorian, they're thinking about having t-shirts made up.

Tim was used to being under a judging eye. He was small of stature and while he kept his sexuality strictly hidden in Kentucky, he still had enough of the Hollar folks sizing him up with delusions of pummeling him with a baseball bat. For the most part his gunmanship had made the rounds with the locals and they tended to mind themselves and their stares, but there were always some tourists thinking they'd take a shot.

At the somewhat sassy run down of threats, Tim looked very wry indeed.

"I've heard there is a vampire in our group, but I haven't met him myself. There is one gentleman who is over a hundred and six, or maybe sixty but looks a very spry early forties. Big mustache, you can't miss him. But they're both on our side. The town on the other hand, or something that has set up residence in this town, now that's a different story. It likes blood, murder, mental and emotional torture. Don't worry, give it a couple of days and you can join the fun as well."

"I'm sorry, a Vampire?" He quirks a brow at the term, "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar." Or rather, they do have something like Vampires in his world, a few things actually, but they aren't called that.

"Lovely." He sighs, "I couldn't have been whisked away on a nice, relaxing vacation, oh no. As if the dangers of my own world weren't enough to handle."

"You and me both," was Tim's response to the initial question. The only vampires in his world were the ones in books and movies. He also hadn't met the man in question, only briefly heard about him. Now he and Dorian possessed the exact same knowledge.

The rest of Dorian's response earned him a small twitch of lips and a snort chuckle as Tim's expression became one of resigned sympathy.

"A thought many of us have had," he shared in a wry tone. "Short version? Stay out of the fog, it will kill you. Try to be within a structure when night falls, there can be things in the dark that will kill you. Don't go down in the tunnels alone, things/kill you get the idea.

Oh. And if you find yourself at loose ends, it is helpful to dig a grave or two. Someone will probably have to put you in it eventually and it just helps to have one on hand."

Edited 2021-07-06 14:07 (UTC)

"Other than the deathly fog at least I'm intimately familiar with any number of things or people trying to kill me. In the dark or otherwise. So that's nothing new." He sighs somewhat exasperatedly.

"Trust me when I say I won't be going into any tunnels alone. Especially when I don't trust my magic at the moment." Though his brows loft at the suggestion of digging holes.

"Goodness, can't say I've ever been told to dig my own grave in preparation, however. How macabre."

Tim's eyebrows rose and out of everything Dorian said the younger marshal focused in on what he determined was the most important.

"I'm sorry, did you say magic?"

He sounds a curious combination of skeptical (which is his default setting) but also curious in a way that was almost childlike.

Though, it's a good thing that no one is about that can peer into his mind as it briefly drifts to other uses for those graves Tim was talking about. He smiles softly, mustache curling up with the corners of his lips with a little bit of pride.

"Yes, I'm a mage. One of the best and brightest." Though that smile falters and he sighs somewhat dramatically.

"Or at least, I was, this place has had a rather negative effect on my connection to the Fade. I'm unfortunately not near as strong as I should be. Which may or may not be a blessing considering how often my spells fizzle and backfire." It's not an easy thing to admit but important information if he's to make himself at least somewhat useful.

The younger marshal's expression was more than a little skeptical but Dorian might learn that Tim's expression was usually one of skepticism. Even when he was face to face with someone who claimed to embody a lot of the tropes Tim liked to read about.

"Well, my direct experience with the idea of magic is limited to books and slight of hand illusions," he offered with a small twist of his lips. "So I am in no position to cast aspirations or give advice on the subject. Won't even ask you to refrain from blowing up any buildings, just maybe try to make sure no one is in them at the time."

Between Raylan and Will setting fires and the Bards occasionally going sideways with their music, there was no one in this town who should be throwing stones at glass houses.

"Truly?" His brows loft at the idea that someone hasn't experienced magic other than perhaps illusions or parlor tricks. He doesn't know what to think of a world without any magic other than in fairy tales.

"Don't worry, I've chosen a spot outside of the city limits near the edge of the forest that is a wide enough clearing to allow me to safely practice. If I'm blowing up anything it may just be myself." He sighs, collecting a few items as they talk and moving along the aisles looking for necessary things.

"I could show you if you were so inclined." Don't think he didn't notice the skepticism.

"It won't be nearly as impressive as it should be but, it will be a taste of some of my capabilities."

"We generally try to encourage people to avoid that also," Tim said with dry humor, in response to Dorian's concern about blowing himself up.

The young sniper's lips twitched and for a brief moment there was something in his dark blue eyes that seemed to scream yes please!! But that something was part of a complex and fairly private coping mechanism that Tim usually went out of his way to avoid showing to strangers.

"Appreciate the offer, but perhaps some other time. I'll let you get back to your shopping, Dorian. Pleasure to have met you."

"Trust me, I would very much prefer not to have my spells backfire on me as much as possible. I mean, have you seen me? I don't want to mess with perfection." He chortles softly. And that little spark of curiosity behind those eyes doesn't go unnoticed.

"Likewise Tim, I'm sure we'll run into each other again. It's a small town. And if you should ever be curious like I said, you can find me out near the forest, south side of town, I believe? Just be sure to keep a healthy distance or at least make me aware of your presence next time?" He gives the other a little knowing wink then carries on his shopping.

Edited 2021-07-24 14:07 (UTC)

065-071 » assign to oblivion / part iii

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