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072-078 » pages of possible futures

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: Mathias Township proper
WHEN: Days 072-078
WHAT: The future is set in motion once more.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here! Next log will be the weekend of July 31.
MOD NOTE: The week did not go as planned. Apologies for the delay on this log and thank you for your patience!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Marco Beltrami "Bad Omens"

DAY 072
“The visions are fragmented and a dark cloud spreads
like spilt ink across the pages of possible futures.”
— Garth Nix
Blue skies greet residents on this bright new morning filled with summer sunshine. It's a day when birds would normally be singing, when there would be boats taken out on the water, children laughing and running through the streets. But in Mathias there is only silence, eerie and almost deafening in its absoluteness, and those blue skies do not stretch on forever. Far off on the horizon are dark clouds stretching ominously in all directions, never moving closer or farther away. They are always there, dark and angry, as if waiting... For what, who can say, but they will remain there for the days going forward, circling the town like a shark circles a meal.

Despite that dreadful darkness in the distance, there is some good news. Residents will also wake to find that their previously missing belongings have returned to them. Clothing and other personal effects are right where they should have been, as if they have always been there, and there is no sign of them having been returned by someone or something. They're just there.

That is, however, the extent of the good news. Residents who visit the Town Hall will find the bulletin board much changed, and those who have thrown caution to the wind and made use the sedatives found within Baneberry Hall will begin to find themselves changing as well. They are easily distracted while awake and plagued by nightmares while asleep. They dream of Mathias burning, fire spreading from the east until it consumes everything in its path. With increasing intensity as the week continues, they will wake with terror gripping their chests and sweat covering their too-hot skin.

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. 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.

DAY 073-075
With those dark clouds still hanging on the horizon, some residents may find themselves watching the ocean a little more closely, searching for signs of whatever it is they are beginning to sense is approaching. If they do, they will find those signs, for every so often a dark shape will appear from out of the water before disappearing a few moments later. Residents are welcome to try getting a better look at those shapes, though moving to higher vantage points will be ineffective and swimming may not be the best investigation method.

Nightfall strengthens the sense of that elusive something. Though nothing can be seen in the darkness, there is something out there. They can feel it when they are outside themselves, a heavy presence that their animal instincts warn them against, urging them to flee to safety indoors. But once inside, they can hear whatever is out there in the night, the sounds horrifying and yet utterly indescribable and beyond the limits of their perception.

There is no way to glimpse what might be making those sounds, nor is there any way to properly record them, though attempts may be made to do so.

DAY 076-077
The strange occurrences of recent days continue as something attempts to lead residents out into the southern forest should they venture within view of the treeline. Unrecognizable voices may call out incoherently or the sounds of someone moving through the trees may pull at their attention. Or, perhaps, a dark figure entering the forest will catch their eye, pulling them to follow the possibly feminine figure with no discernible characteristics.

Whatever it is, it will lead them along the paths or even away from their relative safety, winding this way and that until they're completely lost within the expanse of sun-dappled trees that seem innocent and threatening at the same time. There is nothing left to do but continue following that figure that is always just ahead at the edge of sight.

Eventually, the trees stop and there is a stretch of clearing, the sky a crisp blue overhead, sun shining down and yet—

That dark figure is still shrouded in shadow, as are the other four that have joined it. All slight with long hair, something feminine in the way they stand with hands held out at their sides, facing outward in a line along the edge of the ravine that borders the township, though for some reason their features cannot be focused on enough for true comprehension. They stand there in silence as if waiting, so close to the edge that a strong wind could easily knock them over into oblivion. A concerned resident might try to stop them; a curious one might try to finally get a better look at the figures that led them to this place. Regardless of the reason, any movement into the clearing toward them will end in the same result.

All five figures step forward as one and disappear into the nothingness below.

The ravine so deep that the bottom cannot be seen and wide enough that the other side is tantalizingly out of reach. At first, there is the sense that safety is just beyond if only they could get there, but with that sensation is also the knowledge that if they stay here, death will be a certainty. The edge seems unsteady, like getting too close would set it crumbling and send them tumbling into that as well...

That is when those who do venture to the edge see the truth of the ravine and what lies beyond it: nothing. There is a neverending dark nothingness below and beyond this ravine, beyond this town, and there is something staring back from within the dark.

DAY 078
As morning arrives in Mathias, so too does the storm. Those clouds that hovered in the distance move in quickly, plunging the town into a twilight-like darkness. The rumbling that breaks the silence is like that of a thunderstorm but infinitely more ominous, signaling something approaching that is not meant for the world of man. Within just a few minutes, the residents will learn why as lightning arcs across the sky, the cracks of powerful energy echoing through the air. Those branching spikes at first remain in the sky, but then suddenly they crash down to meet the earth, striking the Lighthouse. The sound of splintering wood and pierced metal fills the air, followed moments later by the roaring crackle of a fire raging into existence. Those cracks and crashes continue as the lightning moves inward, hitting the forest, the beach, and the Grey Gull before moving down Phillips Drive to attack the homes left rotting by time.

While the lightning eventually retreats to the sky, the fire spreads with purpose. It leaps from building to building, consuming everything in its path. It is a living, breathing thing driven by a need to devour. There is no stopping or controlling the almost sentient entity, for it does not behave as fire normally would — it skips buildings before doubling back, burns when there's nothing to fuel it, and seems to almost actively pursue residents fleeing to safety. Ultimately, the fire consumes everything east of the Library, from Jackson Boulevard to the beach and the northeastern forest to the Lighthouse; for an unknown reason, it does not venture farther inland than this.

Ash falls from the sky like snow throughout the town as the eastern half of Mathias glows a terrifying raging red. Residents may seek sanctuary in businesses along the square or in areas in the western half of the town, though the latter will not be without its own risks and consequences.

SANITY LOSS

There are multiple opportunities for sanity loss within this log. All instances of such should be reported before the next log.
— BANEBERRY SEDATIVES These will effect all who have taken them, regardless of type, quantity, or frequency, until the storm on day 78. Each night of nightmares will result in 1 point of sanity loss for a potential total loss of 6 points.

— FIGURES IN THE FOREST All who witness the figures jump into ravine will suffer 3 points of sanity loss.

— SEEING BEYOND THE RAVINE Any who see the truth of what is beyond the ravine will suffer 7 points of sanity loss that cannot be recovered. Additionally, any Madness that results from this sanity loss begins immediately.

— DEATH BY FIRE All who are killed by the fire lose 3 sanity points and gain the Madness pyrophobia for seven days, which should be reported. The pyrophobia will be experienced at an intensive level for the duration of the Madness.

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER Summer has arrived in Mathias, bringing with it warm days that average 70°F and comfortably cool nights.

— THE FOG has maintained its recent 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 have ceased for the moment but they're sure to begin again soon.

OOC NOTES

— ENDGAME We are officially heading into endgame. Over the next few months, things will begin ramping up and moving toward the always planned conclusion, with the last log projected to go up between the end of October and middle of December.

What does this mean? Essentially, hopefully, this will mean more opportunities to dig into the mysteries and lore of the game, as well as more chances for your characters to creep toward insanity. However, how things progress and what information comes to light will depend upon character interaction with the setting and involvement with the mysteries of Mathias.

— ITEMS FROM HOME All items from home have returned to the exact state and location in which they were last seen. This includes all clothing and possessions they had on their person when they arrived in Mathias (or, for arrivals in the previous log, what they should have had). Items from home that were left behind by other characters no longer in the game have also returned.

— THE FIRE A rough representation of where the fire spreads is available over here.

— REMINDER There are a lot of moving parts to this log, as there will be for all logs going forward. Read the narrative and all OOC notes thoroughly and carefully. Ask questions if something is not clear, but please also look through questions others have asked for further clarification.

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I live here,[he retorted with a pull of his face.] Which apparently, people seem to keep forgetting.

[Raylan plopped down into one of the spare chairs, a dour expression on his face as he takes a swig from the shine bottle and props it on his thigh, staring at her.]

Someone let you in or am I gonna havta look at replacin' a window?

[She frowns, ignoring the second question to focus on the first.]

You live--

[She jabs a thumb in the vague direction of 1306.]

-- there. Yes?

Sometimes. Lot of bodies there. Lot of people. No space for me.

[He glanced towards the kitchen.] I took this house to be close. Brought Athena in because no one should be alone out there and Jeff belongs with her, so he's here too..

Tim left.

[Don't ask him about it, he doesn't want to talk about it.]

Yes, I know this; he's in the water.

[By the water, she means - in the lighthouse. Or, at least, that's where she's seen him; she assumes that he's living there.]

The water? [Raylan frowned sharply. Had to be a misunderstanding.]

What do you mean, the water? The beach?

Yes, in the house in the beach.

[Callisto uncurls herself and hops down from her chair, moving to circle Raylan, studying him as she goes.]

He's sad. He is sad with you?

[She must mean the Lighthouse because Raylan knew Tim wasn't staying at the Grey Gull. He had to wonder if Tim had slept up at the lighthouse yet, despite what he'd promised.

Raylan frowned into his lap despite himself, glad for the hat brim to hide some of his features.]

He is. He tell you why yet?

No.

[She pauses, picking at the upholstery of a couch.]

He might, and I did not understand.

[She doesn't think so, though. Tim generally does a good job of acting out what he says; the times when she doesn't pick up on at least the basic meaning of his words are few and far between.]

There's safety in that, you know. Tellin' someone who doesn't understand.

He'll be fine. [Raylan declared before taking a drink from his bottle.]

So. Did you break in or did someone let you in?

[Callisto glowers at him, and jumps into answering not the question he's actually asked, but rather the question she thinks he's asking.]

I let in because outside, there is--

[How can she explain this in English when she couldn't even properly explain it in Greek? She doesn't know what drove her in, beyond an all-consuming feeling of dread.]

There is bad things, like in the forest.

[Like the feeling she's gotten every time she's tried to travel too deeply past the tree line.]

You don't feel this?

'I left outside' or 'I came in from outside', [he corrected idly - syntax was hard and she'd pick it up with enough repetition.

Raylan nodded with a dour look, a downturn of his lips as he considered the bottle in his hands.]

Haven't slept more than a few hours over the past few days. Can't with all the noise out there. I feel it. [Why do you think he was drinking?]

Raw terror and fear. [He hated it more than he was willing to articulate.]

I'm not fear.

[Which is not exactly true, but all the same, saying it doesn't feel like a lie. It's certainly not bravado. The fear she'd felt that had driven her inside had felt foreign to her, like something external that was being forcibly imposed on her.]

It is fear... to me. On me. But it's not my fear.

[Unconsciously, she touches her shoulder. It had felt like the emotional equivalent of a heavy blanket being draped over her back.]

Fear that is forced upon you, that isn't your own? [He nodded fractionally again, eyes locked on her in study. That was a better description of it and Raylan could accept it. Whether or not it was natural, he still felt it in his chest, so thinking about it her way was preferable.]

Mathis is trying to break us down. I feel like something is coming. But I've also felt like that for a week.

You're welcome here, anytime you need the cover. [With Tim gone, Raylan figured it's better to reopen that door.] Just please don't break any windows or walls to do it.

[The devilish grin that plays across her lips says two things: that she understands what he's asking of her, and that she makes no promises.]

I'll break this.

[She says, patting the back of the chair she'd been perched on.]

[It was stupid, but Raylan found himself almost smiling in return, giving his eyes and the wrinkles around them a pinch, a hint of equally devilish amusement.]

That you can do. It's not even my favorite one.

And this, and this--

[She points up at the ceiling, as well as down at the floor. Neither of those things are windows or walls!]

Now you're bein' an ass, [he accused with a playful grin and a finger pointed in her direction.]

You threaten everyone's house or just mine?

I threaten everybody, yes.

[Another very useful word that she's learned!]

You, Tim, Malcolm, Neal, Parker, Athena--

[To name just a few.]

You need a hobby. Or a new skill. Somethin' to do that isn't threatening people. I would suggest knittin' but you'd just threaten us with the needles.

[She'd be more of a terror than she already was.]

Sharpen a butter knife and whittle, like how Tim made his slingshot. [Slingshot came with a gesture, him pulling back an invisible rubber band from his fist.]

I like this.

[Callisto says, touching the empty holster on her belt. There's a butter knife in there sometimes, but not today; she goes through them quickly, and hasn't yet found a replacement for the most recent ruined one.]

More than--

[She copies his slingshot gesture, then mimes firing an arrow, and throwing a chakram - trying to indicate ranged weapons in general.]

Who wants their victims so far away and out of reach?

You like to be up close, [he guessed, following it with a faint nod and bob of his head. He might not understand Greek but he understood the tone of a question.]

We don't need to be close to kill them. Tim likes to be far away. There's no fight about it, unless they dodge and they can't dodge if they don't see it coming.

How many men can you kill in a minute? [He tapped his watch and made his index and thumb small and spaced oh so close together. A short time, a very small time. He figured Hours and Minutes were beyond her verbal understanding.]

[Telling time was indeed quite different for Ancient Greeks than it was for modern Americans - particularly when the Ancient Greek in question is a poor village girl turned warlord. Momentarily distracted from his question, she comes over to him, moving to roughly grab his wrist and hold it still so that she can get a better look at the watch.]

What is it?

[He lifted his eyebrows a little at her rough grabbing, a smile playing across the corner of his lips, but he didn't stop her and let her inspect as she would.]

Time. The incidental passing of days. I think the Greeks used Sundials. To see where the shadow of the sun fell on the stone hands.

[Raylan watched her face to see what made it into comprehension.]

The sun--

[She repeats - it's the only word of substance that she picks up on. But studying the watch - examining the round face, watching the ticking hands - it clicks.]

You're measuring how much of the day has passed.

[She has no idea why that would matter in Mathias, of all places, but she does at least understand.]

You say, how many man I can kill very fast, yes? With my sword - many. And like this--

[She lifts both hands, wiggling her fingers.]

Many, but more small many.

[If Raylan thought about it, he'd realize that people from Callisto's age didn't need to keep such neat track of a day and likely relied on only the sun's track in the sky to guess at a general time.

Still, he found himself smiling at her answer, a toothy flash of a grin that came with his words.]

Shame we can't put that to the test. Point is, being far away with the guns we have. We can put down 15 least fifteen men in under a minute. All wars are fought with guns. Explosives, [He continued, miming one with his fingers and a blowout of his cheeks.]

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072-078 » pages of possible futures

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kQxVwYwrME All I could think of

lmaoooo definitely saving this to watch later

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