villagelogs | 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 sat with you last night,” Malcolm tells him, watching his face carefully.

That gets a small smile, a soft, "Thanks."

After a moment, slightly more teasing, he adds, "I hope I didn't say anything too out there."

Malcolm shakes his head. “Nothing crazy,” he assures.

He looks from their hands to Neal’s face.

“Doc says you’ll be okay but this is the first time I really believed it.”

Neal knows better than to make a joke about his chances, at least. He uses his free hand to prop himself up a little.

“Hey,” he says softly. “I’m going to be okay. We all will.”

“Promise you won’t leave me like that?” Malcolm asks softly.

"I'm not going to leave you at all if I can help it," Neal says, just as soft.

“It’s not a consolation prize,” Malcolm practically whispers. “It was never that.”

Neal actually winces. He lets himself drop back down onto the bed rather than easing down, a little unconscious stab of punishment through pain.

"I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. I just..." He closes his eyes, throat tight. "I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to hurt everyone."

Malcolm bites his lip, trying to will tears not to form, but he doesn’t succeed. Isn’t his face tired of crying this week yet?

“But that came from somewhere. You thought of that for a reason and I don’t want you to ever feel like an afterthought. I wanted you with me even when I thought I’d go with him. I always wanted you with me.”

Neal’s chest feels squeezed. It’s guilt, it’s longing, it’s a little bloom of happiness. He focuses on the roof of the garage for a moment, blinking back tears of his own. I always wanted you with me.

“Thank you,” he whispers, because he’s not sure what else to say. No one but Peter has ever even come close to saying something like that, not since his mom, and she lied to him about so many things that he could never quite believe it after he left.

“You really are the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“I’m not sure that’s reassuring, Neal,” he says in an attempt at levity. “I stabbed you.”

That startles a laugh out of him, and he immediately winces. "Well, I got Mozzie shot, so it seems to be a rite of passage in my friendships."

Malcolm’s fingers fidget at Neal’s sheet for a moment.

“Can I lay down here with you for a little bit?” he asks. “I promise I won’t fall asleep.”

"Of course." He eases over a little, trying to keep the pain of it from his face.

Malcolm notices nonetheless and it flickers across his face, but he shifts to lay down on his side facing Neal.

“I brought some books,” he tells him.

He perks up at that. "Yeah? What'd you pick out?"

He hasn't been bedbound for long--doesn't remember most of it--but boredom is a torture worse than anything Mathias has thrown their way yet.

“Dumas, Verne, Wells…” He plucks a heavier book from the pile. “They had one compilation of Shakespeare’s comedies.”

Neal smiles, his voice taking on the lilting, rhythmic quality it sometimes does as he recites.

"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words: 'Wait and Hope.'" An appropriate pause, to distance his own words from the quote. "I haven't read Dumas in a long time."

Edited 2021-07-26 02:39 (UTC)

Malcolm’s face lights.

“That’s my favourite book,” he reveals. He picks it up. “Do you want me to read it to you?”

Neal grins in response. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

There's a warm, longing feeling in his chest that he deliberately ignores, intent instead on enjoying the fact that Malcolm is here, that he looks happy for a moment, that he's willing to do something like this. "I'd love that."

He could probably read him much of it without opening the book, but he opens it all the same.

He reads with the confidence of someone familiar with the material and the cadence of someone passionate about it. He doesn't go as far as doing voices.

Neal enjoys it for a little while, charmed by Malcolm’s enthusiasm and murmuring the occasional memorable line under his breath. Before too long though, he finds his focus drifting. Not onto anything in particular. He’s just… distracted. Distractible. He has to keep pulling himself back into the moment to listen. Malcolm’s voice is soothing, though, and Neal starts to doze somewhere around chapter thirteen. Almost immediately, he slips into dreams of fire, and this time it isn’t just Raylan screaming. It’s an unholy chorus, begging for his help, and Neal gasps awake at the sight of Malcolm in flames, one hand reaching out as he falls.

He startles hard enough to yank at his stitches, send a bolt of pain through him that makes him hiss, face screwed up in pain.

Malcolm’s head snaps up as Neal jolts, reaching for him with his free hand to steady him.

“Neal! Are you okay?” he asks with concern. “Do you need Doc?”

He touches the spot on his shirt over the bandages lightly, calming down now that he can see Malcolm alive and well with no backdrop of destruction. He exhales in relief.

"No, I'm okay. I think I'm okay. Just. I guess I fell asleep. Bad dream."

“Do…” He feels odd suggesting it. “Do you want to be restrained?” It’s not for everyone.

072-078 » pages of possible futures

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