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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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They fell…

[ her brows furrow. she shakes her head. where did they go? the dark figures are gone.

elena peers over the edge, careful and tentative in the way she presses her feet heavily into the ground and tilts her upper body so she can peer into the abyss. she's coming to quickly learn she simply doesn't like heights… or perhaps peering into endless black holes. she'd felt similar to the well on the lockwood property.

she breathes heavily, heart racing. ] You saw them, right?

Yes.

( but he's not sure if he did or not. he'd seen elena going after something and he'd followed her. if there was something there, he hadn't eeen it.

but he doesn't disbelieve her. he can't. not in a place like this. )

But this is as far as you go. You can't follow them.

[ she purses her lips, about to say something… but what can she say? there's nothing to say. once again, mathias provides her with questions with no answers.

she continues to peer down at the ravine as if a bulb of light or a slip of sound will pierce the darkness. nothing happens. nothing ever happens. ]

What were they? They weren't people.

[ but she looks. just in case. ]

They were something of this town's creation, Elena. We've seen things like this before.

( hadn't one of the very first things they'd dealt with been a shadow that she'd accidentally killed? it's been awhile since he'd thought about that but he's reminded of it now. )

Something made to make us go mad. You can't believe it.

What can we believe?

[ the annoyance she has for this town only grows stronger and bigger each day. the shadows can't be trusted. the buildings appear and disappear at will. the items she has come and go. sometimes, she wakes up dressed in clothing she hadn't slipped into the night before.

what can they believe? ]

Five people jumped into the ravine. I have to believe that or I'll end up going crazy.

I don't know. Did you see what they looked like?

( at least she's not wanting to go into the ravine to find them. he's worried that she's going to try so he keeps a firm hold on her. )

Are you sure...that they were people?

( he has to ask. )

They looked like people shapes.

[ and that's the only confirmation she knows she has, even though she knows she wants more. they weren't people. they were shadows. it's always fucking shadows. ]

I didn't see their faces. [ elena sighs, pressing her hand to her temple as she squeezes her eyes shut. ] They probably weren't real.

But they were something.

( he doesn't completely want to tell her that what she saw was some figment of her imagination because he knows it wasn't. it was something. it was something this town probably conjured to make them all anxious again. )

Did they say anything before they went into the ravine?

[ she shakes her head. ] No. They never say anything.

[ which should've been what clued her in to the fact that they weren't real people at all. despite the locations and shapes changing, the shadows themselves are still the same. at least this set didn't seem like they had been trying to kill one another over a lantern. ]

The one I followed looked like a woman.

Okay.

( he doesn't know what else to do to help her. he can't let her go to the ravine because he's not going to let her climb down there. but he doesn't want to force her away from it either. )

What do you want to do, Elena?

[ go into the ravine and see if it's truly a ravine. even she knows he won't say yes to that one. he'd dig his heels in, throw her over his shoulder, and ensure she never comes back here again.

she also knows it's stupid. ]

Go to the General Store. Somewhere far away from here.

[ so she can stop thinking about stupid answers. ]

Okay.

( he gently reaches down and takes her hand in his, folding his fingers over hers. he squeezes and then starts leading her away. )

Come on, Elena. Come on. Let's go.

( away from here just as she's requested. )

[ a part of her doesn't want to follow. it'd be better they stay here, see if the shadows climb out—if any other shadows come from the ravine. but elena doesn't want to stay and peer down into the black abyss. it feels like she has been for the last two years, always peering over the cliff into a black hole.

her hand's initially slack in his before she grips his fingers and walks a step behind him, a little clumsily bumping into him. ]

Do you think this town was ever normal?

I've begun to wonder if this town even existed before we got here. I know there were remnants but...

( more and more, he thinks things like this are being created for their benefit. it's meant to look a certain way and that's it. he wonders if this place is trying to make them think that it was normal. )

I don't know, Elena. I don't have the answers and I hate that.

[ that's a new one, and an idea that elena hasn't had before. she's based all of her theories on the fact that this town was here before they arrived. in shambles, maybe a little broken, and most definitely empty, she'd been trying to piece together an idea that the people here had to flee to god knows where... and they all found themselves here in their absence.

but to think the town doesn't exist...

it's enough to have her switch her focus from the ravine. ]

Maybe this town's idea of normal is what we find abnormal. [ her brows furrow as she considers it. ] Everything here looks so normal on the surface... but that hall appearing overnight? Maybe that's what's normal for this town.

And have you ever heard of any kind of town that this sort of thing would be normal for? I don't think we can keep with the idea that any of this isn't strange, Elena.

( strange and dangerous. this place was risky to the both of them when it shouldn't be, especially for him. he shakes his head. )

I understand you might want to be optimistic but I think we've been here too long to think like that.

You can still be optimistic, Elijah.

[ she glances at him before shaking her head. she won't give up on trying to see the bright side. if caroline was here, she'd tell her that. there's always a bright side, always a glimmer of a sunray behind every dreary cloud. the moment she starts being pessimistic—the true moment—is when this town wins. ]

This town has taken so much already, but I refuse to let it take that.

I've never been optimistic, Elena. It's how I've been.

( she can be optimistic for the both of them. but, he just cannot find anyway to be optimistic about this town. it's done nothing but hurt and confuse them.

the only thing he wants is to be gone. he wants them both to be home. )

And this place has done nothing to bring it back. I can only be realistic.

[ realistic, pessimistic. isn't it the same thing these days? she thinks elijah had once been optimistic. she'd like to think he was, once. it makes sense to her that he might have grown cautious and tired of the world given how long he's lived and the life he's lived... but she refuses to believe he's completely pessimistic. ]

Well, you can be Pessimistic Elijah and I'll be Optimistic Elena.

[ she tilts her head up and smiles as if she's proud of that. ]

We'll be quite the pair.

Let me ask you a question and I want to hear your honest answer.

( it's something he's wondered, something he's wanted to ask but there's always been so much going on that he hadn't wanted to broach it. )

Do you think we're going to get home anytime soon?

[ elena opens her mouth and then closes it. she wants to give him a quick, easy and confident answer, but that's a question she's asked herself plenty of times since arriving in mathias. ]

No.

[ that doesn't make her pessimistic, btw! ]

I think this town wants us to be comfortable or... distracted. I'm not sure which. But I don't think it wants us to be super comfortable anymore.

Do you think we're going to get home at all?

( that, he thinks, is the true test of her optimism. they've been here now for awhile and there's been no sign they're going anywhere.

it's hard to feel confident that they're going to be allowed to go back. )

I think there will eventually be answers.

[ she doesn't know the answer to that. elena knows she's dead. she has nowhere else to go after this town... presuming that it's still a purgatory of some sort. elena's still unsure of what to make of mathias, other than it being strange and off the map in a way that's discomforting.

she cards her hand through her hair and ignores the hand in his. ]

And one of them has to be how we can move out from here.

You're a lot more confident about things than I am.

( but he's an old, old original vampire who's gotten used to things always being terrible. it just so happens this is more terrible than many of his life experiences.

he sighs. )

I'll try and hang onto the hope that you have, at least. We can share it.

[ elena gilbert, the inspiration behind a thousand-year-old vampire finally sporting some semblance of hope, no matter how small it may happen to be. she never thought she'd see the day where she would have that much of an impact. ]

I can loan it to you as long as you take care of it. [ elena smiles. ] Make sure you don't feed it with any pessimism.

[ that's now how you make optimism grow. ]

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