072-078 » pages of possible futures

[villagemod]

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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Comments

[likeknives]

Could be aliens.

[He's dead serious. He's absolutely prepared to fight an alien.

But what Carter is saying...he gets that, too.

His voice is a little softer.]

Whatever is causing this...What's happening to us, it isn't fair. We shouldn't have to take it. We're gonna find a way to beat this, and we're gonna find our way home, okay?

[setthetone]

Yeah. It could be aliens.

[Congratulations, Eliot. You just unlocked 'the tone'. 'The tone' is very rare - okay, no, actually it isn't, it's more like a hidden default - and it can only be described as absolute whiny salt so strong it momentarily breaks through his upset breakdown.

Momentarily.

Just to work its way right in there.]

How? How do you beat a place that doesn't have rules? That doesn't have sense? I just saw...

[He stumbles, his voice faltering.]

I don't know what I saw! And it's been like that since I got here! And I can't even lose hope and say we're all gonna die here because obviously, oh, look at that! We won't! Except some of us do! Sometimes! For some absolutely random and inexplicable reasons!

[His voice is just rising with a certain hysteria that might have been building for a while.]

And you know what's waiting out there? Nothing! There's absolutely nothing out there!

[likeknives]

[That's...certainly a tone there, Carter.

He holds his hands out, trying to placate him. He's not even mad about it, but he feels mildly unlucky enough to be the recipient of it.]

I was serious about the aliens. And yeah, I get that! I've been tryin' to make sense of it all and I've got nothin'! But sometimes things just suck and the only thing we can do is...

[Yell into the void. It's killing him too that he can't fix this, that he can't protect people from it.

He sets his jaw when Carter talks about people dying. And not dying.]

Nothing?

[There's a pause and he purses his lips.]

You saw it. The ravine.

[setthetone]

[The ravine.

Carter's eyes grow wide when Eliot mentions it, all of his angry snark suddenly forgotten.]

Yes. Y-yes, I-- did you see it too?

[He takes a step towards him, clearly upset.]

Did you see it?

[likeknives]

Yeah, I saw it.

[He's trying not to think about it or what it means. Talking about it makes it that much more real.]

I saw it and you--you know what? This town is tryin' to--to scare us, mess with us--and I'm tired of it too, okay? So no matter what we saw--whatever that was, it was probably a trick!

[It doesn't feel like a trick.]

[setthetone]

A trick?

[He laughs but there's something ugly about it, more of a desperate bark than anything.]

Whatever it is managed to trap us here. Where nothing matters, not even time. Who'd need a trick when you're capable of that?

[likeknives]

[Man, he is so unequipped for dealing with existential horror. Eliot rubs his face, hating the sound of the desperation in Carter's voice.]

I don't--I don't know!

[It's easier to pretend it's a trick.]

But I can't do anything about that! I can't--I can't punch it, I can't tear it to pieces, and I can't do any damn thing about this town except survive and make sure that everyone else makes it out of here alive, too.

[setthetone]

I don't know if I can do this.

[His voice turns quiet, his shoulders slumping.]

There's gotta be something more than just survival.

[Something. Anything. But now he saw past the ravine and that believe has been crushed, shattered.]

... There was something in there. Waiting. I don't understand. What does it want?

[likeknives]

[Eliot's face softens and while he can barely handle this himself, he's been here before.

I don't know if I can do this.

He's heard those words before in a different place, a different time, a different situation.]

Yeah, there is. You have anybody back home waitin' for ya?

We're gonna make it out of here, all right? We are. If there's a way in, there's a way out. [He points towards him, even though sometimes it's easier to say it than believe it. There has to be. There just has to be.]

I don't...I don't know. But if it's...someone, something, it might be able to be reasoned with.

And if it can't?

[A beat.]

We kill it.

[setthetone]

[You have anybody back home waitin' for ya?

Carter pauses and his face softens at that.]

I... yeah. I do.

[Home. He misses home so much and he chokes up for a moment, taking a deep breath and wiping at his eyes.]

He'd. Give me the same speech, I think. You'd like him.

[likeknives]

Yeah?

[There's a smile, too, maybe he can get to him this way.

He reaches out when Carter chokes up, attempting to do a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He doesn't normally do such things--to Hardison and Parker, but Carter...he just looked like he needed it.]

You think so, huh? Can you tell me about him?

[setthetone]

He's, uh. My supervisor. I was supposed to meet him before I woke up here...

[The touch seems to help. Thinking about home seems to help because it's not thinking about the ravine.]

He's kinda strict and no-nonsense. Would tell me to suck it up. These demons would probably be afraid of him.

[likeknives]

You're right. I'd like him.

[Despite everything, Eliot chuckles at that. The mundanity of it all, having a supervisor that just went at you and didn't put up with anything...]

Usually I tell people to suck it up. But I'm giving everyone a break today.

[setthetone]

See, he wouldn't.

[There's a small smile tugging on the corner of his lip.]

Supernatural creatures? Horror apocalypses? Really not an excuse not to be prepared or do your job.

[likeknives]

Now I really like him.

[That gets an outright laugh. Anyone who wouldn't take any excuses when through apocalypses and magic is someone he'd get along with great.]

Sounds like he's pretty tough. How'd you like workin' under that kind of pressure?

[setthetone]

It's... I don't know. It can be infuriating sometimes. Impossible standards. Sometimes he doesn't listen and he can be pretty dismissive.

[And that's putting it mildly.]

But I chose his team so I guess I get what I asked for. I don't think there's anyone who can teach you more.

[The talking really seems to help. He's really calming down now, whatever is coming out of his mouth more coherent, more there.]

The clinic? I'm sure he'd find a million ways to criticize that. And why I haven't figured out a way to research all the supernatural influences on us.

[likeknives]

Sounds to me like he wants you to do your best.

[He's trained people before, in the military, and he's heard similar complaints. Then again, the guy could just be like this.]

Especially if he's as good as you say he is...

But hey. You're only human. I think he'd be proud of what you've done here.

[setthetone]

Yeah, after tearing me a new one because I kept him waiting on his charts for months. I'm a dead man. You might be able to come back here but back home? Nope. It's all over. Oh, and even worse than that? I'm fired. So very fired.

[He's missed over two months of his internship. An eternity in the medical world. He'll never get caught up on the necessary procedures, he probably lost his spot at County...]

[likeknives]

Come on, you think they're gonna fire you after you come back from an--an alternate dimension?

[Or whatever it was that was actually happening here. Hardison was better at understanding this crap.]

I think they'd be happy you were back!

[setthetone]

You don't think I'm going to tell them any of this, do you?

[Carter just stares at him, completely baffled.]

Who would believe me? Let's say we find a way back. I go to work and what? Tell them I was trapped in a small town where magic was real and I met people from the future? I'm not getting out of this place just to get locked up again. I've had enough of mental institutions for a lifetime.

[likeknives]

[Well, he does have a point about that. He suddenly realizes how incredibly fortunate he is that he has people here, that he can talk about it when they get out.

Because they will get out.]

You could tell 'em that you were kidnapped! Come on, if they know you, they know you're not gonna just disappear for months for no reason. Your people are lookin' for you, I guarantee it.

[setthetone]

Kidnapped.

[Carter laughs, rubbing his face.]

I guess that could work. I better come up with a good cover story.

[Maybe that would be something to do, something to keep his mind occupied with.]

You're the expert on all that stuff. What should I tell the police? How do I even fill these two months?

[likeknives]

Well, you'd have to first come up with motivation. Figure out the reason they'd wanna kidnap you.

[Should he be offended about being the expert on all that stuff? But he's not, he's just rolling with it, happy to help.]

Then you gotta come up with a routine that they did daily. What kinda meals did they give you? Were you tied up? Blindfolded? Did they make you call for a ransom? You gotta be careful with that one since obviously it never happened, so you have to come up with some reason it either never happened or someone fake they called.

[setthetone]

Motivation's not a problem.

[Carter sighs but doesn't quite elaborate yet. It would only be too easy to make money the reason.]

Can't fake a ransom, though. My family would be too thorough about that.

[Who would keep him for two months and not call his family? Maybe he should go with an angry patient instead but they'd try to search the hospital records...]

Could probably tell them they trapped me in a small town in the middle of nowhere...

[likeknives]

Oh yeah?

[Now that's interesting.]

You got a lotta enemies? Politically connected? Famous family?

[He nods at the suggestion.]

That would work. And you need to make sure that you were disoriented enough upon your escape that you can't pinpoint exact details about the town. Keep it vague.