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The Village Mod ([personal profile] villagemod) wrote in [community profile] villagelogs2021-07-17 05:52 pm

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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abrightboy: (looks to you)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-08-15 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Malcolm stepped over to Raylan and have him a firm, if chaste, kiss.

“I will,” he promised.

There was too much at stake to risk a life that could help the injured. There was too much pulling at his heart to risk damaging Raylan more.

He presses his palms to Raylan’s chest, in a bid to ground him. “Let’s go get Neal.”
welladjustedwhitly: ({Bright} Seriously)

[personal profile] welladjustedwhitly 2021-08-16 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
She settles where Raylan sets her down, huffing softly in annoyance of how useless she is with her leg like it is, but she knows that's not his fault. "Yeah, I'll be fine." Maybe in a few days, she'd be less useless.

"Go, if you need to." she tells the marshal, as her brother urges him to go, too. "Not like I'm running off any time soon."
tinstar: (Annoyed)

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-08-17 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
'Fine' wasn't really true but it was good enough for government work right now and once that was dealt with, Raylan's erratic attention was caught and quieted by Malcolm's kiss, that he earnestly returned. His eyes, his face, openly followed Malcolm's with a worry that was echoed with the way his hand clamped over Malcolm's on his chest.

Raylan glanced over at Ainsley, trying to judge if she was sure before he nodded back at Malcolm unevenly. There wasn't even a thought given to what Ainsley might think of him having accepted the kiss; there were more important to handle.

"Okay. If you're sure," he casted towards Ainsley before nodding at Malcolm again with a deep breath. He had to try and keep his shit together. Somehow his slip before had helped, but he knew he was on very shaky ground and he hated it.

"Let's go get Neal."
abrightboy: (wants to help)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-08-17 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Malcolm took his hand as they stepped outside, to ground him, to tether him, to remind him he wasn't alone.

"He's at the graveyard?" he confirmed, starting in that direction.
tinstar: (What's that?!)

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-08-21 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
"That's where I left him, yeah," Raylan said with a nod, swallowing past the knuckle of guilt in his throat. "Malcolm, I left him there. How could I do that? How does it matter how fucking scared I was??"

There was a very real, big, bundle of failure that Raylan had to deal with. He'd left Neal. Neal. The man he'd died with. The man he'd reconnected just a few days before with. It wasn't fair. He should have done better.

What if Neal was dead?
abrightboy: (unsure)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-08-24 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"Raylan, you got him to safety. He couldn't have gotten himself out of the house. You got him somewhere safe, despite how terrified you were. The rest? Fear responses are lizard brain stuff. You have limited control over your responses. That's not your fault," Malcolm tells him as they move in the direction of the graveyard.
tinstar: (hmm)

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-08-25 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
Raylan shook his head hard, eyes managing to stay level on the horizon in front of him.

"No. That's not good enough. That's not a good enough excuse for leaving him, for leavin' all of you. I failed." Failed what, specifically, he wouldn't be able to say, but the feeling stood, nonetheless.

"What separates us from the animals except that?"
abrightboy: (consider this)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-08-25 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
“Lots of things,” Malcolm told him firmly. “Things like having the capacity to regret running away. To make it right. To risk yourself to save him in the first place.”
tinstar: (Porch Thinkin)

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-08-27 02:29 pm (UTC)(link)
He was glad they were moving. It was the only way he could handle the conversation without feeling like he was going to implode.

"Barely," he scoffed, bothered and self loathing. "We'll see what Neal says." Neal was the one that held the key to lessening Raylan's self blame. "I'm just glad you and Ainsley are okay. We need to find Doc and Negan. Klaus too. Dorian, Jeff, Athena.." Too many people, it felt like. How were they going to manage?
abrightboy: (counterpoint)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-08-31 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"Neal and I see eye to eye on a lot of things," Malcolm informed him, but when the subject of the others came up, his expression grew grim.

"There was an explosion. ...Doc wasn't at the distillery, was he?"
tinstar: (Eyebrows)

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-09-01 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't know," Raylan breathed with a shake of his head, Neal's forgiveness washed under the new crash of guilt and worry. "I haven't seen him yet." Dark, pupil blown eyes turned to Malcolm was they made their way across the fields.

"I'm sure he got out. He had to get out." Henry didn't survive this long to be eaten by a fire, right? Raylan hadn't had his turn in burying the first of his loves here, but somehow he knew that it was coming.

"We'll find him. Neal first. One Body at a time."
abrightboy: (you what?)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-09-04 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
“Negan got out. He got me out.”

As they draw near the cemetery, Malcolm can make out a shape slumped in the dark.

“Is that him?” Malcolm asks Raylan, but he doesn’t wait for a reply before shouting “NEAL!”