logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: JULY

INTRO LOG: JULY

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: july 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. winters, will, and rastus introduce themselves and explain the situation.
warnings: n/a.

welcome to beacon.

It's dim, and the room won't stop swaying, gently rocking you back and forth. A loud sound startles you fully awake, a deep, moaning call: a foghorn. As your eyes adjust, you note faint red light streaking through the room from a tiny, round window.

You've found yourself in a private room, lying on a bed. The last things you remember are the events that led up to your death. Beside you is a folded tablet and a lantern that glows steadily with a healthy flame.

You're on a ship. And that ship is docking.

Making your way to the deck, and eventually the pier, you find only moonlight to greet you, and a dark forest beyond. There are other people here, each with their own unique lantern, and many of them look just as lost as you are. On the ferry you've just disembarked from, the speaker system begins to play a song.

In the distance, across the waters of the lake, you can see the tall silhouette of a lighthouse, its red light slowly turning.

•••
Winters and Will are waiting for you on the beach. Winters flags you down from where he's standing atop a large rock, surveying the gathering crowd. Will stands next to him, though he's monkeying with his tablet and looks rather bored. He barely looks up as Winters speaks:

"First thing's first: I'm sorry you're here. There's no easy way to break this news, so let's just get it over with, hm? You're dead. Or, ah, you've died. Call this the afterlife if you want, or don't if that ain't your thing, but point is, you're here 'cause you died. Those are the facts.

This world's dead, too. You've noticed by now it's pretty dark, yeah? That's 'cause there's no life here, not anymore. And that lantern you've got? That's your life, so to speak. The flame goes out, you die, and vice versa. Keep it close. Should be easy enough to remember on account of how the sun don't rise. You'll need something to see by.

This place is called Beacon, and that's Lake Red Jacket. Town's 'bout a mile down the road, and we've got a bonfire there, but that's the only other light you'll see in this place. Save for the moon and all, though the sky won't do you much good out in the woods. I'll let Rastus explain the bonfire to y'all.

Ah, right. I'm Ben Winters—Winters'll do—and this here's Will Ingr— What? For christ's sake, Dr. Will Ingram. Likes to think he's the brains of the operation, as you can see. If you've got questions about these tablets, he's your guy. Rastus tends to the fire, and you'll find him in town. He's married to his job in a way. And you may never've seen a person like him back wherever you came from, but don't make a big fuss over it. He's a nice fellow. Mind your manners.

The three of us are leftovers from past resets. We came here on that ferry just like you, but it's just us left now. 'Sides the Lighthouse Keeper, but it'll be a bit before you get to meet her. She's got control over the town, see, and if she ain't satisfied with a group's performance, they get the axe. Town gets reset. If she pulls a reset on you folks, a couple of you might end up like me and Will here, giving this speech to the next crop."

The red beam of the lighthouse pulses over the group, over the trees. Winters glances up to watch it swing out over the bay.

"But don't hold it against her. Ain't her fault we're in this mess, and we've all got a job to do, including you.

For now, concentrate on accepting your lot, yeah? We're here to answer your questions, but we ain't gonna tell you all there is to know just yet. Some things are best learned on your own, and some of it we just don't want to saddle you with yet. There's a limit to how long we can stay here safely, that's true, but thing is, we do got time. Time enough to play this smart. Do better than the folks before us did. Settle in, make peace, explore a bit if you're up for it. Use these first couple weeks to come to grips. You ain't gonna be any good to the town if you don't sort yourself out before worrying about what comes next.

So listen up: You're dead. You died. Whatever your old life was, it's done now. None of us can go back, so all we've got is forward. Welcome to Beacon. Could be worse, yeah?"

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! For this intro log, all three NPCs will be available for chatting with, whether your character wants to make casual conversation or ask questions about all this. The headers on each NPC toplevel are there for easy reference as to what each of them are responsible for, but you're welcome to go to any NPC for whatever reason. You're welcome to assume your character has overheard any NPC conversation to learn more about the game. After the NPC threads have died down, we'll compile the info learned ICly and add it to the game history page. If your character would contribute something specific to the game history records, let us know!

DELIVERIES

The following packages can be found in the cargo hold:

The monthly store restock

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[ Her face registers very little in the way of a reaction. The slight narrowing of eyes, the cant of her head as she processes every syllable that spills past his lips; The care he'd taken in delivering each one.

For a moment, silent hangs in the air as if she's looking at a series of strings and calculating which one to pluck. ]

Is that why there's no graveyard?

[ The thing about Scarlett? She never did anything that was in her best interests, especially when somebody tried to tell her what they should be. ]

I never said there wasn't a graveyard.

[He's not entirely sure which string she's pulling, but if it might help take her mind off the Church, he'll play along.]

This town isn't just an inn, a cathedral, and a couple of stores. The rest of it's just buried in the forest.

[ Scarlett simply stares at him for a long moment, her face expressionless. ]

You didn't think to mention, any of this in that little briefing you gave us?

[ Shaking her head before - Sorry Will - picking back up where she left off. ]

The area where the church is built. Is the ground consecrated?

[He's annoyed, but that's... typical, to be honest.]

Sorry, I didn't deem it vital to talk about cemeteries immediately upon greeting a bunch of dead people. I figured you'd all realize there was more to this place when Winters told you to explore.

[Also like, there aren't cemeteries anymore when he's from so he legitimately forgot. Oops. The church question gets a surprised little snort of laughter.]

Is it what? How the hell should I know? I don't even know what god they worshiped there. If that's even what it's for.

Not the cemetery, the damn town. I didn't need to be told I was dead five times I lived it.

[ She's clearly not one of those people who needed to process the shedding of her mortal coil. Frankly, it was a miracle she'd lasted as long as she did. ]

Consecrated. [ Said slowly this time, in case he missed it the first... ] Blessed. Holy. Prayed over, whatever. So you don't even know if its a real church or just for show.

[ Slightly more of a judgment that a question, really. ]

Let's start with what you do know. Which direction is the cemetery?

[Will's eyes narrow behind his glasses.]

I know what consecrated means. I'm just taken aback that it still matters to someone. You know there isn't really a difference between a real church and a fake one, right? They're both fake. Religion is a fairytale.

[And that's that on that.]

And why would it matter? If it were supposedly blessed, it would've likely been by some bizarre alien priests who praise a deity you've never even heard of.

[What if they're Satanists???]

The cemetery was to the East, if memory serves.

Me? I don't care. But for some stupid reason the things I was dealing with before my untimely death do.

[ She couldn't even say if it was superstition or if they legitimately couldn't step foot on consecrated ground. She'd been too busy lurching from one disaster to another to give it any thought. ]

Now, on the off chance one of them were to wind up here? I thought maybe you and all the other people wandering around might like to have somewhere safe to go to. But... if you'd rather be literally ripped apart? Then I guess it doesn't matter at all.

[ Delivering all of this with a smile and and a cheery note of condescension. ]

[In direct opposition to Scarlett's cheery smile, Will is frowning.]

Trying to scare me, are you? I've been in this place over a year. Whatever you're talking about, I've probably seen it and worse.

[And no he's not going into detail.]

Besides, what are you hoping to get out of this? I'm not a priest. You want it consecrated, do it yourself.

[ Does she actually believe he's seen that and worse? Frankly, no. We'll let her be in for that rude awakening when shit gets real. ]

If I wanted to scare you I'd be the one threatening you.

[ At this point she just looks annoyed at the fact that she's even having this conversation. ]

I wasn't actually asking you to do anything. I was asking questions, ones you seem incapable of answering without being an insufferable dick about it.

[ Her eyes narrow, head cocks to one side and he'd be able to see the sudden awareness light up her eyes. ]

Are you even here to help? Or are you just as stuck here as the rest of us?

What makes you think I'd be any more afraid of you?

[Bold words for someone who probably can't lift an end table. But he immediately seems to forget them when she gets to that last part.]

What part of that wasn't clear? Of course we're just stuck here like the rest of you. We never said otherwise. Why does everyone just assume that we're in charge? We're not the keeper's servants sent here to guide you, we're trying to help you because we're in the same position you are. We've just been here longer, we know more about what we're doing.

[About halfway through that rant he stands up, scooting his chair back from the table and planting his hands on it to lean forward. There's a kind of exasperated snarl behind his words.]

But you all seem so keen on making the same mistakes that we did. Obsessing over the goddamn church. Refusing to cooperate. Trust me, you're far from the first group, and at this rate, you won't be the last.

[Wow that uh, that got off topic, didn't it? He has maybe been holding some of this in a while. And it's only day one. Great!]

[ She becomes immediately aware of shift in him, Scarlett watching, waiting, seeing exactly how reacts and perhaps what’s infuriating about her is the fact that her own body language never alters. She retains her perfectly casual posture, her arms folded across her chest and if she’s bothered or even amused by this? It doesn't outwardly show.

Instead she waits for the words to stop, her fingers drumming against her arm as she allows a heavy silence to hang in the wake of his outburst before she ever so simply asks; ]

Are you done?

[Well that was a mistake. He wasn't supposed to have some crazy outburst, he told Winters he was fine. And it is fine. They have time. They just got here. So what if they go the wrong direction for a while? He doesn't need to get so frustrated so quickly.

But god do these people make it easy.

After he gets his breathing under control, Will runs a hand through his hair and sits back down.]

I am. And unless you've got something useful to say in the next ten seconds, so is this conversation.

[ There's a look in her eyes, something akin to fascination as if that outburst had in fact been the most interesting thing he's done so far, in her eyes. Perhaps it humanized him in some twisted sort of way? Or maybe Scarlett just likes to see what makes people tick... Especially when she doesn't trust them.

Why can't it be both? ]

Plenty. [ The smallest hint of a grin touching her lips, her gaze lingering on his newly mussed hair before she finally moves to stand herself. ] But they'll keep.

[ She'd learned what she wanted to know and as it turned out? A whole lot more than she bargained for. ]

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INTRO LOG: JULY

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