INTRO LOG: JULY

[inthenightmods]

INTRO LOG: JULY
IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN

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

QUICKNAV
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pages	|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Comments

[facelessgirl]

[ Arya blinks. While she had by no means trusted all that they were told, she hadn't considered pushing herself to the limits that this woman intends to. She can't deny that it will be an interesting experiment though. ]

If we're dead but we can still die, I don't know what that makes us. [ She shrugs, eyeing this woman's market choices again. ] I suppose if I see you again I'll know if it worked.

[ But these spirits are taking some getting used to. Her brother Bran had told her all about the children of the forest he'd spent time with, but the strange, mute little presences of these ones are not what Arya had imagined. ]

Odd how none of them speak, isn't it? Why can't they, when other things don't seem to matter here?

[originallutece]

They can make noises. And they can understand us. It may be they simply don't want to speak to us.

[She turns, setting her purchases down, reentering the store so she can get another look at those spirits. They do not like her, and a few shuffle around in a particularly irritated manner.]

I can't say as I blame them.

[facelessgirl]

Or maybe someone has simply told them not to.

[ When she'd trained at the House of Black and White, there had been many acolytes who had ignored her very presence there at first. You barely acknowledged the bottom rungs of the ladder. Perhaps that's the case here. ]

I bet they know all about the last group that was here. And why they aren't here now.

[originallutece]

It's a distinct possibility, yes.

[Hmm.]

It warrants further investigation. Why don't we start by you asking them a question, hm?

[facelessgirl]

Why me?

[ It's not that she's not willing, not at all. Arya is in fact very well equipped to get the truth out of an interrogation, but she's curious about why this woman has put the onus on her right away. ]

What would you ask them first? If we mean to do it, we should have some strategy.

[originallutece]

Because I've interacted with them before, and they don't seem to care for me.

[Because she menaced them. But it's true: the forest spirits are staring at her with, if not fear, at least mild irritation.]

And though their standards may be vastly different than ours, if we were dealing with a man, your general age and sex will lead people to underestimate you. You have a better chance to get answers.

[facelessgirl]

[ Arya smirks a little at that response, eyeing this woman like there might be more to her than she seems. ]

And what exactly did you do to warrant their distaste?

[ She shrugs a little at that line of reasoning, considering it not without possibilities. Arya does tend to catch the eye wherever she goes in her own realm though, due to how blatantly she rebuffs the gender expected of her, but she is not without solutions to that. ]

Come on then. [ She leads the way back inside, glancing around herself at the maybe unfamiliar trinkets and getting momentarily distracted. ] How are we even to know what we should need from all this?

[originallutece]

That's the point of science. To experiment.

Or are you asking what supplies you might need? There's no shame in more than one trip to the store-- and I'd begin with basics. What do you need to survive from day to day?

[Just BREEZED PAST THAT FIRST QUESTION, it's fine, don't worry about it, Arya.]

[facelessgirl]

Are you a maester of some kind?

[ Arya asks it with a squint of suspicion and interest because no woman can be maesters as far as she knows, but there is a knowledgable air to this woman. ]

Fire and furs. And a pot for cooking. [ Arya frowns, considering that for once she might have more than the basic essentials. Another thought hits her. ] Do you suppose they might have herbs from the summer isles here?

[originallutece]

They may. Help me look.

[Herbs may mean anything from medicine to cooking spices, but either way, it'll be interesting to find out.]

Define maester.