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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The tall man in the gold-trimmed armor with a pair of matching swords at his side is clearly part of the Old World brigade, carrying himself like none of this is troubling and he's entirely in control even if it's all a facade. The scorch-marks on his indigo and white clothing speaks of a rather unpleasant death, though better just some ruined clothes and scratched armor than walking around as a charred corpse, really.]

Bonfire

[By now he isn't simply contemplating the flames or silently dealing, no, he's observing. Every person, regardless of size, shape, face, or equipment, needs to be examined. Scrutinized. Sized up for potential threat or potential use. His icy blue eyes linger obviously on anyone who passes or approaches, he isn't hiding what he's doing at all. But then, why should he? We're all dead, politeness can take a back seat. Catch him staring and call him on it, or spring questions on him before he can ask about your weird clothes or your weird...self.]

General Store

[well, it's nice of the, ah, spirits to provide, but Cao Pi has opinions on nearly everything he sees. He only shares them aloud if there's an audience, though.]

Hmph. Is this what passes for fashion in other worlds?

[he's holding up a sweater with moose on it. For real, what is this? At this rate he'll keep his death clothing, thanks.]

Invincible Bar

[If he's going to be surrounded by the hubbub of too many people crammed into not enough space, he might as well be downstairs of his own choice rather than trying to find some quiet among the crowded apartments upstairs. Cao Pi's long, elegant fingers fumble with a glass too large for what he's used to, though it's something of a surprise that they have real grape wine here. It doesn't belong in a clunky tumbler but he's not complaining.]

...tell me. Are you versed in philosophy enough to hold a decent conversation?

[the snide sarcasm is palpable. But he really does want to talk esoterics with whoever's next to him at the moment.]

Wildcard

[bring me your fellow medieval warriors, your swordsmen, your curious folks. Anywhere, everywhere. Will match format as needed!]

Probably not.

[Unless one can somehow twist military tactics or the study of body language into philosophy, but he'd rather not. Especially not right now, when he's been out of cigarettes for a few hours and already desperately wants another. Sounds like a good way to get a headache. At least the glass in his hands keeps him occupied in the meantime.]

I was always more interested in strategy and history. But, try me. Not like I've got anywhere else to be.

[oh but commander Rosinante those are the magic words! Cao Pi perks up slightly]

Even better. I've written several analyses of military history. I can only imagine how war might differ in another world. [siiiip] Or not, I suppose there are only so many ways humans can kill each other.

I dunno about that. People here have magic, of all things. I bet they find some pretty creative ways to kill each other in those worlds.

[Devil fruits, also, create pretty horrific ways to die sometimes. But that's not important, really.]

I met someone earlier who said he can even bring the dead back to life. Shame he's stuck here, isn't it?

[The most deadpan.]

Bring the dead back to life? [drolly] How delightfully ironic.

[he shakes his head and takes a sip of the wine]

I would be more shocked if I wasn't familiar with the claim. I genuinely hope none of my people try it with me, I wouldn't want to come back wrong.

Something to do with your monster you were talking about?

[Probably not, but he doesn't have many other leads to go off of. Mostly, he's just glad the man seems to have given up on the philosophy idea for now.]

[he can philosophy later, right now um...well he'll try to get to strategy if he can]

Possibly. Mind you, I was killed before I really had the time to look into it, but I would be very surprised if a giant serpent monster had nothing to do with people attempting to resurrect a serpent demon.

So you're not just being hyperbolic, then, they actually have some way to resurrect the dead?

[That's enough to get him to pause before he takes a sip of his whiskey. Some of these people, he just can't tell when they're joking or being serious about the totally bizarre things they do back home.]

[he sighs, because this is actually some point of contention for him.]

Unfortunately. But only in the context of the particular world I was in. It's nothing I would consider particularly normal.

[so, still bizarre. Sort of.]

That said, I can attest that magic, at least the type I was exposed to, doesn't necessarily breed creativity. In the end, it still comes down to bludgeoning or stabbing.

Burning, electrocution, drowning...

[He could go on. He won't. Instead he shrugs, and idly swirls the ice in his drink.]

Probably all magic really does is make it easier to do the same things everyone else does anyway. And then they'd have to work out how to defend against things like that and you end up with an arcane arms race. It's hard to imagine.

[Not really, though. His own powers aren't magic, and probably some set of "magic" has its own reasonable explanations too, and you can dress it up in fancy colors and shapes and sizes but it does all come down to the same principles in the end. That is, assuming magic operates in ways he understands devil fruit powers to do, which is a pretty big assumption and a large part of why he keeps it all to himself.]

[Cao Pi smiles coolly in appreciation of his quick wit] ...you do catch on quick. A quality much desired in a strategist.

In my experience, the only real advantage to actual magic is surprise. A worthy tactic, but once you know what your opponent has in his unseen arsenal, it's much easier to counter. Too many are simply taken aback just to see it happening, and are cut down that much more quickly.

[like his father upon first sight of this thing the Wa called "cannons." Much more effective than catapults, but an imperfect substitute.]

I take it you have nothing of the sort where you come from.

No. We have our weapons, but nothing magical. Most people arm themselves with guns or swords, so it's been a surprise to see people here trying so casually to conjure fire.

[Of course, they haven't succeeded, and the only other magic he's heard spoken of was indeed from the dead man with claims of raising the dead. Not that he doesn't believe these people, by this point. Skepticism is valuable but being bullheaded isn't. Like Lord Cao Pi says, it's better not to let himself get taken off guard - and better not to assume that because things work one way in his world, they should work the same everywhere.]

Guns...

[time for a thoughtful stroke of his chin]

We don't have those, in my time. In the other dimension, I encountered them for the first time, in the hands of the generals of Wa. They do seem more efficient than arrows, but all it took was a good downpour and they were useless. [a quick sniff] Technology is as good as magic, is it not?

Cao Pi | Warriors Orochi

bar

Cora plz

<3

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Store

HAHA KUAI

HE IS OFFENDED

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