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

In the realm I come from this is not the standard.

[At least not when you live in China and are a tea snob.]

Maybe it improves when brewed.

[Boy does he sound skeptical. Guess he'll be drinking water from now on.]

But you are familiar with tea.

[Cao Pi notices the little things, after all. He has to, it's his job]

Where, then, do you hail from? Originally.

Heilongjiang.

[He's debating if he even wants to take this box with him. Maybe it could be salvaged somehow. He's an eternal optimist but this one seems beyond him.]

I don't have proper cups, nor ingredients, but I could have overlooked such things in unfamiliar surroundings. But this...

[He's just going to sadly trail off because there's no words for such a tragedy.]

[the recitation of a familiar word startles him; Cao Pi blinks for a moment before addressing the tragic tea issue, trying to get past that to find out more]

You may just have to turn to wine instead of tea. But...Heilongjiang. There is a river with that name to the north of my kingdom. In the region where the tribal peoples live, north of Beihai. Could it be...?

Yes the river is to the north, the border between China and Russia. I'm not sure what tribal people though? Ménggǔ?

[No wait..]

Are you speaking of Mongolia? That's to the west of my temple in Arctika.

[Beihai means nothing to him. However...]

Your kingdom?

[there's no mistaking it, even if time has changed some words and clarified others, that touch of native tongue is reassuring. Cao Pi draws himself up a bit and nods once, importantly]

I am Cao Zihuan, Lord of Wei. Tell me, how long has passed since the fall of the Han? How many centuries?

[He blinks and looks the other man over, because he's pretty sure he just claimed to be the man who forced the emperor of the Han dynasty to concede his rule.]

Over eighteen. You are saying you are the Emperor of Wei?

[Because he definitely doesn't look nearly two thousand years old, nor anything like the paintings of old emperors looking dumpy and wearing their royal regalia.]

Why yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Good, you're not an idiot.

[the sarcasm is reflexive, and probably unnecessary given that he's basically just met a countryman, but he can't help it.]

How fortunate to run into someone who understands, and I don't just mean the tea.

[He narrows his eyes at that because while Cao Pi might be an Emperor, Kuai is a Grandmaster and he's generally only disrespected by his enemies.]

I'm unsure if I believe you. Why would a two-thousand year old Emperor be here in this place?

[aww, there goes his positive opinion]

Why would any of us be here in this place, instead of whatever afterlife we were expecting? Apparently I'm as vulnerable as anyone else regardless of rank. But then, I wasn't expecting an afterlife at all, even if someone managed to bury what was left of me.

[ah, but two thousand years, that's...an answer, all right.]

[Technically 1800 but close enough.

He watches him for a moment, thinking. There's no real way to prove anything is there? How would one prove they were the Emperor of China in a place where no one can corroborate their statements.]

No. I suppose that is true. Forgive my rudeness.

[He's honestly still pretty unsure about all this though.]

I am Kuai Liang, Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei.

[Cao Pi inclines his head slightly to accept the apology as well as the introduction. At least, knowing now how much of a future his country has, he doesn't have to be surprised by a sect he's never heard of.]

Well met, Grandmaster. What a pleasant surprise to meet a countryman, even if under such dubious circumstances.

Likewise.

Though I fear with so many years between us we are countrymen in name only.

[And now he's slightly concerned Cao Pi might want to know everything that's happened in the past thousand plus years and Kuai is not prepared to try and remember that much history.]

[nah, he's good on at least up through 1600, as much as he ever wanted to be]

Perhaps so. Still, it is refreshing to hear familiar words, and from a master of the finer things in some sense.

[his gaze goes back to the box of tea briefly. He feels you, man, really]

I've not heard of your sect. Grandmaster is a title for a warrior of martial arts, no?

[Alright, he will accept that subtle stroking of his ego.]

Yes, we are protectors of Earthrealm. There are several clans devoted to such: the Lin Kuei, the Shaolin, the Shirai Ryu. All with unique styles and skills that lend aid to the battle.

...ah.

[he's willing to accept things that pop up well after his time; his experiences in Orochi's realm have taught him that there's an awful lot that happened, both to his country and its neighbors, in the ensuing years. Earth becoming an 'Earthrealm' could be one of them.]

Much like the, ah, ninjas of the Wa peoples, I take it?

The Shirai Ryu are ninja, yes.

[And the Lin Kuei are absolutely not ninjas in any way. Don't let the outfit fool you.]

The Shaolin are monks trained in combat. My clan were assassins, but we are warriors now that I have become Grandmaster.

I see.

[an assassin sect? yep definitely sounds like something his country could cook up. His father would probably love it.]

Then, the future is indeed in...shall we say, interesting hands. A shame they have to lose you, though, Master Kuai Liang.

[he hasn't been offered a style name, so full names it is. And titles!]

I am unfortunately the last. The Lin Kuei die with me.

The war we have been fighting has had immense casualties. The Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu is here as well. But there may be some of his clan left still.

[Takeda at least was probably still alive. But the battle with Kronika had claimed too many good warriors. He doesn't even know if they won in the end.]

[oh boy a ninja clan leader? Cao Pi's tussles with Fuuma Kotaro have put him on sour footing with those types.]

That must have been quite the war, for both of you to end up here. It almost makes me lonely to know that the others with me must have lived. [his eyes take on a sly shade] Unless, of course, everything they've told us is a lie.

Either is possible. Far more died in the war alongside me yet there are only the two of us here.

[He frowns. Well three if he counted his brother, who hadn't been there at the end anyway.]

Would you rather they died with you?

[what a tough question. Have their company here with him, or be left for eternity wondering if they survived, if they went to a different afterlife, if survival meant a lifetime of suffering otherwise...]

Clearly I would not wish death on anyone besides my enemies. But some part of my heart must have been hoping to spend eternity with my beloved wife, if I can be disappointed that she's not here.

Ah.

[Well that's truly terrible.]

That's unfortunate. My sympathies. However; I do not think this is where we are destined to spend eternity. There's still the possibility of being reunited with her.

I sincerely hope that is the case anyway. Everyone deserves happiness after death.

[it is, even if he'll act like he's not deeply disturbed.]

Is there? Well. If it turns out this isn't the afterlife, then perhaps. Who is to say?

[he snorts, though, privately disagreeing with the latter concept. Everyone? Nah fuck Dong Zhuo in particular. He's not going to get into a philosophical discussion about that here and now, with a box of shitty tea between them. Later, maybe.]

I feel no need to dwell on it at the moment. Since there is wine to be drunk and something that passes for food, we might as well behave as though we live and work out the mysteries of this place as quickly as we can. I'd pass on the tea, however, if I were you.

Just speculation.

[Because he's an optimist and he needs to cling to whatever hope he can or be crushed by despair like he has been in the past.]

I'm willing to try it once, perhaps it is better when steeped.

[He doesn't believe that for a second and even his normal monotone sounds defeated.]

Is the wine passable?

INTRO LOG: JULY

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