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
comms	|	network • logs • memes • ooc
pages	|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Comments

[chardismastic]

[ Rafe takes the newcomer in at a glance, only briefly lingering on the ears pointing up out of her hair. More importantly, she's not carrying supplies so she's likely not about to try and fight him for a room like they probably still were at the Invincible. He can work with that.

Pushing up onto his feet, he rolls his shoulders and toes the ring with his boot. ]

I wouldn't mind the crypt, [ he answers honestly. His favored genres are by and large nonfiction with some specific Spielberg-based exceptions, and the term goes over his head. So he errs on the side of sarcastic understatement. ] Liches though... Those sound a little unpleasant. I'd imagine if it were anything immediately hostile they'd have bust through already which means the alternatives are it's not dangerous or we're really screwed.

[evocation]

[Kyna shrugs at that. She'd guess the latter, but hey, they're already dead, right?]

We could just try busting through.

[chardismastic]

[ Not the most delicate approach, that's for damned sure, although given the lack of give through traditional means... Usually Rafe would opt for some more involved alternatives first, try to get a feel for what may work more smoothly. Usually Rafe hasn't just died and so he's feeling a smidge nihilistic.

So he shrugs, reaches for the axe at his belt. An idle toss flips it blade over handle before he catches it and offers it to the woman next to him. Ladies first. ]

By all means.

[evocation]

[Kyna waves the axe away dismissively, and as she does, a much larger, shimmering, spectral hand appears in the air before her.]

Let's try this first.

[She mimes a punch and the hand follows suit, slamming into the trapdoor. There's an echoing boom and the complaining creak of wood, but the door doesn't even bend. Kyna looks much more annoyed at this than one might expect.]

Jesus, does anything work the way I want it to here?

[chardismastic]

[ ...Okay. That just happened.

Rafe blinks in silence for a hot minute as he processes the giant magic fist still floating in front of them. Or more specifically, floating in front of this woman. Not something you see every day, or ever where he's from — unless you're paying way too much for Criss Angel on Broadway. ]

All right then.

[ Understatement of the night, probably. But Rafe isn't much for useless gaping and is wholly for compartmentalization now, sorting out never later. So all he does is squat down again to confirm that— ]

Not even a splinter out of place.