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

[scrapcap]

[Winters gives Nate a quick once-over, and deems that he and Nate will likely get along. He knows a kindred spirit when he sees one.

And that question does get an eyebrow raise, though at first it doesn't sound all that weird. He's certainly heard weirder. It's the last bit that's weird.]

Been here roundabout a year and a half. What do you mean someplace like this?

[nonscriptum]

[ It's that telltale Adventure Gene™, the kind of thing you can read in someone of a similar mindset from across the room. Winters has seen some shit, and for that he already has a sincere level of respectability. A year and a half is nothing to sneeze at. ]

Somewhere that takes a bunch of people from a bunch of different worlds, puts 'em all together.

[ Or along those lines. ]

Of course I wasn't dead then, but...there are a couple of other people here who I met there, who I know.

[scrapcap]

No kidding? Odd coincidence, that.

[And it is, though he's not too surprised. He's out of surprises for this lifetime (or afterlife, whatever).]

How'd that world work?

[nonscriptum]

[ A very odd coincidence, indeed. ]

Well, it was just as dark, for starters. Subterranean. People showed up through this massive door once a month along with whatever new monster we were going to get attacked by.

[ Wow, he does not miss that. ]

Everything was run by a bunch of entities that called themselves gods. Got anything like that here?

[scrapcap]

Huh.

[And he'll leave it at that. In some ways, it sounds worse. In others, better. Maybe. Jury's out.]

Not that I know of. Didn't believe in any gods when I was alive, and I still don't. No one's really got full control here, even if a select few have a bit more than others. The Lighthouse Keeper's responsible for protecting the town, and she controls it to a degree, but not so much that I'd call her a god.

[nonscriptum]

So, more like a caretaker.

[ Nate supplies helpfully, as the notion seems to fit with the idea of anyone who watches over a place with such studious diligence. ]

Though I gotta ask - what's the point? [ He could have let it be, but it's been eating away at him and with an apologetic grimace Nate continues. "Protection" is vague. ] I mean, lighthouses haven't been used for markers at ports of entry since antiquity. They're not - forgive the pun, but - beacons for a destination, they're warnings against shipping hazards.

[ It's a lot to ask of someone Nate isn't certain he trusts yet, but once he snatches at a thread he isn't the sort to let go. Or shut up. ]

So my question is, who are we warding off, and why? What are we being protected from?

[scrapcap]

That's a good way to think of her, yeah. It's her job, and she's gotta do her job. It ain't her fault we're here.

[The rest of Nate's questions get a slow nod. Winters hears you, bud, and they're good questions... But the answer probably isn't what Nate's looking for.]

I don't know much about how lighthouses are supposed to work, but what you're describing... It's backwards. The red beam clicks on whenever there's a ferry coming in or something odd going on in town. Without a reliable network connection, it's the Keeper's best way to stay in touch. The lighthouse is more like a lookout point, I suppose.

[...]

But as to what it's looking out for, I'm not gonna tell you that just yet. I will, I swear, but we've got some time and I'd rather you lot concentrate on the immediate problems first. Too much, too soon ain't gonna get us anywhere productive.