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

Rastus | NPC: bonfire keeper, item requests

[cawdad]

[Winters did warn you that Rastus would perhaps look a little odd, but he failed to specify that Rastus is an arakkoa. A rather haggard one, at that. His feathers are a dull red, frayed at the edges with some bent at odd angles. He limps and drags his talons through the dirt as he paces in front of the bonfire, his lantern dangling from his staff. His lantern looks to be in pristine condition at least, even if the old bird is past his prime.

He greets you with a sort of guttural chirp, and launches into his spiel whether or not you were ready to listen. His voice is... maybe exactly what you'd expect from a humanoid bird.]

Craw. Rastus. My name is Rastus. I am the bonfire keeper. Hello. My job is to oversee. I watch the fire. It's not like fire you are used to. Watch. Watch.

[He hobbles into the firepit and lights a torch from the bonfire's flames. It catches, and nothing seems terribly special about it—until he uses that torch to light a second torch, that is. The first torch fizzles out as he lights the second, and then he passes the flame back again.]

Fire is light, and light is finite. Life, too. Only so much of it left in this place. Be careful. Be wise.

[He touches the two torches together again. This time, the fire seems to split in half, a dull flame burning on each torch. He holds it out in front of him to make sure you've seen, and then he dips the flames back into the bonfire. They drip back into the fire as the logs sizzle underneath.]

The lanterns. They are not like the bonfire. The bonfire is the bonfire, but your lantern is you. See? See.

[With one now-unlit torch, he prods at your lantern's flame. You might feel a strange tingling in your belly, or maybe a tugging in your throat, a cold spot in the small of your back, a prickle running up the back of your neck. In any case, the torch doesn't catch. Your lantern's light stays put where it is, unwavering.]

Do you understand? This is important. Crawk. You can die again here. You don't want to die again here.

You may take torches for the town. The bonfire is a resource. Use it. What good is all the light in one space? Hm? Ration the torches but take the torches. The bonfire is a gift. We must use the gift. I will give torches if you need torches. I keep the records.

[He nods like he's said all he has to say, but then:]

Mrawk. I can order things. I can get things for you. If you don't like the shops, I can get you things. Tell me what you need. I will try. Try. But some things have a price. I am not. Rrrk. What is the word?

[He pauses, tapping a talon against his beak.]

Ah. I am not a bird. Krrrick. I am Rastus. Hello.

[Hello indeed. Rastus is here to talk about the bonfire and special orders, but feel free to ask him about anything that crosses your mind. You can also assume he ICly explains everything on the item request page to your character without specifically needing to ask.]

[withsadness]

[In Mary's case, Rastus gets as far as messing with her lantern. And then she lets out a whimper, and then her eyes fill up with tears.]

I felt it...

[The shudder, the cold. She falls to her knees, emitting what appears to be a high-pitched whining noise.]

I don't want...I don't want it! No!

[cawdad]

Scraw?

[Hm. Uh oh. Rastus sets down the torches and... hovers. He's not sure what to do here.]

That is a bad noise that you are making. Why are you making this noise?

[ordinaryannie]

[It's an act of will to keep silent until Rastus has said his peace, to keep her questions penned up behind her teeth to ask in an orderly fashion once he's done. Fortunately, it's a familiar one, and if there's one thing Antimony Price can be certain she has, it's willpower in spades.

She even manages to introduce herself first.]

Hello, Rastus. I'm Annie. What happens if we die again here?

[There's a slight hesitation before the 'again', like she's not really accepted that there was an initial death.]

[cawdad]

Annie. Annie. Annie.

[He repeats the name a bit differently each time, as if he's trying to get his mouth (well, beak) around the syllables.]

Hello. You will return again. Usually. If your lantern is... Krmm. Repaired.

sir this is a mcdonalds not a cvs

[sulfa]

[ This is.... a lot. Once their new leaders - or perhaps guides would be a more appropriate term - had explained the situation, used the term reset, the eerie, inexplicable calm he had felt on the ferry transformed into cold, creeping dread, the kind one might feel upon discovering dead bodies with no cause of death in sight. The kind that he did feel when they discovered the bodies that alerted them to the machine gun nest that killed him. There's real danger here, too, it would seem.

The bonfire seems to be crucial to life here, so Irwin decides to speak to Rastus first. Multiple questions swarm his mind when the birdlike creature introduces himself - What happened to the people before us?--What did they do prior to being wiped off the slate?--How did you survive? - but he deems it best to just start by introducing himself. Like Winters said, they have time. ]

I'm Wade. Irwin Wade. It's nice to meet you.

[ And he means it. He's never seen anything like Rastus in his life, but he and the other two who spoke earlier seem to be genuinely benevolent. He pauses for a brief moment, taking stock of what's accompanied him to the afterlife and what hasn't - a quick job because aside from some cigarettes, a defunct lighter, and the dog tags around his neck he has nothing. Being that they can die a second time, apparently, and there's no telling how long it may take for the ferry to import something that isn't in the general store, he decides to ask his questions now. ]

What kind of medicine is there here - do you have penicillin? Sulfa? Morphine? ...And atabrine and quinine, if there's mosquitoes. [ He doesn't expect Rastus to know what any of these things are, seeing as he's clearly not from their world - but he doesn't want to insult him by automatically assuming he doesn't, either. ]

[cawdad]

'Ade Ir'in 'Ade. 'Ade. Rr... Wade. Wade Irwin Wade. Hello. I am Rastus.

[And then there's a long, long pause. Rastus tips his head this way and that, blinking at Wade. Eventually, though, he gets it.]

No mosquitoes. No insects. Disappointing. But, krhmm, you do not like insects. Why do you want insects?

[Humans!! So weird!]

No medicine. That comes later. Later. Do you need these things? I can get them. Why do you need them?

[jigsawn]

( well, he stopped by the general store for supplies. got a bag full of them now, including a change of clothes. so the next stop would be here. if there is any sign of surprise or bewilderment at the sight of rastus, it is hidden behind the diy mask he had managed to make for himself. #artsncrafts

anyway, he is gonna wait until he can speak to him alone before he asks the following question. )

What kinda weapons can I get a hold of here? Blades, guns, ammo...? ( worth a shot. )

[cawdad]

[Rastus claps his beak.]

Why? Why do you need those things? There are knives in the store but they are for work. They are not weapons.

[starforce]

[for all the lies, the manipulations, and everything else, her time with the kree had taught her one thing: patience. or, at the very least, some modicum of it.

it's enough to get her through the majority of rastus's spiel, which she pays as careful attention to as she can; intelligence is intelligence, after all, and she's in some serious short supply. there's useful information to be gained here — messing with the lantern makes weird things happen, there are ways to get supplies.

she takes mental notes as best she can, but it's a little difficult, because there's one piece of information that she keeps circling, over and over. you don't want to die again here.

at the end, there's a beat of silence. then:]

Is there a creepier ferry to an even creepier town if we die again, or is that just — it?

[cawdad]

Mrrawk. The ferry is only for new. New to this place. You come back if you die. But only sometimes. Depends.

[He pokes at her lantern again with a torch.]

On this. If it can be fixed. Relit.

[dualikey]

[There's a lot to take in here, even for someone that's used to traveling with a talking duck. Sora doesn't approach right away, but maybe it's more appropriate to say that he comes in slowly- watching the conversation... uh, explanation? That passes between two strangers- watching the bird guy prod at someone else's flame and seeing them react in kind.

He doesn't seem like a bad guy, none of the people he's met so far do. But he does sounds kindof like he knows what's going on. Or that he knows more than the rest of them do anyway. Still- despite all the information he offers there's one part that hangs him up. Sora's head tilts faintly to one side, like the question is making his head uneven.

The bonfire is a gift, he says. We must use the gift.]

Who's it from?

[cawdad]

[Rastus mimics Sora's head tilt.]

The world.

[reigniter]

[Is it daytime? Is it night? Ignis can't tell so he's a bit clueless how to greet the man. Or crow. Or... the combination of two. The little show with fire makes him worried, however.]

My apologies for interrupting but... is there no way to replenish the fire? None at all?

[His eyes glance to Lighthouse briefly but his attention is on Rastus.]

I'm Ignis Scientia. I've arrived here mere moments ago.

[cawdad]

Ignis Scientia. Hello. I am Rastus.

[He shakes his head, though it's less that he's pivoting from the neck and more that he's bobbing from side to side as his eyes stay fixed on Ignis.]

There is more bonfire in the woods. You have to find it. It is not easy.

[callada]

[This first night isn't answering nearly as many of the questions as he actually has, and so Rosinante is pleased to come across someone with answers so soon after arrival. The lantern is life - got it, and he nods solemnly, resisting the urge to step back when that prodding becomes too uncomfortable. Keep the lantern safe. Well, he'll try.

The question of species is a curiosity, not a burning need. Birdlike person? Could be mink, could be zoan, could be something else entirely. Probably is something else. Everything here is foreign. But that mention of getting things... well, he rarely wants much for himself, but there is one little problem he's about to run out of in the next couple of days.]

Are you able to get cigarettes, then? Didn't see any at the general store.

[cawdad]

Mmmraw. Yes. I can get them. They are not in the general store. They are bad for you.

[He reaches a taloned hand into his robe and digs out a pad of paper, scribbling something down.]

You will have to wait. Supplies come on the ferry.

[spitefullight]

[ He definitely feels a warm sensation build in his chest only to go a bit cold as the giant bird like man touches his small lantern. He clasps it within his hands a little more tighter, a pit forming in his stomach at the thought. ]

So the light in these lantern...they're kind of like our souls? [ If that were true he doesn't like the fact his soul might be outside his body. He clutches it a little more closely as he gives Rastus another look. He's definitely seen a bunch of different races in Fellengar so the idea of a bird person? Not surprising...though maybe he won't voice that bit. ]

Right...if you can get things, is it possible that...well can you get a shield for me? [ Because he's beginning to think he's going to need a bit more armour on top of what he has. ]

[cawdad]

Craw. Yes. That is a way to think of the light.

[He taps at his own lantern with a talon, watching it sway back and forth on his staff.]

I am not sure if that is what they are in truth. But souls. Maybe. Maybe.

[He tips his head toward Elden again.]

I can. Why do you need it?

[darkeyed]

<sub>[Words exchanged on the beach are just that: words. But Rastus is the first thing outside of himself and his face--so recently ruined with burns at the battle of the fort, but now impossibly unmarred and smooth to the touch again--that is really, truly unearthly.

And a bit pathetic, in a way, watching the old bird hobble around. Somehow the frailty adds a human quality to him, softening some of the screaming unnaturalness of him. Bathed in the light of the bonfire, M.K.'s shoulders relax a fraction where he stands with arms crossed in a defensive tightness, but he doesn't actually move to address him for some time after the demonstrations.]</sub>

What are you?

_{[Honestly, a lot of his watching had been time spent deciding on a way to phrase the question, but in the end, there's really no good way put it, is there? Someone had to ask it.]}

[cawdad]

[At least Rastus doesn't look particularly offended. Clearly this is not the first time he's been asked this question.]

Arakkoa. I am from Veil Sketh. This is not a place in most worlds. What are you?

Re: Rastus | NPC: bonfire keeper, item requests

[knifecollecting]

[Jo watches the creature's demonstration closely. She's set things on fire. Fire doesn't behave like that, she knows that much.

And when he pokes her lantern, clutched in her left hand, she jerks back, swallowing down the odd sensation in her throat.]

So, we really are linked to the lanterns? Tied to them?

[cawdad]

Mrawck. Yes. It is not natural.

[He clicks his beak.]

But neither are we. Natural. It is fitting.

[steadfastjewel]

[Boromir had heard the others say this Rastus was not a Man, and he thought he was prepared for that. Once, he was unfamiliar with any other people save the orcs, but he's been in the company of many recently. Legolas, Gimli...the hobbits.

None of that prepared him for this at all, actually! He heard Gandalf speak of the Prince of Eagles, but that was a true bird, nothing such as this. It would be lying to say that he didn't at least consider reaching for his sword when the creature reached out to touch the flame of his lantern. (It makes his shoulder ache, like an old wound.)

But Rastus seems like an old...whatever he is. He won't raise his hand against another person who can't defend themselves. He keeps his peace, though he watches a little longer before approaching.]

I need a sword.

[replicates]

[ he stands a bit off to the side as he watches rastus' introduction and his lecture on the bonfire; most of it makes sense, with it being the only light source of course it'd be finite. the significance of the lanterns was also not lost on him — the fact that everyone's is unique, the fact that his had taken the shape it did, a physical manifestation of their life force isn't too hard to believe.

one thing does stick out, however. ]

You said you could get things we request for a price. What is it?