logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: FEBRUARY

Entry tags:

INTRO LOG: FEBRUARY

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: february 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. rastus gathers the town for a debriefing meeting.
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 glowing 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.

•••

On February 3, after the newcomers have had a chance to settle in, everyone's tablets will ping with a message from @rastus!

Come tob onfier squae.Pl eaas , we wikll disucss our orogress sincereeluy rastuaas I am th ebonfire keeeeeeepr.

...Followed by another message a few minutes later, this time from @keeper

Omg will everyone head down to Bonfire Square for Rastus' town meeting please? He wants to recap what you've all learned so far!!!

And can someone please teach him that he can record an audio message and then send it to everyone instead of looping the whole dang town in on a group text?? 😂😂😂😂

Assuming you do indeed head down to Bonfire Square after all that, what you'll find is this: a series of benches and tables have been set up surrounding the bonfire, and there's enough seating for all of Beacon's residents. As people take their seats near the fire, the barkeeper forest spirits from the Invincible toddle through the crowd with trays of hot chocolate and warm cider, along with a sampler tray of acorns and pinecones, if that's your thing.

Once everyone's here and settled, sipping on hot drinks and maybe busting a tooth on an acorn, Rastus hobbles forward to address the crowd:

"Crrk. Hello. I am Rastus. I tend to the bonfire. I have tended to the bonfire, mrawk, for years and years. You are doing, rmmm, well. Good."

He nods to emphasize the point. Yes, you are doing good.

"Talk. To each other. Share what you have learned. Yes. Crarrk. It is important."

He nods again, and then... shuffles back over to his post near the bonfire, waiting for anyone who might come by with an interest in torches. Seems it's up to you all to get each other up to speed?

Luckily for all the newcomers who may find themselves confused by their sudden arrival here, their tablets and the town have some resources available for getting acquainted with their new situation! In fact, as soon as they're prompted to enter a network username, an app containing all sorts of useful welcome information will launch. Newcomers can always check out the weekly bulletins and the records in town hall as well, and everyone's welcome to get in touch with the NPCs through their inboxes.

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! We're thrilled to welcome so many new faces into the community, and you've come at a great time! Alongside this intro log, we have our very first cat herd, which is essentially a recap of the plot thus far, as well as a rundown on a ton of great info to help get you started in the game.

But don't feel like you have to read it all right this second! ICly, Rastus will call everyone together for the town meeting on February 3 to give new characters (and players) a chance to get their bearings before smacking them in the face with all the plot. This log will cover both the ferry arrival and the cat herd meeting, so feel free to bounce around in time in your toplevels.

Remember, too, that all of the plot info available in the cat herd can now be considered common knowledge! Newbies and oldbies alike, feel free to assume that your character learns as much of that plot info as you like at this meeting, regardless of whether or not you thread it out.

And of course, go ahead and introduce yourselves on the OOC intro, as well!

DELIVERIES

The following packages can be found in the cargo hold:

The monthly store restock
For Sora: A gameboy(?), 3 CPR/AED kits, a dozen CPR/first aid training manuals, two packages of capiz shells, a set of candy molds, a caldero, and 3 gameboy games: 3-D World Runner, Decapathon VII, and Sheep It Up!
For Crowley: A variety of clockwork equipment, a large clock face, and the goods
For Jason G: 2 bulletin boards with materials for mounting, 3 packs of pushpins
For Lucius: A manual sewing machine
For Castiel: A dozen flasks of holy oil and a pillowcase-sized satchel of various natural spell components
For Duster: A double bass, complete with a case
For Prompto: A polaroid camera with enough film for 50 photos and a folding sword, which is cruder than the example he gave but roughly the same size
For Aziraphale: A large crate of snowshoes, jackets, and coats in various sizes, a bottle of wine, and a bouquet of red, white, and pink roses tied together with an elegant bow
For Javert: A large crate of various fencing gear and 3 fencing handbooks

If you submitted an item request last month and we've missed it here, let us know!

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[yeah, yeah. Daylight said he'd come recommended...]

Refined, restrained. Almost taciturn but not quite. She is a woman I can respect.

I suppose I do owe you for that. What would you like? A promise not to heap yet another responsibility onto you?

[Anyone who has lasted so long in this darkness, despite its threats, is probably someone worth respecting by default. He'll have to meet her himself when the opportunity presents itself. Until then, at least he can leave her messages in the church, providing nobody disturbs them.]

So far, the responsibilities you've attempted to grant me are nothing worse than the ones I've given myself. I'm afraid your previous request wasn't something I can answer easily, though. What these people want seems to change every week. Definitely every month.

[He does intend to get something out of this, though. He's plenty altruistic, sure, but there's a time and a place for asking for something more than nothing at all.]

Should you hear anything from her, or the others - Robin, Pluto, any of the ones who have been here long-term - that they request isn't shared with the general town public, I would hope you'd at least pass along to me. You know I can keep quiet.

[that gets a sly look because oh god does he want to make a "silent" pun but. Puns are just so beneath him.]

Naturally, and likewise. But so far I have yet to uncover anything that doesn't deserve to be shared. The good doctor noted that even after the breach of the network, there is presently nothing we may know that the spirits don't already know.

[battle plans and the like are a wholly separate matter and it almost goes without saying that they not publicize those so easily]

Seventy-five years, Commander. That's how long this world has existed in darkness. Seventy-five years of continual failure, and they hope that we, this bunch, can do it in two.

Just keep it in mind, that's all.

[He gives a half-shrug, not bothered by the lack of immediate reciprocation. He had figured as much, but his wants here are few aside from things Cao Pi just can't provide. A dead world eater. More time. Assurance that Law is healthy. No, he'll just have to make do with what they can get.]

There must be a reason they think it can be done. They all keep saying we've done better than any other group before. Even Rastus, just in the last hour, and he rarely says anything to us other than warning us not to lose track of the torches. We're doing something right, somehow.

[Even though to him it still just feels like they're fumbling around in the darkness.]

Mm. It is heartening, but only slightly. Good to know we're on the right track, but then I think back and it has been...a little over seven months, now. I've waged campaigns longer than that and considered them 'short.'

[don't worry, he wants a dead world eater, too. SOMEDAY]

Bizarre occurrences aside, we have managed to go this long without resorting to mass murder. That apparently already puts us ahead of the last group.

Thankfully. I can see why Robin had to reset them even more clearly now, though. If they had irreparably turned on each other that's one thing, but it sounds like their actions might have put Dr. Solis at risk. She's too important a resource to lose.

[Another person he'll have to strive to protect, clearly. Though she must be one hell of a tough woman, having survived so long here. Maybe thinking he needs to help her is naive - she probably has the secrets of this place well-memorized and would end up helping him more than the other way around.]

Yes, that was my thought as well, when we put two and two together and realized they were trying to appease her, as if she were some sort of demon under the trap door. [sniff] Some people.

[...stealing a ferry might have been dumb but killing people to lure out their lurking shadow of death from the church is far worse, he won't disagree]

There are too many pieces missing from our puzzle, yet. Very little of what was said here today was new to me, which means we must start attacking those gaps in our knowledge. And soon, if the snow allows.

Yeah. I saw another crate of snowshoes come in, so we have the gear for it but anyone going out should bring Grandmaster Kuai with them in case the weather acts up. Wonder how long winter lasts here?

[Meanwhile, he's pulling out his tablet to have a look at the map. For likewise, most of what had been said he was already aware of. The biggest gaps, the ones he feels most comfortable tackling, are the holes in the map. Places he can physically go to and do some searching feel tangible enough. The unfortunate fact is that there's little he can do with the information they have right now - there are still too many holes.]

[he edges a little closer to glance at the map, thinking the same thing about where to explore next and what more they can and should uncover before tackling the larger problem of moving forward.]

I imagine he was quite useful. Yet, if he needs a rest, I would not begrudge him one. It is, what, roughly six weeks until the equinox? If my timekeeping is correct. We cannot wait that long for the snow to be off to continue our efforts, we shall have to simply make do.

[He'll crouch down a bit and hold the map lower. There you go, little guy.]

Right. We don't have time to waste. Maybe there should be group coordination to target these remaining locations. We can split up, stagger trips so most of the town isn't left unprotected all at once, but get them done quickly. Might even want to get a group of all fliers together for some of these if there's a particularly difficult one to reach.

[There has been a strong interest lately in exploring, though, he's seen that. Maybe this meeting was enough to get people already planning things. As long as they coordinate and communicate their findings, they shouldn't be far away now from having most of the area covered.

Really, there isn't much else to say about that. They just have to get out there, and find what they can find. So Rosinante shrugs, then casts a glance down at Cao Pi.]

I didn't see you around much last week. How did you fare with the lanterns acting up?

[little?! ugh okay yeah fair. Thanks man. But he only needs a glance before knowing what's more important]

I must consult with General Hughes on how soon he would like to go looking for the medical center. The rest are...hm. I suppose I cannot dismiss whether or not there may be additional clues toward the bigger picture without looking. I am curious about this tower Master Daylight was on...

[ahem aaaanyway...lanterns, huh? Yeah, uh. There's only the briefest flicker in his expression, brows twitching, to suggest that he may be hiding something with every word that follows]

I didn't die, I suppose that is...something. I kept to my room to minimize any trouble, it seemed the wisest course.

[The radio tower sounded immediately interesting to him as well when Daylight brought it up, but the lack of detail on its location wasn't very promising. Daylight hadn't seemed sure exactly where he was, and venturing off into the woods without a clear aim has mostly yielded disappointment in their past attempts. It's discouraging.

Whatever happened to Cao Pi with his lantern sounds like it was unpleasant. He'll let it be. None of them are very pleased with how things went.]

Wise indeed. Fortunate that you were able to stay away.

[Of course, he'd also met with Dr. Solis in that time, obviously. But thankfully that seems to have gone well, no matter what else was going on. Now, time to bail before he can be asked similar questions. He folds up his tablet and pockets it.]

I suppose I should let you be. More uninformed people will have questions for you. Don't want to take up all your time.

[he's wary of a lot of things, but the lanterns...]

Dr. Solis suggested, upon our meeting, that the malfunctions in the lanterns might not have simply righted themselves on their own. It could continue to happen, so be mindful of that.

[oh, is that all? A tip of his head in acknowledgement] If you wish. I do enjoy our conversations, but if there's nothing else to be said...

Was there something else?

[Fine, he'll give Cao Pi one last shot before he heads off. Truly, though, he isn't sure what else to say. Most of what they need to do, to know, to decide, they have to gather some final pieces of intel first.

That plus the more people who arrive here, the more he wants to find time to get away from them all. This place is starting to accumulate something of a crowd. It's good for Beacon to have so many who can work on their communal problem, but he was far more comfortable when their population was half of what it is today.]

...no, not really.

[his smile, though slight, is genuine. Sometimes he just likes talking to other smart people and Rosinante is basically his favorite person here right now. But he's right, this isn't a time for chatty conversations about nothing. Cao Pi offers him a rare gesture of respect, raising one hand in a fist to press against the other hand, somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. Talk to you later, then, fellow hardworking explorer]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

INTRO LOG: FEBRUARY

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject