logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: APRIL

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INTRO LOG: APRIL

INTRO LOG: APRIL
MAN ME A SAND

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: april 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. explosive sand bottles send everyone careening into the dreamy past. some forest spirits learn a couple unhelpful lantern-haver words.
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.

•••
Scattered throughout the ferry are colorful bottles of sand! They're sitting atop packages in the cargo hold, lining the railing of the deck, even rolling around on the deck itself or nestled in bed in the newcomers' bunks. They're all over the place, and they're pretty! You feel compelled to pick them up, to check out those neat sandy patterns or take one home as a souvenir. Heck, maybe you just want to kick the rolling bottles out of the way so no one slips.

But when you get too close to the bottles, they burst like little firecrackers, showering everyone in the vicinity with sand. Contact with the sand doesn't seem to do much at first! But whether the effects hit you after a few minutes or a few hours, you'll start to feel in desperate need of a nap. And hey, a quartet of forest spirits has made their way onto the beach to sing along... in their best approximation of lantern-haver speech! Pretty cool that these forest spirits have picked up a couple of genuine words instead of hoots, but, uh, attempts to talk to them will just get them riled, and they'll croon about man door hand hook car door more loudly. They're singing in your weird language, what more do you want?

Anyway, once you've come into contact with the sand in the bottles, you'll need to lie down and sleep soon or run the risk of passing out on your feet.

Once asleep, you'll find yourself in the sunshiny Beacon of the past! This may feel familiar to some of you, but don't worry, the spirits don't seem to have any nasty tricks up their sleeve this time.

You're welcome to spend as much time in dream Beacon as you like, but once you're ready to head back to the waking world, all you need to do is hail a cab.

•••
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.

please turn on your sandy hands.

BONFIRE SQUARE

It's winter in Bonfire Square, but though the path underfoot is caked with snow and a gentle breeze whistles through barren trees, the sun shines bright overhead with only the occasional cloud to interrupt its warmth. It's chilly, but pleasantly so, and it seems you're already wearing the appropriate outerwear for the occasion! How thoughtful.

Real, live people meander around through the square, though they all seem to be wearing gas masks—unless they're one of you, of course. The dreamy extras don't seem to know you're there, even if you shove them or scream in their faces. They just go about their business, carting grocery bags from the general store or ordering another pint in the Invincible. At least they're not bothering you.

The bonfire crackles in the center of the square, magnificent as ever, and someone's laid out a whole table of goodies to roast over the fire! Marshmallows and s'more supplies, hot dogs, chestnuts, pie irons... If you've got a wintery snack in mind, you'll find the supplies to make it at the table. There's even a hot cocoa stand set up next to it.

DOWNTOWN

Downtown Beacon is bustling on this lovely autumn afternoon. There seems to be some sort of outdoor festival happening! Booths line the street, selling handmade goods and treats as musicians and street performers entertain the mask-wearing crowd. None of the residents seem to notice you're there, but that could be a blessing given that you don't have any cash to exchange. Instead, you're welcome to pluck woven bracelets and hand-painted ceramics right off the tables. Enjoy them while you can, as they can't leave the dream with you.

Food trucks sell tacos and bar food and pasties, and Kickaxe Brewing Company has an outdoor booth selling craft beers, including root and birch beer for those not interested in a buzz. If you'd like to get out of the brisk autumn air, you're welcome to catch a movie at the Delft or grab lunch at the soda fountain.

THE VILLAGE

The village is alive and experiencing a breezy, peaceful spring. The odd elderly can be seen on their porch, lazing in a rocking chair. Children scamper along the road, laughing muffled cries of joy. Although they don't notice you, following them will lead you right to the main source of fun: Boneset Park has come alive! Outdoor sports equipment of all kinds are available in different bins, the baseball field trimmed and chalked. Families dot the bleachers, sporting cracker jacks, hot dogs, and ice cream. Get a whiff? The familiar ice cream stand is stocked as a full-blown snack bar, and all available flavors and condiments are surprisingly, well, normal!

The library is appropriately quiet, but lively, with townsfolk bent over a good book or quietly studying as a group. Happy readers of all ages can be found around the village, and the collection is pristine in its maintenance. The rec center is bustling with activity, indoor sports equipment available for use in the gym, spectators on the basketball court just as they are outside. There's plenty of room to grab a seat or join in for yourself!

THE HARBOR

Down at the harbor, it's summer! Mask-wearing beach-goers are sunbathing on the sand or splashing around in the waves, taking full advantage of this warm summer day. Kayakers and the ferry tour the southern cliffs, with the ferry stopping by the dock every now and then to pick up tourists. Take a ride, if you like! The boathouse is also equipped with extra kayaks, canoes, fishing gear, and any sort of beach necessities you might need to enjoy a relaxing day.

The massive ore dock looms near the mouth of the river as masked children play along its foundation, some carrying ice cream cones from the ice cream stand on the dock. How they're eating it is a mystery, but it doesn't seem to melt despite the hot sun. None of the masked beach-goers seem to notice you, but you're more than welcome to join in the festivities.

On the cliffs to the north, the lighthouse gleams, its bright white pain shining in the sunlight.

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! We're thrilled to play with you.

If you haven't already, you might want to check out the April gameplan and the recent mod announcement to get acquainted with the game! There's also the game history page to check out, where you can find all the plot info that's been uncovered so far. The game history page is due for an update, and we'll be getting the March update posted as soon as we're able!

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
A lot of medical supplies. The supplies are plentiful enough that everyone may handwave finding common first aid supplies that will help to triage injuries sustained during the Wild Heart event. The supplies won't immediately cure wounds, but they will help to prevent infection and ensure proper healing. There's even an assortment of painkillers, ranging from over the counter pills to IV morphine (though, hm, it seems each character will only be able to find one dose of the hospital-grade stuff, no matter how hard they search)
For kidnapped characters: A small package containing a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers, a bag of rice to be used as a hot/cold pack, a week's supply of Xanax, a coloring book and markers, a blank journal, a bag of Epsom salt, a lavender-scented bath bomb, a plush blanket in their favorite color, and a book titled PTSD SURVIVAL GUIDE
For Sora: Three crates full of assorted breakable pottery, four large tarps, and a pallet of large, flat sheets of plywood
For Matt: Three 12-packs of various brands of ginger ale, a braille scanner, a bouquet of orchids, and a very soft blanket that seems to somehow be made of smoke though it's very touchable and warm
For Carmilla: A cooler full of individual human blood packages, a personal-sized telescope, a box set of the entire Series of Unfortunate Events, and a crate of Zoobooks

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

QUICKNAV
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[ Not having to share with anyone is a major plus. Haein would sooner sleep in a bush than share a room with someone.

He nods hesitantly, but still doesn't make a move to go inside. Instead, he continues to eye the stranger before speaking back up. ]

Who are you?

Soldat.

[If he speaks Russian, or is just a good guesser, he can translate that name to "soldier", but it's meant as a name, so it doesn't auto-translate. Maybe tellingly, Soldat doesn't actually ask for a name back.]

I've been here seven months now. If you have questions. I can probably answer them as well as anybody else here.

[ Haein doesn't think too deeply about the name, and just takes it for what he thinks it is: a name.

He's more disturbed by the fact that Soldat's been here for seven months than anything else. Is that what Haein had to look forward to...? Months and months of darkness? ]

I have a lot of questions. [ Narrows his eyes. ] You really have the time to spare to answer questions from a random stranger?

[ That's not something Haein would ever do. ]

[Soldat isn't Haein, now, are they?]

I'm on patrol. My job when on patrol is to help people out however I can. And all of us were new, once. Ask whatever you like.

[A pause, then they tilt their head, smiling just a little.]

Might be more comfortable in the hotel lobby, though. Don't have to pick a room or talk to the concierge, but there's seats. And it's warmer.

[ It's a good thing they aren't, because this conversation would go downhill way faster than it needed to.

Haein glances over his shoulder at the entrance to the building and he... has to reluctantly admit that going inside would be better than standing around outside. Still, he turns his head slightly to warily watch Soldat out of the corner of his eye before nodding once. ]

Alright. You first.

[ Maybe it'll be easier to head inside if someone else takes the initiative. Not that Haein says so. ]

[Ah, to be so untrusting... well, really, Soldat remembers it pretty clearly. They're still not super trusting, but they're pretty sure they can at least tell when an attack is coming, so they can avoid it, if they have to. So they give Haein a safe berth, and then open the door, stepping inside.

There is indeed a hotel lobby inside, a little shabby but pretty nice, with the creepy hotel concierge behind a desk on the far side. But there are also tables and couches, for sitting at while Soldat answers questions. They suggest for Haein,]

Sit where you like.

[ The way Haein enters the lobby is like a feral animal entering a domestic home for the first time. He's cautious as he steps inside, his gaze darting about for any sign that he should turn right back around to leave. He freezes for a moment at the disturbing sight of the concierge, but besides their appearance, they seem harmless enough as they work behind the desk.

Haein snaps out of it at Soldat's suggestion, and he glances around the lobby before settling on a table and seating himself on the side that allows him the better view of the surrounding area. ]

Is that [ nods toward the concierge ] one of the spirits that the tablet mentioned?

[ His first question. ]

Yes. One of the forest and town spirits. They're mostly okay. Not particularly interested in hurting us on their own, mostly we get along with them. If you see one with glowing green eyes, though. Run.

[They give the table a mildly annoyed look and picks the seat with the second-best view of their surroundings, particularly the front door and the door into the restaurant.]

They're the real dangerous ones. A few of the forest spirits are bad, but not many.

[ Glowing green eyes... Haein will remember that. He'd rather not get into any kind of trouble with the spirits, though from what he's heard, it might be inevitable. ]

I met someone else earlier who's been here a while. He said he's died a couple of times.

[ Just mentioning it makes Haein feel sick. Having to go through death multiple times... That's not something he wants to experience. ]

Is it the same for you?

Twice now, yeah. I don't recommend it. Even if the death isn't bad, you can come back different. Like a little piece got broken, somewhere inside. Solis, who repairs the lanterns and brings us back, don't always do it quite right.

[~~Kitchen's right there.~~ We ate an hour ago, Pit. ~~So? There's a tablecloth right here, too.~~ We're not going to eat the damn tablecloth.) But if the Bottomless Pit is acting up, maybe it's time for a snack. Soldat fishes a little bag of raisins and nuts out of a pocket, and offers it in Haein's direction in case he wants some.]

I came back from dying last time hungry all the time. And liable to eat anything I can get my hands on, if I'm not paying attention and find something appropriate.

[ Well, that's... that's new. And not at all what Haein had been expecting to learn just now.

He's dumbfounded into silence for a moment, like he's not sure if this is something he can believe or not. When he finally registers the bag of raisins and nuts being offered to him, he shakes his head to pass. ]

The more I hear about this place...

[ He doesn't finish his sentence, still reeling from the potential to come back from death not entirely right. Haein shakes his head and hurries to change the subject. ]

The tablet said that we're here to save this place. But why? To prevent one of those resets? But living here sounds like torture.

[Soldat shakes their head, too, as they bring the bag back to themselves and pops a handful in their mouth. Only once they've swallowed to they answer.]

It's not as bad as it could be. We get downtime. Good things. Other people. And we may never actually save this place, anyway. It's dead. Stopping the World Eaters may not bring it back to life. My understanding of the goal is. Stop the World Eaters. So they can't kill other worlds.

[ Downtime... Haein thinks back to the the bottles of sand and how they'd transported him to a strange dream land. Had that been considered downtime? He hadn't really been able to appreciate it, too occupied with everything that had gone on.

Other people, though. He's never been one to care about other people.

It's hearing about stopping the World Eaters from killing other worlds that has his attention. ]

Oh. [ He's not sure what else to say to that. ] So I guess most of the people here are trying to save the worlds they left behind?

Maybe. We may not be in the same universe as our worlds, so they may be safe. But they may not be. We just don't know. I do know that there are people from multiple versions of the same world here. There is an Earth with no magic, an Earth with magic, an Earth with a weird thirteenth hour after midnight, an Earth with sleeping aliens under the ground, an Earth with demigods....

[They shrug.]

They can't all be the same Earth, so. Multiple universes. And this world is much like Earth in many ways, too, honestly.

[ That's a whole lot of Earths, and the one with demigods sounds somewhat familiar, if only because he can apply that to himself.

He can see what Soldat means by this world being much like Earth, though. Despite its oddities, there are plenty of recognizable aspects. Even so, Haein is reminded of the dangers this place apparently harbors. ]

I don't know how much help I'll be. [ It's a reluctant admittance, but one he feels he has to make. ] I'm not a fighter or someone who knows how to save worlds.

There are lots of people here who aren't fighters. I'm pretty sure if I took a gun and a knife to a World Eater, it will not go well. They're huge. There are other ways to fight, and. Well, none of us know how to stop them yet. We're working on it.

[Well, other people are working on it. Soldat is pretty sure their contributions at this point would be pretty useless.]

[ There's some comfort in knowing there are others like him... But still, he doesn't want to face these World Eaters when he's as helpless as he is. ]

Yeah? That's... good.

[ He supposes. He'd rather hear that people do know how to stop them, but. Can't have it all. ]

I guess if I hear anything, I won't keep it to myself.

[ Because he's very quickly learning that this is team effort... As much as he hates the idea of working with others, he's also not trying to die again. ]

[Well, the Night Market apparently has a plan, but nobody knows what that plan is yet. It may not be viable.]

Good, that'll be helpful. Talking to the forest spirits and each other, and members of the Night Market or Wild Hunt, can sometimes give us a lot of information.

[They tuck their snack away, most of the fruit and nuts gone now, and they know if they finish it completely they'll wind up trying to chew on the paper bag later.]

Do you have other questions?

[ Haein mentally tucks the advice safely away. It's a good lead, and he'd be stupid to disregard it.

As for if he has any more questions... He has a ton, but his thoughts are too scrambled with everything he has yet to process, plus what he's just learned, so he shakes his head. ]

You answered the most pressing ones. I won't take up more of your time.

If you're sure.

[Soldat pushes up from the table. They do have a patrol to get back to, after all.]

You don't have to get a suite here, if you aren't ready to decide. By the way. There's a little house with rooms for temporary housing until you decide, out near the village.

[Considering the two people Soldat consider family put it together (with their help), it's not hard to remember and suggest to people who seem uncomfortable.]

[ Oh, right. Haein's talk with Soldat had momentarily distracted him from his initial worries about the inn, and hey, he's managed to get inside so that's a decent amount of progress right there.

He looks around one more time, his earlier hesitation showing back up, but not as strongly as before. ]

I'll... consider it.

[ Maybe if this set up doesn't work out. ]

Thanks. [ As much as he doesn't want to be grateful, it's warranted here after everything. ] I'll see you around.

Yes. I pass by this way most days at this time, on patrol, and you can find me at the Invincible every day for lunch.

[Soldat is predictable, and happily so.]

Good luck.

[And with that, it's back to patrol. Hopefully Haein settles in a little bit, at least, in the meantime.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

INTRO LOG: APRIL

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