logsinthenight | Darkness Descends on the Landmark Inn

Entry tags:

Darkness Descends on the Landmark Inn

characters: Ardyn + OPEN
location: The Landmark
date/time: March 9-16
content: The Landmark gets a little Darker
warnings: Sickness related things including purging in the Ardyn portion with elements of body horror

Closed to Carmilla

Ardyn lies supine on the floor of his suite, gazing up towards the ceiling with clouded eyes. The bed is too soft; he feels like he'd drown in it.

The firmness against his back, however, his calming. It's real... not like the two phantoms standing in the room with him. He knows that Somnus and Aera are not really there; it's hardly the first time his fevered mind has conjured their faces, either. It's happened before out of crushing boredom or loneliness.

"Aera..."

His glowing eyes turn towards the blonde woman kneeling beside him.

"I'm dying."

"You're not dying," she scolds. "You can't die, even that choice was taken from you."

Despite the harsh words, she reaches out and touches his cheek, now damp with miasma. Ardyn could swear he actually feels her caress.

"You're just sick, you big baby. You'll be fine."

Sick? Preposterous, he doesn't get sick.

In the corner he sees Somnus move through the deepening shadows. Miasma is spread across the floor. Clouds of it rise to the ceiling only to condense around him the moment he feels sleep start to take him, when his body radiates light enough to burn the Starscourge and fill him with pain. The miasma gathers to consume that light.

I'm eating myself.

He thinks and barks with laughter.

Someone moves on the other side of the door and the phantom Somnus points in the sound's direction.

"Now, brother, I shouldn't have to tell you this but remember: Friends, not food."

Open

Ardyn's miasma seeps throughout the building, consuming light. It creeps under door frames, through windows and through areas damaged in the storm.

Shadows deepen and lanterns are growing dimmer.

[ooc: People are encouraged to make top levels and mingle among themselves at the Landmark. Go forth into the shadows and bump into each other!

If you would really like for your character to seek out the source of the darkness and locate Ardyn, drop me a PM at this journal or at

PsiYamaneko which accepts PMs from anyone.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Carmilla knows dark magic when she sees it.

Residents of the Landmark have eyes, so, of course they've noticed it's a lot darker in the halls that were never too bright to begin with. Still, nobody seemed to have a huge issue with it. Common consensus seemed to be that it was some spirit shenanigan and that it was probably not a big deal if nobody keeled over dead from it. Carmilla is too much cat not to be curious, so of course, she's decided to look into it.

She's found what she thinks is the source. Fourth floor — she hadn't even known there was someone living on this floor. If everyone's right and it's some spirit nonsense, maybe nobody does. The darkness seems to pool at one door in particular and thanks to vampiric hearing, she can definitely hear something moving and talking in there.

She pounds on the door, rather abruptly. If she was supposed to proceed with caution, she missed the memo. "Who the hell is in there?" She inquires, the picture of kindness and compassion.

Ardyn hisses.

"Ignore her," says the image of Aera. "You need rest."

Somnus guffaws. "Do you think she's going to just leave? Gods know what your darkness is doing to the rest of the inn. You owe them answers."

"Begone!"

Ardyn barks at the door, but his voice comes out as a distorted rumble, as if it is echoing from the depths of a cavern instead of his own throat.

Whether they're owed or not, Carmilla is absolutely here to find them. And if there was a way to scare her off the scent (there probably isn't), trying to roar her into submission was just never going to work.

She unabashedly tries the door, which is, of course, locked. "I can tell you're up to some black magic bullshit in there, so I'm not leaving. Either open this or I'll open it for you."

Since commanding worked so well for her last time. Maybe adding a threat will help!

The Landmark isn't a place Rosinante finds himself often. It's not out of avoidance; rather, there has been so much to do in other parts of town, especially lately, that he hasn't made the time to go back since the first time he and Kuai and Maes entered.

It's nice that it's livelier now, and that people have taken up residence, for that was their hope when they first arrived downtown. At the time, they had desperately needed more housing. Now, it's a welcome alternative to the ruins of the cabins at the village.

Or - it should be welcome. But as he enters, intending to take a break from the searching and see what the kitchen here has for food, he pauses and looks around. Why is it so dark in here? Is his lantern all right? It's alarmingly dim when he checks it, and so he takes a deep breath and steps back outside, where it rekindles slightly. That's weird. That's probably very bad, in fact.

He'll stop anyone nearby, whether they've just come down the hotel stairs or are passing by on the main street, with a wave of his hand. "Hey. How long has the hotel been dark, do you know?"

It wasn't like this just a couple days ago when he was here speaking with Haein. What happened?

Gods, how irritating.

Ardyn rolls over and decides to ignore the demand.

"What if she breaks your door down?" Somnus hums mockingly. "You'll hardly have privacy then."

Damn it.

He pulls himself up on to his bare feet and staggers to the door, leaving a trail of miasma behind him.

When he wrenches it open, Carmilla will see what is probably the man she'd spoken to during the flood. Most of his clothes are in a heap in the corner, leaving him in a buttoned up silk shirt and his trousers... The most undressed he ever gets is to wear what most people would consider a normal number of layers.

His skin is ashen, dark miasma trickles from the corners of his mouth and from his eyes which are clouded in pain. Beneath the film they're glowing green.

"I was unable to find you any converse or combat boots," he rumbles.

[ elektra and company are among those who'd needed to relocate, and the past couple days have proceeded without (much) incident. granted, everyone's been a little distracted with trying to figure out what and who's left, how to rebuild, and how to repair the portals and lanterns, but this is something that would have been noticed. ]

Not long, I don't think. It wasn't like this earlier.

[ she glances at his lantern, then to the dark of the building before holding up her own lantern, whose flame seems significantly weaker in comparison until she steps fully outside, in spite of her feeling fine. she looks at rosi, eyes wide. ]

Have you seen this anywhere else?

No. It looks like the sort of thing that happens if you start getting too far from your lantern.

[Which is obviously not the case, but it's the only thing he can think of that's even comparable. Not even the strange colored cracks and changes the lanterns experienced earlier were like this, and certainly not in just the one building.

He steps back inside through the gaping doorway - and reminds himself to get a few people together to fix it at some point - and keeps a cautious eye on his lantern as he walks several steps forward, but it doesn't seem to weaken much further.]

You think a spirit could do this?

It's true. Somnus has a point. And it would be such a pain to repair this door, so better to not make her go G.I. Jane on this thing. She's a lazy creature by nature, though there's this whole saying about cats and curiosity, and for better or worse, Carmilla has always suffered from that particular cliche.

She's really not expecting an answer. She'd almost be glad that she doesn't have to put energy into something, if she weren't distracted by... wow, everything he's got going on there.

"Jesus," she notes, nose wrinkling. This is a bit of a muted reaction for a normal human, but honestly this isn't even the most terrifying display of black magic she's ever seen. Comes with the territory of being the daughter of an ageless creature of unknown and powerful magic. Lilita sure has a way of disillusioning a girl.

The green eyes are more of a tell than anything. "I'd ask what the hell is wrong with you, but I can already tell it has to do with a spirit. I hope whatever you were trying to do is worth puking your guts out." She maybe should have tried to keep her own experience a little closer to the chest, but Carmilla isn't as cagey about her vampirism with other supernaturals.

And looking at Ardyn, he sure as shit does not look human right now.

"Crass."

Ardyn draws back to close the door, then hesitates. His persistent vomiting isn't something anyone else should be aware of...

"You've experienced this?"

You don't know the half of it, Ardyn. She's just getting started on being crass. She left any sense of demurity in the 1700s. She lifts her eyebrows at the correction, though. Really? That's what's most relevant in this situation?

"I drained a spirit like it was a capri sun. And then I got to spend three days choking back up every last bit of it. If you did any kind of spirit consumption, I'm guessing you're going to be about the same." She runs dark eyes over him, pushing past the shock to really take him in. He's horrifying to look at, drowned in darkness and the muted green cast to his eyes. It's terrifyingly supernatural, and even more so because she's got no idea exactly how.

"I'm guessing you're to thank for this place being even more badly lit than before. What are you, some kind of wendigo?" She's guessing, but thanks to the black magic and the likely consumption of a spirit, it seems a decent guess.

"Has it grown darker? I hadn't noticed."

Ardyn leans out the door slightly and peers around. It does look like the shadows are deeper than before. If he allows himself a moment of silence he can feel the miasma seeping through the building.

Oh, well.

"I am not a wendigo, no. I am..."

Gods, how to put it?

"Ardyn."

Sure.

Or if you're sick. [ that's something she'd noticed in the later days of the time she'd been sick from being forced to consume the spirits, something just as frightening as seeing her eyes glow green had been. elektra watches rosi (or, to be more accurate, his lantern's flame) as he experiments walking back through the doorway. ]

I don't know. It doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility, but the when that kind of thing happens it usually affects you, doesn't it? I haven't felt anything.

Yeah, you'd think it should. Something must be causing it, though.

[Is it worth prowling through the building to find out if there's a source? Is it dangerous? It's probably dangerous. There are few things he'll completely balk at but he's learned to be extremely cautious about anything that affects his lantern.

Still, for now he remains in the lobby since at least here it isn't getting any worse. He rests a hand on the pistol at his hip, just beneath the flap of his coat, as he peers up the staircase.]

If this is something that could spread or get worse, we should deal with it before that happens. Just don't know what "it" is.

[ elektra's also learned that lesson, though hers has less to do with experiencing death again and more to do with seeing the effect on her lantern when she'd thought she might die, along with the general discussion of lantern related mishaps and deaths she'd observed during her time in beacon. but if this is something that could spread, it's important to investigate, so she nods at rosi, joining him at the end of the staircase and peering up, her hands hovering beside where her sai are sheathed at her hips. ]

Feel like trying to find out?

Yeah. Let's have a look. Just keep an eye on your lantern.

[As he'll be doing. He'd been ready to back off, but she seems game, so now he can't back down. Besides, it's the right thing to do even if it's risky. Can't let whatever this is get out to the rest of town.

So up the stairs he begins, with the gun in one hand and the other grasping the banister. He nods to the ultra-black shadows that stretch around them, cast from the railing and the steps themselves, as they climb.]

It's not just our lanterns, it's the whole building.

[ she's just moved here. if something's going on, she'd like to know what it is, if it can hurt them, and if it can be fought against. and if it can't, she'd like to have sufficient time to get herself, matthew, wanda, and anyone else she can reach out of there before it starts affecting them. ]

Looks like it. [ it's difficult to see and the only light source is their lanterns, which flicker weakly as they head deeper into the building. but they don't go out and she doesn't feel any different. ] Can you tell where it's coming from?

Not yet.

[They come to the second floor landing and he trips as he tries to leave the stairs, sending himself rolling backward into the railing with a grunt of surprise. Just the usual, balance acting up again, and he's thankfully plenty fast enough and strong enough to catch himself on the railing with a hand and keep from falling all the way back down.

Apologies if he smacks you in the process, though, Elektra - when someone his height goes sprawling there are sure some long limbs everywhere.

He pulls himself back to his feet and shakes it off, then prowls down the hallway like it didn't happen. Tests a door, but it's locked, as most of these probably are.]

Do you know which rooms in here are occupied?

About two or three on every floor. There's seven occupied and fifteen still available, according to the check-in, but you can't get into them whether they're occupied or not if you don't have a key.

[ which seems disproportionate given the size of the place, but given everything else that's happened in beacon it's hardly the strangest thing.

she manages to dodge the flailing limbs, watching him carefully in case he needs to be caught and straightened out. he manages it on his own, but elektra looks over what she can see of him, focusing on any potential injuries or shakiness. ] You okay?

Fine, yeah. So most of these are empty, then, huh.

[It's not quite exact details, but it'll do. He can stop and knock on doors, and press an ear to one now and then as if that's going to help.

What is he expecting, anyway? Evil groaning? The sound of darkness? Nothing reveals itself as the obvious source despite his searching.]

Don't really know what else to try. The spirit in the lobby probably isn't someone we want to make an enemy of by breaking down doors, but this might be a bigger problem than one spirit.

Allegedly. [ matthew would be able to tell for sure whether or not they actually are, but they don't have the time to find him at the moment. she gives rosi another once over, not quite buying the 'fine', but he moves on without another incident so she doesn't call him out on it. yet. ]

Yes, it wouldn't do to piss off the new landlord. [ she's quiet as she listens, too, but she doesn't hear any more than he does. ] Do you think it is a spirit?

Maybe?

[The darkness swirls and pools around them, but he can't tell if it's any thicker here than it was downstairs. It's a little frustrating, and so he turns back toward the stairs to go up another level, to the fourth floor. He jiggles the handles of a few doors as he goes, but he doesn't expect them to open, and they don't.]

Seems like every time I get a feeling for what the spirits are like I run into another one that defies all of it. They come in all sizes, some crawl and some fly, and there's even one that apparently likes spiced cigarettes.

[Which, those things are pretty damn good, actually, but it's weird to have something like that in common with a forest spirit.]

[ it's becoming more and more difficult to see as they ascend higher, and elektra hazards a glance at her lantern and pauses for a moment to take stock on any effects it might be having on her body - it's still dimmer than it should be, but she doesn't feel any different. ]

Which one's that one? [ not that she smokes, but it is an interesting tidbit. and then: ] I think at this point I've stopped having expectations when it comes to them. But that it's centered around this building is strange. They usually have a purpose for what they do, don't they?

Kretek. Spirit with a cloak that looks like stars. Daylight introduced us.

[Sort of. Only after the spirit was stalking him for a while. It still kind of creeps him out, but he tried to be gracious about it, especially since it's not often anyone takes such an interest in him, much less a spirit that goes by a human-like name.

Poor Daylight.

He begins up the stairs, taking them slowly. At any moment he feels like he should be out of breath or something with how his lantern looks, but he's fine, and if it wasn't for that he probably wouldn't persist in this search.]

Dunno if they all have a purpose though. Some seem like they act kind of like people, but others do things I can't make any sense of at all. I'm not sure we should expect there to be a purpose for anything they do. Some of them just are.

[The fourth floor is noticeably darker than the lower ones. The shadows are heavier and almost seem to have tangible weight.

The most intense shadows snake out from beneath the door to Suite 405.]

I think you may be right.

[ as they start to ascend to the fourth floor, elektra can hardly see in front of her anymore. she shifts to feel along the wall, listening carefully for rosi as they move and for anything else that may be out of the ordinary.

she holds her lantern out in front of her for whatever good it will do - it flickers dimly, but she still doesn't feel any change. ]

I think we've found something. [ no telling of what yet, but everything becoming significantly darker seems a pretty telling clue. ]

[It's a wonder, he thinks, that he's not choking. The air is so thick it's practically some sort of fluid, like he has to wade down the hallway rather than simply walk.]

We're closer, anyway. It's gotta be here somewhere. Can't get any higher up.

[The shadows crawl at the edges of his lantern light as if reluctant to give way, and it's at the foot of 405 that he gets a clearer sign of their source, flowing out like rivulets in the gap under the door.]

Here. This one.

[Just so she looks his way before he tries the handle, just in case the door happens to open and he finds himself needing help.]

[The door is locked but after a moment there is an audible click and it flies open with force.

The room beyond is inky black. If there is a lantern anywhere within it is no longer visible.

The only light seems to come from a pair of glowing green eyes that glare from the shadows.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Darkness Descends on the Landmark Inn

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Rosinante | OTA

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/slips in

oh hey

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