In the Night Moderators (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inthenightmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
logsinthenight2019-08-18 05:06 pm
inthenightmods) wrote in logsinthenight2019-08-18 05:06 pm
EVENT LOG: DO YOU REALIZE? PART TWO
EVENT LOG:
DO YOU REALIZE? PART TWO
characters: everyone.
location: Bonfire Square.
date/time: August 18-19.
content: the party takes a turn for the worst.
warnings: violence, gore, character death.
"but if your lantern's too banged up to fix, you ain't coming back."
Late on Saturday evening, just as the party's hitting its stride for the night, the foghorn sounds. It's a frantic blaring, the deep, hollow bellows of the horn echoing over the trees in some approximation of a song, impossible not to hear from wherever you might be lingering this evening.
It captures the attention of the forest spirits, first and foremost. They drop whatever they're up to as soon as the first note strikes the air, and they listen. You listen, too, though any sense of understanding is lost on you. One thing is clear, though: the time for distraction is over.•••
The tone of the party has changed, and not for the better. Before, the forest spirits at least seemed to be enjoying themselves, feasting and dancing, wobbling around and entertaining themselves. Now...
Now, the atmosphere has changed. There's tension thrumming through the air.
One's head snaps to the side sharply, focusing on something unseen in the forest. A few moments later, and others do the same: bodies locked in place, limbs frozen, they stare at something out into the darkness. Can you see it? Maybe. Maybe there's something out there... and maybe you'd better not attract its attention. Two pinpoints of green light, glimmering though no light manages to reach its body. It doesn't move, and neither do the spirits in town, but perhaps it's best not to disturb them.
A few aren't so calm. Mouths dropping open, the noises they emit range from low urgent clicks to desperate howls, but all give off a deep feeling of anxiety. Fear, verging into terror, claws digging into dirt and spirits skittering madly over buildings, limbs snapping erratically, the path of their movements understood only to themselves. They don't lash out at others, not yet— but there's a frantic energy to their movements which suggests something is wrong.
Good thing you're disguised as a spirit, isn't it? Although if you haven't gotten to that station yet, rotten luck. Maybe you better get to hiding, because right now it seems like the spirits aren't so keen on things that don't belong.•••
Ah, but after that initial panic, the foghorn abruptly goes quiet. The lighthouse beam shuts off, too. The thing with the green eyes vanishes, and most of the other forest spirits have already fled or are still stuck frozen in town, but it's now that the others attack. Apparently not all of the spirits were won over by the party's attempt at diplomacy.
The hostile spirits attack with abandon, and can't be reasoned with. The only way to stop them is to kill them or detain them, although you could just wait it out and hope they move on soon. In any case, how you deal with the spirits is up to you. Feel free to NPC them in your own threads if you'd like to fight them or attempt to interact with the frozen ones, though the fighting spirits will continue to fight until dispatched and the frozen spirits won't snap out of it no matter what you do.
As far as what the expedition teams are up to, that's up to them. All expedition teams including the team that's with Winters are able to make it back to town to witness the chaos. What happened out at the lighthouse, though? The Winters crew will be sure to let you all know... soon.
And if you'd like to go after the spirit with the green eyes? Well, go ahead, but do so at your own risk.
| QUICKNAV | |||
| comms | | | network • logs • memes • ooc | |
| pages | | | rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav | |
no subject
You keep secrets, Emperor.
[Which would also be a conversation for another time. He tosses his ice axe into one of the creatures and follows Cao Pi towards the tavern, turning and shooting ice balls occasionally as he goes. He could freeze a small section of the square, but that would hit the non-hostile creatures as well. If it came to it he'd do that as a last resort, but the more innocents that could be spared (if the forest creatures could be called innocent) the better.]
Anyone with foresight would have barricaded the door. But I'm not sure many here are combatants.
no subject
[it's not something he's adept with, or uses frequently, but what do you know? They have that in common. Ice buddies indeed]
More than you'd think but you have a point, they may or may not be locking it up tight. At the very least I would hope someone is on lookout to let stragglers in.
no subject
[All his powers worked the same as they had for him back home, he wasn't aware that some had theirs taken away. Which may explain the lack of fire coming from his Grandmaster counterpart. Hm. He'd have to discuss that with him later.
He backs up to the door, throwing one last icicle blast before trying the handle. Unlocked. ]
Maybe they think the creatures can't use doors.
[Which wouldn't be a smart assumption considering most of them have hands. But he darts inside, waiting for Cao Pi to follow before shutting the door and securing it.]
no subject
Only when the door is latched does he sheath one of the blades, and then goes to the nearest window to have a look]
Of course they can use doors, they get in and out of the shops and post. [please let no one here actually be so dumb as to assume spirits can't get inside even when berserk.] All we can do is watch for any others still caught outside. I'm inclined to leave the spirits to their rampage so long as they don't harm the bonfire or... [ah shit] ...Master Rastus.
no subject
[He closes his eyes for a second and then looks away. Curses. He hadn't considered Rastus. That's... unfortunate.]
If he's been here so long perhaps he's witnessed something similar and has means to protect himself?
[But he doesn't sound sure about that at all. He'd spoken to Rastus and he didn't seem like the sort who had a secret stash of weapons nearby.]
no subject
Cao Pi's face tightens, a mix of frustration and determination. They've got to protect Rastus, if the bonfire is their link to life and he's their link to the bonfire]
Someone will have to go and rescue him. Or find him, and make sure he's safe, at least. [turning swiftly toward his companion] Does he have a tablet, that he can communicate with us?
[he's literally never checked but. Speedy methods first, dangerous methods if that doesn't work]
no subject
[He pulls his tablet out from where he's been storing it in his tunic, flipping through it and seeing if he can put in a call to Rastus.]
no subject
At a time like this you would think the tablet thing would be everyone's recourse, sending out warnings and messages.
[and yet. Really, for him to grasp that value of this technology is pretty mind-blowing, but he'll sit down and work out the real advantages and drawbacks later. Right now they need to make sure everyone has gotten to safety, and if not, start organizing rescues. But how do you do that when you have no idea where anyone is?]
no subject
[Meanwhile he puts in a call to Rastus and leaves a message. Hopefully they hear back.]
I wonder if these can track people. The Special Forces had something like that to show where their troops were. If there is that functionality I'm unsure how to activate it.
no subject
That would be surprisingly convenient, so it's my guess that despite being a wonderful idea, it isn't possible. [with a huff of frustration] Like so much here. I can't help but wonder if maybe half the problems that need to be solved have been solved, previously, but then came a reset and all that knowledge and progress was lost.
[he's mostly just complaining out loud but as he says it, that idea takes hold. It might be more true than not, he'll have to hold onto that thought.]
no subject
[That makes a fair amount of sense if the reset is in fact a reset and not just wiping out the population to start again. ]
Same with the village. That's always been there but we just now discovered it. Those who were here previously would have had lights and pathways to get to it, but those were also removed.
no subject
...we cannot let that happen. What...foolish, idiotic sort of idea is that? Revive a world of darkness, but fail even a little bit and the entire thing is wiped out, down to the very memories of anyone left behind...?
[forgive him a brief moment of genuine anger. This is all so stupid, and he's only just realizing it.]
no subject
It's all a game to someone. Our lives are meaningless to whomever controls this place. I had thought that might be the lighthouse keeper, which may explain what's happening. It was the sound of the horn that threw the spirits into chaos.
no subject
[cue the biggest long-suffering sigh ever]
And here I had hoped death might finally be the end of having to deal with secret overlords manipulating everyone from their ivory towers. I would have liked to rest and not deal with this again.
no subject
[Though who is he kidding, he wouldn't know how to relax if his entire afterlife depended on it. Sounds fake.]
It seems this is our curse.
no subject
[no rest for the wicked, eh Kuai?]
Ah, well. Cursed or not, one thing at a time, here. Let us make sure everyone is safe, and then take the rest as it comes.
[if that means going back out there, or just locking the door and waiting it out, whatever, he's good to go. And hey, they were smart enough to duck into the place with the booze, so when everything gets frustrating, there's drink to be had. Could be worse, really.]
no subject
If Rastus does not respond I'll look for him, but its more likely hes not using his tablet.
[Or so he hopes.]
We all need a break from this.