INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

[inthenightmods]

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER
COME INTO MY HEAD

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: september 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. everyone gets a special gift, courtesy of the lighthouse keeper.
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.

•••

Unlike the past two months, there's not a whole lot happening down at the dock today. It's quiet, disconcertingly so, after the foghorn blows once and then twice to signal the ferry's arrival. Winters is dead, and as such there's no one around to dole out the "need to know" info for the new arrivals.

Luckily, the tablet and the town do have some resources available for playing catch up! The Keeper's recent network post is available for everyone to read, and newcomers can always check out the weekly bulletins and the records in town hall. Everyone's also welcome to get in touch with the NPCs through their inboxes, too.

But, oh! In the ferry's cargo hold is a rather large crate addressed to the Postmaster General, and inside? A bunch of ocarinas! The Postmaster General, set up at their little stall, will be passing out ocarinas (free of charge!) to everyone that happens by. Anyone who doesn't come by the stall will receive one in their mailbox.

Shortly after the ferry arrives, a new message from the Lighthouse Keeper appears on the network:

Did everyone get their ocarinas? If you didn't, check your mailbox at the post office. There's plenty to go around. The extras will be in the general store.

You can use these to communicate with the forest spirits. Their language is based on musical notes, so you have to play little songs for them. Here's a couple of basic translations that should help you guys out:

The rest of the message contains playing instructions and example audio files for the following messages:

- A friendly greeting!
- An assurance that equates to "I come in peace".
- A short melody that translates roughly to polite terms like please, thank you, and you're welcome.
- A shrill note that asks for help.

Characters can use the ocarinas to communicate these phrases to the forest spirits (and are welcome to try learning or communicating other phrases), but keep in mind that there's not much plot info to be learned from the forest spirits, at least not for right now. These ocarinas won't exactly help you translate anything the forest spirits might say back, after all.

The Lighthouse Keeper won't be responding to that network post, but she can be contacted through her inbox!

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! For this intro log, you are officially without a chaperone. Rastus is back at the bonfire, Will is characteristically elusive, and Robin is, well, you know where she's at. It's up to the veteran residents to fill in the new folks.

We're also happy to introduce the YARD SARD... The Postmaster General will be appearing in any intro logs where a player formerly in the game has ordered something through Rastus but is no longer around to claim it! These items will still come in, but since they have no owner, they'll be available for other characters to claim. It's usually a first come, first serve situation, though the Postmaster General may turn folks away for any number of weird reasons. (OOCly, it's us attempting to spread the wealth among the playerbase.)

DELIVERIES

The following packages can be found in the cargo hold:

• The monthly store restock
  
• Two silver prosthetic pieces (they aren't a perfect fit, but they work well enough) for Polnareff
  
• A few bottles of holy water, a pouch of powdered silver, and a magic wand (the wand doesn't have the permanence spell Elden was looking for, unfortunately; instead, it will temporarily change the color of its target to either pink or blue!) for Elden
  
• Webfluid components (about a three month's supply) for Peter
  
• A spice rack for Davina, and one for Ignis as well, plus a little geology kit with both of their names scribbled on the package and crossed out various times. Looks like these orders got a little mixed up! Everything each of them requested (plus a little extra) can be found among these packages, but they'll have to sort out what goes where
  
• 2 cartons of cigarettes, a flintlock pistol, and 100 rounds of ammo for it (though none for the shotgun, hm!) for Rosinante
  
• A small assortment of dreamcatchers, all with a lot of feathers for Xayah
  
• A flash drive (on which is a very simple app for Morse code translation! this can be passed around or uploaded to the network for many users to download) for Matt
  
• A bounce house (small and with quite a few holes that need patching, but it'll get the job done; it's deflated, but it does have a built-in fan!) for Lunafreya

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

YARD SARD

The Postmaster General is here! They've set up a little stall on the dock, and have a couple of items for... sard?

• A carton of cigarettes
  
• 4 2 boxes of .45 bullets
  
• A sewing kit

If you would like to purchase an item from the Postmaster General, you can haggle with them below!

QUICKNAV
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pages	|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Comments

[evulsed]

[ Unlike some of the other people from his world, people like Dawn or Riku or even Sora— Vanitas doesn't have a shred of light in him. He is a void of negative emotion and darkness, created when all that black was pulled from his other half. Ventus, the light to his dark, was meant to be his salvation. He can't find that here anymore, the closest he can get is Sora, but it doesn't stop him being drawn in by the Light of others.

His golden eyes narrow, almost luminous in the dim. They carve over the stranger, looking for his lantern. Vanitas' own lantern with it's black flame is at his ankle, held by a little dark creature that seems to be in a constant, twitchy state of motion.

His gaze jumps back up to the man's face. ]

You're new.

[lunchbreaks]

[ He blinks, looking at Vanitas. He might not be able to see his darkness, not exactly, but he can smell it. With dark hair and golden eyes like that, it's any wonder. ]

I mean you no harm, if you might think so.

[ Yes, let's lead with that, shall we?

He does sort of acknowledge the little one with his eyes, but doesn't greet it or anything. To be fair, he hasn't greeted Vanitas either. ]

[evulsed]

I don't.

[ It comes out evenly, and Vanitas sounds sure in the statement— maybe even a little arrogant, like he doesn't believe this person could actually hurt him. Most of that comes from Vanitas' hubris in his own skill, that if he did attack he could get way fast enough, but also...

he just looks harmless, with that stupid look on his face and that ocarina in his hand. ]

What are you?

[lunchbreaks]

[ Okay wow Vanitas, way to be rude. ]

Most people would think that isn't a very polite thing to ask, dear boy.

Are you freshly fallen? Must be very confusing, I imagine.

[ He approaches as if trying to see if Vanitas is also physically injured, as well as his memory addled. ]

I am what you were. Before.

[evulsed]

[ Vanitas isn't skittish, but regardless, when this man comes closer his spine straightens and his shoulders stiffen. The effect intensifies when he comes closer, all that Light, and Vanitas is torn between wanting to turn toward it and putting that space back between them. Short as he is, he needs to lift his chin to keep looking the man in the face, but the gesture is two-fold. Something about the way he juts it out comes across as defiant, instead of just maintaining eye contact. ]

No you aren't.

I'm the Darkness pulled out of another person's heart. I've never been anything else.

[ Still— Vanitas cants his head, surveying the man again, narrow but curious. If this person were what Vanitas was before, then he'd have some darkness in him— assuming he and Ventus had made one whole, complete person, light and dark and all. But... ]

You don't have any Darkness in you at all.

[lunchbreaks]

Well, I'd hope not. I'm made entirely of light. And love.

[ He stares a little bit. Darkness pulled out of someone's heart doesn't seem to be some sort of exaggeration, but neither does it make any sort of sense to Aziraphale. ]

We are opposites, now.

Are you... alright?

[ He figures he should just ask directly. No more beating around the bush, he's a very straightforward kind of fledgling demon. ]

[evulsed]

[ He doesn't flinch, but his lip curls, like something about what was said offended him, or he found it revolting. What it really does is prove him right— this is the way Ventus would talk, too, before he decided they should be able to choose what they are.

Love, and friendship.

They aren't things Vanitas has ever known, and he's only ever been taught that they're weaknesses to be exploited. He's never had a friend, despite the way Sora talks sometimes about the nature of— whatever he and Sora are.

Still, the question brings him up. Vanitas arches an eyebrow. ]

You're the one that just died. Should you be asking yourself that question?

[lunchbreaks]

I've only just died. I know why, and I made peace with it.

[ He does sound... rather blasé about the whole situation. He is sad, but it's no longer his situation to worry about. ]

But you didn't answer my question, dear boy.

[evulsed]

[ Vanitas laughs then. It's an ugly sound, humorless and flat. Is he alright? What a stupid question. What would it matter if he was or wasn't? He doesn't need a stranger's pity. ]

Ask me something relevant and maybe I'll answer it.

[lunchbreaks]

We are dead, dear boy, and apparently we have not stopped feeling pain.

I'd say it's as relevant a question as any other.

[evulsed]

Really?

You can't think of a single other thing?

[ He turns his ocarina over in his palm, tossing it up in the air and catching it again. ]

[lunchbreaks]

More relevant? Fine.

What is your name? I'm Aziraphale.

[evulsed]

[ It succeeds in dodging the question, and something eases in Vanitas' shoulders. He could just walk away, it would be the easiest way to end this conversation or any line of questioning from this lightbearer— but the familiarity and curiousity keep him rooted to the spot. Vanitas flips the ocarina over his hand again, a steady thump thump thump into his palm, like a heartbeat. ]

I am Vanitas. And I've been here a lot longer than you.

[ "A lot" is pushing it but, this endless night makes it seem that way. ]

[lunchbreaks]

A lot, oh? How long? Since before the last reset?

[ He asks, hopefully, interest sparking in his voice. He really can't do anything to hide his emotion, but listen Vanitas, you walked into that one. ]

What do you know of this place?

[evulsed]

Barely anybody has been here that long.

[ He scoffs it, derisive, like Aziraphale should've already known this information. ]

One of them went and got himself killed just the other day, but good luck getting answers from any of the ones left.

[ His eyes slide to the little spirit the man had been playing music for moments ago, and there's something accusatory in the way he stares at it. ]

[lunchbreaks]

Yes, I'm seeing that quite clearly.

Do you have a problem with the spirits, dear boy? I don't think this one will harm you.

[ He's still thinking poor Vanitas... look at this baby demon, he doesn't know what he's doing. ]

Would you like to try? We were given tunes to play...

[evulsed]

[ Vanitas' eyes cut very sharply back to Aziraphale, staring hard at his face even as he goes on talking. I don't think this one will harm you. He doesn't know, does he? Vanitas hasn't exactly been keeping what happened to him a secret, but neither has he been spreading that information around without it being relevant to the situation.

After a moment, wherein it looks like Vanitas is trying to read this guy's mind just by looking at him, his attention goes back on the spirit. ]

Looks like whatever you did upset it already.

[lunchbreaks]

Yes, alright, my mistake entirely. I hadn't meant to, you know, I'm very new at their language.

[ But no, don't worry, even if he had, Aziraphale would try to stop the spirit from hurting Vanitas. He might not like Vanitas very much, but he sees no reason harm should befall him.

He hasn't seen the state of the church, clearly. ]