Event Log #002

[caelumstaff]

EVENT LOG number 002 The hotel humbly hopes that you're settling in well and are taking advantage of the various pleasures on offer for your stay. In Mr Bennet's opinion, things have been going quite well and he doesn't think that the guests are unhappy at all. New guests have arrived, some have left, it's all going along perfectly. So, of course, this is when the next troublesome thing pops up. SHADOWS One morning, characters will find the hotel to be a little dimmer than usual, a little more shadowy. Yet if anyone asks Mr Bennet about it, he will claim to not have noticed anything different than usual. Either way, as the characters move on with their day, they'll start to notice a few odd things start to happen. PHASE ONE: Initially, characters will notice their shadow beginning to move a little out of sync with them. Discreetly at first until eventually, their shadow takes on a life of its own, mischievously playing with characters and enjoying their newfound freedom. Very Peter Pan, and completely harmless. PHASE TWO: Now, shadows might disappear entirely, roaming the hotel to their own discretion and ignoring the characters they belong to. As the shadow takes on this free will, characters will begin to feel slightly off balance and have a hard time feeling whole without their shadow around. The shadow may become slightly aggressive as well if told they should return to their characters, fighting back in their own way from knocking things over to outright attacking other characters. It's a little hard to fight back though when your opponent is a shadow, isn't it? PHASE THREE: The shadows have become fully aggressive now, fighting anyone who tries to get them to return to their original person. Characters will find themselves feeling weak and low energy as a result of losing their shadow. Eventually, the shadows will come back to their owners but the characters will find themselves sinking into their shadow, eventually changing places entirely with their shadow. The only way to rescue a character from this fate is for another character to pull them out of their shadow forcibly. The bright side is once a character is pulled out of their shadow, it all returns to normal and their shadow is no longer sentient. These phases will last over the course of the week and it is quite alright to stay in phase one/two/three. Not all shadows will become aggressive, not all shadows will be playful. Feel free to manipulate your character's shadow in the way that's most fun for you. NAV | PREMISE | RULES | FAQ | TAKEN hotelcaelum | caelumserver | caelumooc

Comments

[survivaltricks]

[Satanael doesn't linger long once Bruno is freed, vanishing back into ether with a swirl of blue flame. the fire coalesces around Akira's face, forming a white mask that rests naturally on his features. and with that finished. . . he crouches next to Bruno, one hand resting against his shoulder]

What the hell. . .

[these shadows are more dangerous than he thought!]

Are you okay?

[venomnom]

Not unless there's a floor of poison, no.

[That seems like somewhere she would go.

She moves to backtrack downstairs. Still, she has a feeling that down there is better than a random floor, especially since there wasn't anything on hers.]

[venomnom]

["Yet."

She begins to glance over her shoulder when she aborts the turn halfway. Whatever it was, it's already gone, unless her senses are playing tricks on her.]

If it's anything like the ions, it should resolve itself. On the other hand, there may be conditions we need to fulfill.

[Do they have to tell their own shadows three things about themselves?]

[velluminous]

[ this is a different man to the one she'd met. this is the truth, showing through the thin spots. someone with anger, someone who does not want to be made powerless.

it... resonates. ]

Before that. We stop that bleeding.

[vecna]

[Someone who wants control when he's been deprived of it for so long.

His brow knits, surprised that his bleeding has made the top of her priority list.]

My nose always bleeds when I strain myself too hard.

[Wrenching her shadows away was... definitely that.]

[fixtures]

[ Polite and courteous, despite that big suit of armor... simply adorable. Her smile widens, clearly pleased. ]

So you are a knight, Barghest. How honorable.

[ The respect and praise is evident in her words, as she turns on a heel to commence their shadow hunting. ]

Might your lord be here at the hotel, as well? Or have you travelled alone?

[likesitruff]

Her Majesty is not here, no. She never struck me as the kind of woman who would have a desire she could not fulfill herself.

[ And she's even less likely to relax?? A shame, but true. ]

To my knowledge, I am the only one here. And you? Did you accompany someone here?

[likesitruff]

... I would be wary, but I'm uncertain how much damage a shadow would be capable of causing.

[ Famous last words. Let's not talk about this hours later, okay? ]

[boneface]

[ And he's living on a prayer. Ryuji's felt a little defeated ever since getting stuck like this. Even his shadow didn't want to eat him fully, what does that say about him? At least have the grace to make this difficult!

He will take this lady's hand though, whining loudly in response — ]

I can't believe it just stopped! I'm so sick of bein' stuck here. Thank you for helpin' me!!

[fixtures]

[ Yes, somewhere far away... and somewhere quiet, preferably. She doesn't walk with a destination in mind, either, but as they pass more populated halls or cafes or rooms, she doesn't seem to give any of them an ounce of consideration. ]

Oh, my.... let us not speak it into existence, my dear.

[ PLEASE... she doesn't think she can handle any more humiliation. She meets his faux cheer with faux scolding, her brows raising. Truthfully, the idea that still more could be coming gives her so much unease. The master of this hotel becomes more and more concerning, the longer she's stayed here, and she wonders if he feels the same. But it's a dark topic for another day. ]

Especially with companions of yours about the hotel as well. You did not travel alone here?

[ There's faint surprise there, having assumed he might be something of a lone wolf. ]

[cardsharked]

[As much as it pains her to not join in the fun, Odette steps aside to catch her breath and let Giselle handle her shadow's next attack. Odette keeps her eyes on the other one, struggling to wiggle itself free of the high florescents. It's not a pretty noise, when the rolling pin meets Giselle's arm, but it draws an impressed chuckle from her nonetheless.]

You're a lil braver than you get credit for, huh?

[Oogh. She might actually need a sit-down, after all of this. It isn't the kind of wound that'll take Odette Malencon down, but she can tell she's only got so much standing time left.

It's one of the weirder things she's done, but she doesn't hesitate before drawing the knife from Giselle's back, feeling it slide free with no resistance and no spatter, as if pulled from nothing at all. It's not like they can leave it here forever for the shadows to pick up again later, but it can buy them a little time before they grab and go. She sinks the blade into the wooden surface of a nearby cutting board, clipping some of the darkness where it spills over and pinning the corner of the shadow in place.

Neat. Giselle should have a little open time to act while it's distracted.]

[survivaltricks]

[he knows she doesn't mean Shadows, with a capital "S," but lol]

More than one might think. . .

[that is muttered underneath his breath, though still perfectly audible, should she be listening closely enough]

Is your shadow moving, too?

[likesitruff]

[ Akira, you're talking to a hound. She could hear you down the hall at that level. ]

It is, though others have caught it more than I have.

--More importantly, what did you mean by that statement? Are you familiar with shadows wreaking havoc?

oh no help IT'S OKAY

[likesitruff]

[ Oh. She clotheslined him.

On the bright side, he did not, in fact, go careening down the stairs, but from the way he sounds, trying to get a single breath in, she probably could have afforded to be much gentler about it.

Barghest retracts her arm when it's apparent that the problem is resolved and the damage has subsequently been done, wincing slightly. ]

My apologies, I prioritized haste over consideration. Are you harmed?

[velluminous]

[ sentient shadows are out of story or myth, but they aren't unheard of. nearly fey, something you might run afoul of in an excursion through the Feywild. so why here...? so far away from any place she knows (but never far enough to escape Waterdeep entirely)—

...she realizes he'd asked her something.

refocuses her eyes, shaking her head slightly as if to clear cobwebs. ]

Hm?

[velluminous]

[ "then you are not casting your magic correctly," she doesn't say, because he doesn't believe in that, and what's the use in trying to make him start? if he bleeds, then the cost of the magic is blood. simple as that. ]

Well.

[ "thank you" does not come easy. in fact, it doesn't come at all. ]

We will find washroom.

[vecna]

[He’d hardly know what to do with gratitude, besides, without the bolster of his niceties and proprieties that he’s too worn to summon again.

And so Henry thinks of saying not to waste their time with it, but another trickle begins to run down his nostril, and he rethinks the notion.]

…All right.

[A low concession, but a concession all the same.]

[icyspicy]

[ Gods above. He nearly thinks she's dozed off in his arms and is just contemplating what to do with her when she stirs again. ]

Your room, Sprezzatura. Where is it?

[velluminous]

Ah... Third floor. Three-oh-three.

[velluminous]

[ both shadows sense opportunity. they lunge again, shoving Ringo into the already-teetering bookcase. Sprezzatura shrieks at a shrillness that pierces, almost surprises for how deep her voice otherwise is. ]

It is going to come down!

[ and, indeed, with the books toppling from the shelves

it seems true. ]

[velluminous]

[ to the bathrooms, then. staggeringly, slowly. ]

[vecna]

[Staggeringly and slowly, straight into the first bathroom they come across, squinting against the buzzing lights. And also straight to a sink, looking into a mirror — blood down his nostril, and a nasty bruise already starting to form along chin and jaw.

What an awfully weak form. He turns on the faucet, his first instinct to rinse the blood from the back of his hand.]

[icyspicy]

All right. I'll take you there. Try not to drool on me if you fall asleep.

[survivaltricks]

Oh-- uh.

[CAUGHT. . .! he's honestly worse at this than Ryuji is]

Y. . . yes?

[why does he sound so unsure with his response]

[hexensabbat]

Nah, see, here's the plan.

First, you accept it's not your fault or your problem.

Second, you decide to meddle anyway because the shadows are real annoying, and you wanna do something about it.

Then you profit. What do you think?