INTRO LOG: BLACK CATS & WALKING UNDER LADDERS

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February.
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-13th
Warnings: Fresh meat, creepy moving shadows, terrible luck, the screams of your loved ones.

Welcome to Hadriel, new friends. While waking up on the ground of a broken colosseum may not be the most pleasant arrival, you can at least find comfort in the fact that there's no giant monster immediately attempting to eat you. Plenty of the people already here will tell you that they weren't quite so lucky. But - wait. Is that something moving in the shadows, or is it just your imagination?

Of course it's not just your imagination. That would be way too easy. No, arriving along with everyone this time are wraiths, vengeful spirits that enjoy darkness, shadows, and misery. On the plus side, they won't try to kill you. On the minus side, their touch chills you and saps your energy, as well as inflicting a temporary curse of awful luck. Anything that can go wrong, will, including (and especially) things that might kill you. Wraiths are subtle and sneaky, so be sure to watch your back. That shadow isn't just a shadow.

Compounding the confusion the wraiths can cause, you just might wake up to the sound of chattering voices - only to be quite alone. A small flock of jabberjays has come through the Door as well. These genetically engineered birds are capable of mimicking entire human voices and conversations - as well as screams of terror and pain. Initially only in the arena and bringing only conversations from their world, they'll soon settle throughout the city and begin to learn the voices of those living in Hadriel. Your best friend screaming bloody murder just a street over? It could be them, or it could just be one of these lovely birds. Don't let it stress you out.

Once you've escaped the colosseum, hopefully without accidentally impaling yourself on your own weapon, feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers February 10th-13th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well!
► All characters now arrive with phones that have network communication.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[unfollowing]

I'd love to.

[She doesn't ask about why Maketh can't do it herself, or who the bird is imitating. None of that matters, because it's obvious that these animals are here to throw them off. This voice calling for Maketh is someone Maketh cares about, and even though Emily doesn't actually care about Maketh -- no offense or anything, she just doesn't know ou -- she's more than happy to throw a rock at the bird who shares a species with the one that faked Matt's voice.

She picks up another rock, this one a little bigger than the last, and flings it at the piece of shit toying with Maketh.

It flies away, and the sound of the rock hitting the ground echoes off the buildings around them.]

Don't say anything. [Emily lifts a hand to her shoulder, pressing on the bitewound. Pain shoots through it, shifting her thoughts away from the goddamned birds for just long enough that she can breathe something close to normal.] I don't want to know.

[mismanagement]

[Maketh just closes her eyes. This - this is too much - she's not supposed to be haunted, that's something Force-users suffer through and she's not one of them, has never been one of them.] Thank you for that.

[She doesn't feel like explaining who Commandant Aresko was or why hearing a dead man's voice coming from a damn bird has rattled her so much. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't.

Maketh opens her eyes slowly, focusing back on Emily.] Are you hurt?

[unfollowing]

[Emily doesn't deign the thanks with a response. She's not feeling very generous right now. Maybe, if she'd actually managed to hit one of the birds, she would be. But not like this. Not when there's still an ache in her chest because she doesn't know where Matt is, and she can't go find him. She's not on the mountain anymore, that much is certain. The wendigos could mimic people too, but the rest of the wildlife was mostly normal.

These can't be normal. They're straight out of a nightmare.

Shifting her weight, she lowers her hand and rubs her fingertips together, her skin rough with dirt and dried blood.]

No. [An obvious lie. The fur of her jacket hides the wound from plain view, but if Maketh is tall enough, she'll be able to see it if she stands nearby and looks.]

I'm getting the fuck out of here. [Exactly how is an entirely different thing, but goddamnit, she's going to try.] Come on.

[It's not a friendly-sounding invitation by any means, more like an order, but it's what Maketh gets as she starts down the street. Sure, she's a stranger, but Emily isn't keen on letting people get killed. She's a bitch, but come on.]

[mismanagement]

[That's probably not true, Maketh thinks, but doesn't push it. She saw Emily favoring her shoulder earlier. Hopefully it's not life-threatening. In truth there's not much Maketh could do for her either way. She doesn't have a med-kit with her. All the supplies she does have are scorched beyond repair. It's better to soldier on and try not to think about things that can't be fixed. Maketh takes a breath, then follows.] Stay close.

[If the best that she can be is a meat shield, then that's what Maketh will do. She's supposed to protect civilians. Maybe she failed back on Lothal, but she's going to do better here. This one isn't going to die. Emily, whatever opinion Maketh has of her manners, is going to fucking live.]