MOD LOG #1

[bequiet]

MOD LOG #1
Packing Up
Content Warnings: General tension
Themes: Survival, exploration, heavy-lifting

At the end of the month, the natives send out a mass message informing everyone of the upcoming trip to 'meet' the Sound Eaters. Preparing for the trip is simple, though labor intensive, and begins with making certain that everyone packs food, water, clothes, gear, and a twenty-pound package of sand. When it's time for the journey to begin, those tasked with watching the sandpaths, will lead the party on the journey towards the Eiffel Tower. It's a slow trip, a careful one. Natives will take breaks every few hours and when the sun sets, help everyone to set up their bed rolls around a few lanterns. The natives will unveil the star mapping feature, with constellations named and general history attached, on the devices. They will encourage those to tell stories, get out food and water, and 'talk' amongst the group before everyone settles into sleep. Out, under the night sky, the silence is more noticeable - there are no crickets or frogs. This process will repeat for two days until the group reaches the end of their destination at midday.

Sound Eaters
Content Warnings: Disorientation, confusion, character and native death, Sound Eater birth and death, body horror
Themes: Survival, exploration, horror, death

On the third day, characters will finally reach the Eiffel Tower, where the Sound Eaters in this area of France have set up their 'home'. Stopping far enough out to allow for communication, the natives will gesture to the ruins of the structure that appears to be altered. Structures are built up and around the metal frame, closing off different sections with a dark material that glints an oily-green in the light. After explaining that the Sound Eaters are influenced by the weather, rain being an issue for them, they'll take everyone closer. Silence is key here. The natives are visibly wary, tense, and uncomfortable but they believe that showing the arrivals what they're so afraid of will inspire them to be more cautious.

Now, as close to the Sound Eaters as they dare to go (less than a half mile), the natives will have everyone crouch down behind various cars and debris. The devices will say only one word, watch. As the sun begins to set and clouds darken overhead, the tower will open up, the Sound Eaters spilling out. They are split up, as the natives refer to it, into classes - the young, the shifting and the matured. The young are extremely sensitive to sound, volatile and aggressive, humanesque in form with features in various state of change. The shifting are grotesque, splitting and reforming, changing from young to matured in a shift that is punctuated by pained screams and the breaking of bones, splitting of flesh. The matured are in control. They command and guide their kind into a circle, where they all bend down, kneeling as something different than the rest comes out of the tower to stand at the center. The wind catches, dusting up red ash from it and blowing the ash towards the group - there's no way to move and it tastes familiar, coats your skin in red. They all grow quiet and a wrapped form, in the shape of a body, is placed at the Sound Eaters' feet. It crumbles, breaks apart and sprays out over the wrapped figured to completely cover it.

The shards of the Sound Eater bubble up and fuse together, creating a shell. Rain begins to fall. Light, but enough to cause the Sound Eaters to begin to move, pushing against one another but not leaving the circle. There's a shrill sound, an offbeat whistle, air escaping a tight space, a desperate inhale, and then the shell at the center splits apart. A Sound Eater died to create a new life. Smaller than the other young, the 'child' climbs up and out, but it's not the same as the others. It's form is generally human. Dark hair, androgynous features. No eyes. No mouth. Standing, it angles its head towards the matured and they move, as if on command, and surround it as it walks into the tower.

( If anyone makes noise at this point, in any way, the coming bad weather and what just occurred, will result in the Sound Eaters only attacking that person - rather than the whole group. They'll drag that person into the tower and out of sight. The character will be reset. )

The natives are upset. Spooked. They've never seen anything like that and they're quick to tell everyone this, followed by a hasty message to leave. As they're moving, the rain begins to beat down and the ground grows slippery. Making it back to the supplies is troublesome and just as the group gets close, one of the natives slips and tumbles down broken concrete, twisting and smacking against the hard surface until they come to a stop at the bottom. Anyone that goes to help will find that the native has hurt themselves and there's nothing that can be done, despite best efforts. The natives will take the time to wrap their friend up, relaying that the Sound Eaters don't attack now that the rain is heavy, and will begin the slow trek back to the community. They'll camp each night, the same as the trip up, but with an uncomfortable tension that no amount of story telling can break.

It's Raining Me- Rain. It's Just Water.
Content Warnings: None
Themes: Survival, fun, noise-making

After everyone is back in Reims, the natives will split off to bury their dead - they will not allow anyone to accompany them. Everyone is encouraged to head back to the community to get a break from the bad weather and to unload their supplies. The following day, the natives can be heard outside. Splashing and making noise, fixing houses, and what might have been a somber event will quickly turn into something a little more upbeat as rain beats down on the city. Children will play and occasionally laugh, stunted in their ability to enjoy themselves but willing to learn from the arrivals. Bigger items will be moved and natives will encourage everyone to do the 'noisier' things that they need to do. When the rain ends, work will resume as usual and soundproofing will be a lot more difficult - the water washed away sandpaths and damaged some areas. Cleaning up will take time but the natives aren't as unhappy with the situation as they just had a moment's respite from the normal tension of their everyday lives.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun! The OOC Plotting Post.

NAVIGATION

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Comments

[lifewithoutrest]

[ While she's been known to be a bit reckless, Helen knows there would be little point in going down after the girl without having a way back up. Though if she thought she could get the girl out regardless, she'd gladly strand herself down there in her place.

Hopefully it won't come to that. She looks up as he retreats back into the house, hoping he has something in mind to help with that.

She talks to the girl while she waits, trying to keep her calm, only moving away from the edge once he returns with the rope. Taking it from him, she glances back at the sinkhole with brief consideration. Tying the first knot, she pulls it tight, testing it. ]

That should do.

[ Has she done this before? She's probably done this before. She only needs enough length to reach the girl, and she gets there quickly, then ties it securely to the deck. ]

Are you sure?

[ With the rope knotted, she should be able to do most of the work climbing, but that might be a challenge if they can't convince the girl to climb up on her own. ]

[poodlemom]

If you can carry her, I should be able to pull you both up together. I'll have extra leverage with a foot against the railing. [he won't slip in the rain, if he stays under the deck cover and braces against the banister. His upper body strength is solid, but his legs could do far more lifting. Helen and the girl shouldn't be any trouble for him. He's held far taller and heavier men over his head before, goofing off during practice with rink mates. Victor is confident, hopefully that will assure Helen.]

Can you do that? [he doesn't want to insist Helen go down after the girl if she's not certain herself, but her demeanor is more collected than his if he's being honest. They should be able to do this, what other choice do they have?]

[lifewithoutrest]

[ He does seem entirely confident. It looks like she'll simply have to trust he knows his own strength. After a moment, she nods. ]

All right. If we're lucky, she'll come up on her own, but I won't know until I get down there.

[ She's cautious approaching the sinkhole again, speaking softly to the girl before dropping the end of the rope into it. This is hardly the worst situation she's been in, but every crisis is a little different and it doesn't do to get too confident, at least not when more than her own life is at risk.

After testing her weight against the rope, she carefully starts to ease herself down. ]

There we are. [ She's talking partially to herself and partially to the girl as her feet find the ground again. They aren't far down, but far enough; and there's already water lapping against her ankles. Best to get this over with, then. ] C'mon.

[ It's a long minute before the girl finally takes the offered hand and allows Helen to draw her closer, but then she's hesitant to release her in favor of the rope. Eventually they reach a compromise, one hand on the rope and one arm still tightly around Helen. She gives the rope another firm tug before calling up, just loud enough to be heard over the rain. ]

We're ready.

[poodlemom]

[Victor is readying himself on the other end. He steadies himself on the driest part of the porch, not wanting to slip and lose his footing. Both hands wrapped up tightly on the rope, he gets in position to pull with both arms and legs. If he needed extra leverage to deal with the weight, he can hoist a leg up onto the porch banister to assist him. He's ready.

Listening keenly, maybe all the quiet had gone and made his ears more sensitive, he hears the call and begins to pull up. It's especially difficult at first, without any momentum to help, but he feels the end of the weight lifting. He can only hope it's Helen and the girl, without any more trouble. Spurred on with adrenaline and fierce determination to absolutely not fail at any cost, he manages to steadily lift them up and up. He wants to call out to see if they're doing alright, but he doesn't have the extra breath to spare. Focusing on getting them out was most important so he pulls and pulls until they begin to emerge, to his great relief. He won't stop pulling until they're both good and clear of the hole, reaching out to help them both onto the deck once close enough.]

H-Here you go, you... are you both okay?

[lifewithoutrest]

[ Once they're back on solid ground, Helen finds it easier to separate herself from the child. She takes a moment to look her over, wanting to be certain she's only frightened and not injured as well. ]

I think we'll live. You did very well, thank you.

[ She offers him a warm smile. Now the immediate danger has passed, there's no excuse for a lack of manners. ]

I don't believe I've properly introduced myself. Helen Magnus.

[poodlemom]

V... Victor. Victor Nikiforov, nice to meet you. [he has to catch his breathe, not so much from physical strain, but the panic. That would take a while to fully settle, but the call to mundane introductions actually helps focus him up again. With a hagered, but genuine smile, he'll offer Helen a handshake. His hand is still warm from the friction of the rope.]

Thank you for helping! Wow, that was brave!