The Watchers of Night ([personal profile] thewatchers) wrote in [community profile] daybreakacademy2020-05-10 01:18 pm

MIDNIGHT HOWL


Midnight Howl
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This sleepy town in Romania has had little in the way of disturbances for the last few decades, putting aside the general region’s troubled and entirely non-magical history. But with supernatural phenomena on the rise, a supposed shifter in the area, and a graveyard that refuses to stay silent as graveyards should, the Academy has asked for willing students and staff to go and perform what should be a fairly routine investigation.

The town itself is much like any other quiet, European town. People go about their business as normal, at least in the day. But at night, they bar their doors and light lamps, and leave these new investigators to their work.

A.
In the woods, there are obvious signs of some kind of predator; torn up ground, clawmarks in trees, and even the occasional set of pawprints. While the signs are obvious, following them is no mean feat; the forest ranges from simply obtrusive to almost hostile in its obstacles, providing briar patches, long grass that hides holes, pits and boggy ground, and trees with branches at a height to conveniently bang your head against while you’re searching for any further signs of disturbance. There’s even a river in the middle of the trail, just deep enough that it’s uncomfortable to wade through.

Should you manage to get through all these inconveniences and not just get fed up and turn back, however, you’ll find a shivering werewolf stuck halfway between being human and beast. Far from being hostile, they just seem incredibly confused, and after being reassured that they won’t be driven out, will be grateful to be led back to the village and back home. Keen-eyed characters will note that there seems to be some kind of marking on the person’s back that shines out, even through the fur.

B.
The local graveyard has been suffering from an influx of disturbed and toppled graves, at first it seems to be caused by vandalism or simply the sheer age of the stones but the sheer numbers - and strange noises at night quickly made the town more wary. Instead of the expected screams and wails, there was laughter and singing.

Jovial spirits and corpses in various states of decomposition can be found holding a tea party, accompanied by various stuffed animals, for a small boy of five, who is apparently extremely content with his new playmates being dead. Though these undead aren’t hostile, they will defend themselves - and prioritise defending the child - if attacked. They also cannot speak, and anyone who can see magic will be able to see that their animated state is tied to the boy who apparently raised them - and that all of them are marked by a strange, circular sigil.

The boy himself is friendly despite his choice of company and will only be upset - and refuse to speak - if his new playmates are harmed. If approached with care, he will reveal that though he could always see ghosts, he was able to revive his new friends after a strange dream where he woke up with some kind of marking on his palm.

C.
Though the ruins of failed infrastructure certainly aren’t uncommon throughout Europe, asking around will reveal that once upon a time, there used to be a minor railway that served workers and travelers passing through that was eventually closed due to lack of use. The remains of the station still exist, however, and lately there have been sights and sounds indicating that it’s in use - despite the train service being discontinued a decade ago.
[ This prompt involves a NPC. You can engage with this NPC in the toplevel below. ]

D.
Wildcard option, in case there's anything else you'd like to do.

code bases by tricklet
unpocoloco: (Tuning)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-05-12 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Romanticism. He opens his mouth to say something but falters on how exactly to put it. Not "Romantic" that's for sure. Death was incredibly unglamorous past the surface.

But with the latter point he decides to let it go, sighing. He rubs at his neck.

"We probably have to figure something out for keeping the village from knowing. The veil and all." He sounds very unhappy with that.
imitationsoul: (Who knows someone)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-05-13 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh yes, the precious precious veil..."

Miach likewise does not sound amused. The veil is such a nuisance and its benefits are, in her eyes, mostly the comfort of the populace. Spoiled as they all are.

"I'm not wild about helping with that. Though if we do not, this human boy may suffer the price of the village's superstitions."
unpocoloco: (I don't think so)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-05-14 12:37 pm (UTC)(link)
He laughs ruefully.

"Not a fan either, huh?" He asks.

He glances to that boy again, to that gathering of skeletons far more at peace than he's ever been. He wonders if they're family at all. He wonders about the boy who's out here alone.

"We do for the boy and the dead. We figure something to keep the trouble off them. The village isn't being hurt by anything." They could probably use an enchantment on the skeletons...
imitationsoul: (Destroy she)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-05-17 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
"The veil is merely caging humans from the inevitable truth, so that they can live in comfort and ignorance. I can't agree with shielding people this way, though I am sure many of the people love being put in cotton and being cared for. Self-incurred immaturity."

She has nothing but contempt for these people. Willful ignorance is a horrid sin.

"This boy is leagues ahead of them, carving his place with the Outlands on his own merits."
unpocoloco: (I don't think so)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-05-17 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's... a blunt way to put it," He says. He can't help making a face. It's not like there people out there who'd want to know. "But it does feel like we hurt people with it more than help."

He has to raise a brow then. She did refer to humans in a sense of "other".

"You're from the Outlands, then?" He asks. "I've got to be honest, I'm not really a fan of the place, even spending a third of my life out there." Life. There's a lie. "It's a rough place. This kid kind of just looks like he wants some friends."
imitationsoul: (Said)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-05-19 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
It's such a simple question and yet it is astoundingly hard to answer with any accuracy. Miach finds herself simply shrugging.

"Technically, I am what you'd call an Outlander, but I have few fond memories of it. Most of the time I spent there was not even remotely by choice."

There is one fond memory from the Outlands and that's getting together with Nana and it happened very recently. It doesn't really count the same way.
unpocoloco: (Guess I'll Die)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-05-22 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh."

He regrets what he said immediately. It's not that it's untrue. The Outlands were a cruel place. He's met people who called it home all the same. But, it's worse for someone to know it's harsh and yet have nowhere else to go.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He says. "I hope Earth has brought you better memories."

He knows that that, too, can be a mixed bag for some.
imitationsoul: (Who knows someone)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-05-24 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
"Hm."

That's about the most noncomittal answer a person can give. It's because Miach would be loathe to say Earth itself is better - she's hates much of it. What's better is Daybreak Academy and she's still coming to terms with that concept of liking a place at all, whatsoever.

"Has it for you?"

Though she's mostly deflecting, she is also a little curious.
unpocoloco: (Wondering)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-05-24 12:07 pm (UTC)(link)
It makes his heart sink a little, that non-answer. It says a lot in and of itself. For all these past few years have been hard, it still feels like the kids here were thrown in so much deeper than he can imagine. He does wish he could do something.

He smiles wanely, but bobs his head.

"It has. Home is here, even if not here here. I found and made family here. I've met so many other wonderful people. It's not always perfect, but I've had a lot of chances for happiness here and some real wonderful things too." He turns his gaze up to the stars for a second, as he says, "Sometimes it just takes time."
imitationsoul: (It's a game of this or that)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-06-27 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's cliché."

Though it's not as though Miach doubts that it rings true for Héctor. She smiles wanly.

"Home is a difficult concept for me. It seems like, at some point of being so completely uprooted, it becomes a part of you to be without one. A traveler, maybe."

A tourist to wherever she goes, always a little from the outside looking in. Maybe that's also cliché.
unpocoloco: (Crooked Grin)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-06-28 08:53 am (UTC)(link)
Cliché. He laughs at that. He supposes it is.

"It's possible," He says with a hum. "I used to think I could live that way. Used to want to, sort of, cause I had no other place." And he wrote a whole stupid song about it. "It didn't work for me, still doesn't, but I'm sure it does for some. It's probably a matter of finding some other thing than a place that makes you feel... like a part of yourself is set right. And then seeking it. Or taking it with you."

He pauses, considering.

"Have you traveled much?"
imitationsoul: (What you could not start)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-06-28 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not as much as I want to," she says, though she sounds more contemplative about it than anything. She's curious and she usually sates that curiosity by reading books (traveling in her mind, if she wants to sound pretentious) but the notion of actually going places and learning for herself is certainly appealing.

"From Chechnya to Japan to France... Though they were all direct trips, no time to stop and smell the flowers. Why, do you have travel recommendations?"
unpocoloco: (12)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-06-29 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Chechnya and Japan. He hasn't been there. He feels no urge to go. But, with her interest, for the first time, he actually feels like he's got something with his travels, something more than a lot of failures and pain.

"With Spain and Italy both, the best times are in the spring and autumn. Barcelona Spain is especially nice in the late spring. Lots of festivals. Central Spain gets better in early autumn, while in Italy, you want to go in earlier spring or earlier autumn. The colors are brilliant. England is pretty temperate if that's your thing but if you want to see the real life of it, mid-summer, I think, is the best. Switzerland depends on if you like the snow, I think, you can't really go wrong with the views around the mountains other than that."

That's not much, but it'll be a start, he thinks.

"And of course, my home, México. But I think if I were to try and describe the best places to see there, I would never stop."
imitationsoul: (Said)

[personal profile] imitationsoul 2020-07-03 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"I love the snowy mountains."

Héctor didn't really ask, of course. It's not like they're making actual travel plans, so whether or not she likes snow is her own matter only. But somehow, Miach feels like she should share that much. Clarify just one thing about herself that she knows with certainty.

"It snowed a lot where I was born in Chechnya. It's not my home in any meaningful sense of the word, not like what Mexico means to you, but... There is nothing more beautiful than the Caucasus Mountains."

If she tries to envision what happiness and comfort could possibly feel like, it's a sunrise over the mountains.
unpocoloco: (Sad smile)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2020-07-07 01:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah! Sounds lovely. In that case, then, Switzerland in winter is your best bet."

He was never much one for the cold. He got used to it with his old freezer, but he hated it. And wandering homeless in the winter, while it couldn't kill him, it was hard to see how the living fared. And didn't.

But, from a traveller's perspective, the snow could be beautiful.

"Perhaps, for you, it's less of seeing the people and town, and more of seeing what's natural around it. Sometimes that can make people much happier. I do hope you get the chance."