Event 001: The Potions

[atonementmods]

Characters: All.
When: February 1st
Where: Town Square
Warnings: None. Please put any warnings in the comment subject if it progresses that way!


As of this morning, there will be a steady rain over Penance that will darken the skies to black and fall as if somehow tainted and muddied, followed by a cold and harsh wind that will chill one to the bone if they dare to venture out in it... which may be necessary. The ground and roads will be slick and muddied, but there will be power outages due to the weather so staying in may not be necessarily more appealing. The rain will continue steadily for a week and be intermittent the rest of the month.

However, should anyone venture to the town square in search of warmth, there will be a large tent set up that is entirely illuminated regardless of whether the rest of Penance is or not. There will be supplies such as food and water for the taking, as well as a few old blankets for people to huddle under while they wait out the storm.

That's not all, of course. It wouldn't be atoning in the slightest if things were made too calm and cozy during the storm. There will also be letters left to each of Penance's new citizens detailing what this month's punishment entails.

It's time for your hosts to be a little less kind than upon arrival.

A table set up under the tent has five different kind of vials on it, plenty of each to go around. They have the following effects:

• Pink. Allows for one to hear the true thoughts of others, including what is thought about them for 24 hours during all interactions. This is to cause some self-reflection and insight into how they're viewed.


• Green. Allows for pain to be given to another for 24 hours. It will be agonizing pain and sickness. While this is extremely frowned upon, it will mean that the person in question will have participated in punishments this round and will be excused from drinking any other potion. However, remember that the actions we take now may have consequences in the future. It should also be noted that you won't get to choose who experiences the pain due to your decision, so no trying to take a grudge out on anyone.


• Purple. Allows one to feel the pain they caused another during their lives for 24 hours. They will feel what that person felt entirely. Hopefully this will cause some reflection and remorse for the actions that caused another to feel hurt.


• Blue. Forces honesty for 24 hours. No lying and one may even be compelled to spill their deepest, darkest secrets and sins to anyone who will listen. Transparency is key to atoning for past sins.


• Red Causes significant pain for 24 hours. It may be general pain like an ache in your bones that can't be soothed, or it may manifest in physical injuries such as cuts, bruises, etc. They say pain can be cleansing...

For those eager for punishment (which your hosts love to see), you may take more than one vial to spread out over the month, although taking multiple potions at once may not be entirely wise for most. Citizens may opt to try to avoid punishment this month, but again, remember all choices may have future consequences. Your hosts are here to see that you pay for your sins, not just scrape by.

With your letter collected, you may stay and get to know each other a little better while you wait for the storm to pass or insist on grabbing your items and brave the return to your home. The choice is absolutely yours.

Comments

Mod Contact

[atonementmods]

If you have any questions, concerns, etc. about this event, please leave them here!

Plotting

[atonementmods]

Feel free to use this to plot out threads or potion effects.

some starters

[mysteriumtremendum]

i. inside the house he has claimed; Rufus + Open

The frequent power outages are proving to be something of a problem, but Atticus is nothing if not innovative.

He has taken the time to set aside the clutter left behind by whomever previously lived in this dwelling, though the faded, musty furniture would have been too difficult to move, and the bookshelves still contain what passes for entertainment in Penance. (If there are religious texts there that relate to anything of the Judeo-Christian variety, their significance will be lost on him entirely. Perhaps they're works of fiction. They might as well be.)

At present, he has devoted the past hour to painstakingly inscribing a rune onto one bare wall, soft, warm energy glowing from his fingertips as he does so. Above him, the lights seem to flicker in response, but do not yet hold their illumination. It appears that the handshake between magical energies and electricity is not going as planned. At length, he 'ties off' the spell to be resumed later, breathes out hard, and fetches a kerchief out of his pocket to blot at his forehead.


ii. the town square; open

Beneath the tent providing shelter from the rain, Atticus has identified the letter left for him by his 'host' (whomever that turns out to be) and has opened it to peruse its contents. He reads it quietly.

Hm. Well. That's a bit pedestrian.

Tucking the letter into his coat pocket, he steps over to the table to consider the vials in pensive silence, not yet selecting any of them.

i

[thereneverwas]

Having never known electrical power at all, Rufus doesn't mind the lack of it. What he does mind is the fact that he is for some terrible reason sharing a dwelling with Atticus, and though he can guess the reason, he still hates it.

Passing by to see the rune-crafting happen, Rufus pauses a moment, observes, and the moment Atticus steps back, the Captain steps forward to wipe his hand down the rune with a pulse of magic, muddling it.
"Off to town," he announces, turning away to leave.

2

[preciousbrat]

"It's not easy to decide which one you should take, am I right?"
He had already made his choice, the little vial in his left pocket was the evidence but he hadn't drunk it.
Part of him knew that it would be dangerous to wait. After all what if someone decided to choose the green vial and fate was chosing him.

But the other part of him didn't wanted to expose his pain to everyone around him and suffer at home. But what if that would make it even more worse? Here he hope to find some to talk to. He knew of the psychological effect words could have.

[nothingtoknives]

i. Who's Woods These Are || The woods on the outskirts of town; Open

Damn if this weather wasn't miserable.

It wasn't often that he found himself in the cold rain like this, usually taking off with Goody to warmer climes when winter winds first blew across the plains. At least, he thinks, that there is no snow on the ground. Instead it's just the rain, soaking through his woolen jacket, slipping off the edge of his felted hat as he continues to chop at one of the fallen logs at the edge of town.

With the heat seeping out of the houses, the lights that didn't need oil or gas flickering on and off, they may as well be properly prepared. And that meant gathering firewood, even if the wood would be wet and smoke something fierce for the first few days.

All the same, he knows that he's being watched by something- or someone- in the woods, and it has him pausing and putting a hand on his knife, ready for someone's approach.


ii. Alone with God and Memories of Sin || The Town Square; Open

The little tent in the center of town is illuminated with that gas-lamp glow, the warm yellow lights high above casting shadows across the canvas. Inside, there is a heat, blankets and canned food and canteens of water free for their taking, the ghostly hosts of the town provided.

And on the table, a letter bearing his name. He's thankful for the print instead of the usual curling script he has difficulty reading, and all the same there are still words he cannot read- the effects of poor schooling for immigrants, even if he had taken a few lessons with Goody's tutelage.

But he can make out a few words- drink, and vial, an apparent instruction to take one and drink.

Billy picks one at random- red, for luck- and downs it fast. Gathering up some of the canned goods and one of the jugs of water. He's barely at the entrance before a pain shocks him to the core, blood blossoming across his shirt, soaking through the thick cotton of his vest. It tastes like copper on his lips as he coughs, spitting up blood.

Quickly, he pulls his vest open to expose his chest, a horror on his face as he realizes there's a bloom of blood across his breast- a wound he had inflicted on someone in life, now given to him in death.

He grabs the nearest person he can find and shoves the letter in their hands, trying to keep his voice even.
"What does this say?"

[preciousbrat]

Out of the blue someone grab him by the arm, when he wanted to enter the tent. In the next moment Eren felt something in his hand.



He looked at the stranger, who wanted to know what the letter says. No, he hadn't seen him before. The way he's dressed would have stayed in his memory. Eren looked at the letter and it dawned on him that something was about to happen to everyone in Penance.

"It says that on the table in the tent are five different vials. Each of them will have a different effect when you drink it." Eren looked up from the letter, quickly looking at the stranger from head to toe. He realized the wound on the chest of the stranger. Eren thought that the man had already been aware that he's injured but couldn't find an explanation for it.

"You're wounded. Seems like you've drunk a ..." he read over the colors and their consequences again "red vial. You will expire significant pain for the next day. Seems like you've received the worst form it, a physical injury." he explained with a claim voice.

i sup new friend

[mysteriumtremendum]

He is indeed being watched by a someone. Possibly also a something, though that is a matter of some debate.

Atticus makes no real attempt to hide himself from view as he observes the peculiar fellow labouring at his task. He's well enough insulated from the worst of the weather, with a scavanged coat of some decent quality covering him and an umbrella held over his head. He stands out from his surroundings, though it's difficult to place why; at his feet, however, the water seems to pool away from the soles of his shoes. He's dry.

He notes the hand that moves to the belt knife and smiles thinly. "I've no intention of attacking you."

i.

[quinientos]

Whatever this place is, Vasquez is still trying to understand it. He wanders, often, because he needs to find a place to put over his head, he needs to make sure that he's safe, and he needs to understand what it is. When he comes out of the woods from his latest pass, he sees a man with a weapon, working with determination and something that strikes him as recognizable.

Staring, he thinks that maybe he's been looking a little too long, but while it's been a short time of knowing him, he also doesn't think that maybe people look like that. Tipping his hat a little lower to avoid the rain getting in his hair, but as he takes a few more steps, he knows he's not seeing things.

Or he is, and he's gone crazy. "You don't have to take that out," he promises. "Unless you do that for all your acquaintances?"

[preciousbrat]

1) On The Streets - Open

Since Eren had lost his home, he's used to live without much luxury and limited space. So it more a habit than a real decision, that made him chose his current living: a small one room apartment. That was the space he needed for himself.

He looked out of the window, the rain was running down the glass. Eren shook his head. It seemed that the rain didn't want to stop in the next time. Maybe he should dare to go out? Only reckless people would dare to run around in a weather like this. Eren thought back to what he had been through in the past. Compared to some happenings this storm was harmless and part of him was whispering to him, that he should go out.

It wasn't different from that faithful moment in his childhood he concluded. He changed his clothes, stuffed the important belonging he was carrying around with him ever day, into the pockets of his jacket. The wind was blowing heavy, yanking the door out of his hand.

While he was fighting against the wind and rain he thought why he had followed his impulse of going outside.


2) Town Square - Open


As soon as he entered the tent he felt that it was the right decision to come here. Still he was looking around curiously, green eyes were scanning quickly over the people who have gathered in the tent, all kinds of supplies and the table.

Said table caught his attention and he walked towards it, as if the table had been what he had come for. There was a letter on the table bearing his name. His eyes were wandering over the letter before he looked at the vials. He counted five different variations.

No one had to tell him that the letter and the vials were somehow connected. He took the letter and opened it. He read the words the ghostly host of Penance had written to him. With an inscrutable expression on his face he stuffed the letter into the pocket of his jacket.

Green Eyes were examining the vials that were laying on the table. A split second his hand was hovering over the blue vial. You know that this would be a choice out of sentiment. Eren reminded himself. He closed his eyes so he couldn't influence which vial his hand would grab.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that a purple viol was laying in his hand. The question was now if he should drink it right on the spot or not.

[intheashes]

Goody is one of those reckless people. He's out in this weather for a singular purpose. There are things they need at the new homestead and he aims to get them before the weather turns worse. He doesn't like being unprepared and there are certain needs that must remain cared for. And while he knows he can wait, there's only so long before he will need to venture out anyway.

He just has to remind himself that he's been colder. He's been much much colder. The rain is miserable, yes, but it's not the worst he's been in. Still, the Cajun hurries along as quickly as he can towards where he is certain the druggist is located.

It just so happens to go by the small apartment where the young man is also venturing forth into the storm. It's such a rare thing, for any fool to be as much of one as himself that he gives pause to look at the young man. He can't help the need to put on the show of the friendly gentleman with a rousing. "It sure is a mighty strong gully washer out here. Reckon it might snow? Seems colder than a well digger's butt in January."

2

[stealyoursoul]

"Hope you know what you're getting yourself into with that one," Leo warns. He's curled up in a chair nearby, trying his hardest not to move, holding his left arm in a way that would suggest it might be broken. He'd selected the purple one too and was now experiencing the pain that he supposed at least one of the victims he'd tortured to death had felt.

[intheashes]

1- And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower
The magic that to him is electric lights is still a new thing. Goodnight is awed by it, but he is not fully accustomed to such things. When the lights flicker and the power goes out, it's as simple as it's always been. Find candles. Find provisions. Wait out the storm.

He dislikes being out in this rain though. It's cold. Terribly so. It settles heavy on his bones making him ache for those oppressive warm rains in Louisiana that came with a humidity that made your lungs feel like you were drowning with every breath. This is more akin to something a little less happily nostalgic.

He draws soaking gray wool of his coat closer and strides through the mud filled streets. He has places to go and things to locate. He can't just sit in the house he's picked. Equal work. Equal shares. It's his turn to get what he needs. He shifts a bundle of some items from the house he means to barter with to review the map he's been drawn.

The ink runs in the rain and he frowns a little, trying to make it out. Where was the general store again?


2- All truths wait in all things
There is a deep feeling of dread when he sees it. His full name upon the letter. He almost wants to make a crack about the poor penmanship as he skims the letter. He had been waiting for this, he supposes. For the start.

He looks from one vial to the next. The colors all stand out to him and he considers each in turn. He avoids the green. He's already caused enough pain. He considers the purple. For all he has done, isn't it right that he is to suffer as they did. But Goodnight has always made it quick. A single shot from far away. No pain. Just sudden nothingness.

Instead, he finally chooses. It's an easy choice really, for a man who has made his lifetime up of one untruth after the next. He picks up the vial and sort of murmurs. "I didn't lie! I just created fiction with my mouth." Because a quote from Homer is always appropriate. Then he drinks.

A single day of nothing but the truth. He's certain he can handle it. "That wasn't so bad. Drunk worse things."

2

[mysteriumtremendum]

"That wasn't so bad. Drunk worse things."

"Have you?" comes a mild-mannered inquiry from just behind him. "Tell me about them." Atticus makes a vague gesture with one hand and smiles thinly. "Ostensibly you must be truthful in your descriptions now. I'm curious."

Judging by the looks of him--urbane, polished, not remotely remorseful--he hasn't imbibed any of the available vials yet.

2 (ohhh sorry goodnight)

[quinientos]

"I bet you have," is Vasquez's reply with a smirk on his lips, seeing as while he enjoys poking and prodding until he gets a reaction, he should also maybe consider that he's going to get himself killed (or at least suitably injured) one day for saying the wrong thing, but how can he resist when Goodnight is setting him up so easily?

Of course, can a dead man truly hurt you? Can you be hurt if you're a dead man now, too? These are all questions that he has no answers to, but as he peruses the table, he thinks that he's going to need something much stronger. "They didn't put out the tequila, did they? Very poor hosts."

1

[stealyoursoul]

Out of all the people who have arrived in the town, there's one who seems to have some peculiar priorities. He doesn't seem to be seeking out any food or water. Instead, he's looking for something in particular as he glances in the windows of the shops. He breaks into one that has some musical instruments.

He's got a guitar case he's slung over his shoulder as he comes out of one of the shot and looks rather pleased with his find. He needs an instrument or two in order to be able to produce his song. When he looks at Goodnight, finding the man's clothes curious, he sees the mark of a sinner, his shadow writhing up behind him instead of staying put on the ground where it should be.

"I assume you're a new arrival as well?" Leo asks. Sunai have a curious ability that is entirely passive in nature: people tend to be unnaturally honest around them, telling things they normally wouldn't divulge to other people.

2, but later

[thereneverwas]

It's several hours after the fact, and Rufus nearly bumps into Goody as he stumbles back toward the tent, holding a whiskey bottle and clearly a bit out of sorts. He smiles, however, a bitter, tired smirk that also manages to be a bit apologetic.
"Sorry 'bout that," he admits, "I'm too drunk to see properly." At least he's being honest. ...perhaps a bit too honest.

[thereneverwas]

i. the town square

It's some hours after most have come to the tent that Rufus shambles over, looking a bit dazed, a bit of blood still crusted on his head from where he suffered a significant blow for... undisclosed reasons. But he's got an easy smile for everyone who looks at him (excluding one), and after taking several tries to read what the note says (it's possible he has a concussion), he fumbles his way to the blue serum and tosses it back. Why not? It's not like he can dig himself any deeper.

or can he


ii. afterward

The walk back home is a bit much for one whose head hurts the way Rufus' does, so he parks himself in the town square and holds court there with anyone looking for a chat or a friendly face. There's a good chance he'll overshare, but it's part of the package here, and it's not like anyone's in excruciating pain. Right? Right.

i

[mysteriumtremendum]

"How's the head?"

Atticus obviously doesn't appear at Rufus' side like some demonic nightmare phantom, but he sure does take some pleasure in showing up with little warning where he isn't wanted. By the looks of him, he hasn't imbibed any of the vials yet; the rules of Penance apparently apply to other people.

(Doubtless, he'll face the consequences of these choices later. He almost anticipates them.)

ii cw: lung trauma??

[nothingtoknives]

There's excruciating pain blooming across Billy's chest with every breath, the sick feeling of choking on blood and not actually enough to drown him. Honestly, to any outsider, it might look like he has consumption with how he hides his bleeding breast behind the black of his clothes.

All the same, there's a man holding court in the tent, a decent enough distraction while he gears himself up for hauling the canned goods and jugs of water back home.

That's what he'd come here for in the first place, after all, not drinking some red swill that would leave him with some wound that appeared out of nowhere.

Just don't ask about the plethora of knives and at least one pistol around his waist, Rufus. He isn't in the mood for explaining.

ii

[preciousbrat]

Eren was about to leave the tent. In his opinion there was no need to stay here any longer. An old-looking bag was hanging from his shoulder, filled with some canned goods and bottles of water. The purple vial was still in his left jacket pocket. While he had stuffed the cans into his bag he was thinking when he should drink it.

Part of him wasn't sure if once he would be at home he would try to ignore it. He had reached the exit of the tent when suddenly he decided that he didn't wanted to return home so soon. When he would reach his lodging, he would be wet to the bones.
Lost in his thoughts Eren went to one of the benches, not paying much attention of the ones already sitting there. A deep sign came over his lips.



Should I? he asked himself, while looking around to see if there was someone who could possibly be of help, since he wasn't sure whose pain he would feel. He tapped on the shoulder of the man, who was sitting next to him. "Please don't be scared if you might hear pain expressions. The vials you know ..."

He stopped with his excuse but because he got the impression that it was needless but then he knew that he would be scared if someone, who was sitting next to him would suddenly cry out in pain.

[quinientos]

i. annie, get your things

Even if Vasquez is dead (which he's still coming to grips with, because he feels plenty alive, so if this is the afterlife, then he has to wonder what the difference is), there are things that he has to pay attention to. He's still hungry, still gets cold, and he doesn't exactly want to spend the time in the rain getting sick. After a good investigation of the town that's called Penance, he ends up at the tent to find himself the supplies he needs.

No matter what's happened to him, he still knows that he needs to take care of himself. That means getting the necessary things. Grabbing water, food, and wrapping them all in a blanket, he might be taking more than his share, but he also doesn't want to have to come back for this if he doesn't have to.

It's that thought that has him reaching for a second blanket, but he's not the only one. Eyes narrowed, he wonders if in Penance, they have rules about standing your own ground and whether that's also a sin. Maybe it's about time to find out. "Are you taking this?"

ii. where the scars don't heal (red)

He'd been into town to find himself a drink. Finding no recognizable tequila and a table filled with liquids of colours he didn't want to begin to think about, he'd picked red (his favourite) and drank it back in one quick go without paying attention to any labels or words. It did nothing like tequila should, didn't numb any of his senses or make him feel better. Soon, it's very obvious that something is very wrong.

Grimacing, he looks to his shirt to find that the stain in his shirt isn't just an echo of an old injury, but the blooming fresh blood of a new one. "Que mierda," he hisses as he stares at it with worry, yanking away his collar to look at a newly opened wound, like he's been shot with the Gatling gun again, in the exact same place.

Maybe he can begin to understand needing to pay for his crimes, but this is no crime. This is one of the few things in his life that he's done for the right reasons. Clapping a hand over it, he makes it to a nearby seat and ends up half-slumped as he tries to stop it.

"Don't just stare," he snaps at the next person he sees. "Help me wrap this," he insists, tugging his neckerchief loose with a single hand so he can start to treat it.

[stealyoursoul]

Leo's under the tent, mostly dried out from the rain. Curiously, he doesn't seem to be taking many supplies, just a blanket or two, which he isn't even using despite the cold. He's already taken a potion, the purple one, and is in immense pain right now.

Apparently, he's not the only one, judging by Vasquez slumping in the chair nearby. Leo's staring at him with a decidedly hungry look on his face. Don't worry, he won't feast on anyone just yet. It's just so tempting with all the little sinners running around. When he's asked for his help, he jumps to action.

Leo picks up one of the blankets, tearing a long strip from it even as his arm feels like it's been broken. He folds it up and starts putting pressure on the injury with an air that suggests he's done this many times before. Henry Flynn, the man who had taken him in and that Leo considered family, had been a surgeon before the city had been split, and unfortunately still had many occasions to use his skills. Leo had helped him many times, so he knew some basic things to do for gunshot wounds. "It could be worse."

[stealyoursoul]

I. There's a reckonin' a-comin'

Rather than looking for a house right off the bat, Leo seems to have some odd priorities. He's glancing into the shops that line the main street, peering through the windows like he's looking for something specific. Whatever it is, he's not finding it, so he keeps going from shop to shop.

Then he finds what he's looking for when he peers into one of the abandoned shops. "Aha!" He says happily He tries the door handle, but it seems to be locked at first. Leo seems to just give it a hard shove to get it to open, but anyone who actually looks at the door will realize he's broken the lock with inhuman strength.

If there's anyone curious who follows him into the shop, they'll find him looking over several instruments. He stashes a harmonica into his pocket and then looks around more closely. He takes a guitar down from one of the shelves, tuning the instrument with an ease that says he clearly knows how to play the instrument.

II. And it burns beyond the grave

Rain. Oh joy. As if this place wasn't fun enough already. Leo doesn't bother to get out of the rain, instead heading where it looks like everyone else is towards the town square.

There's something unusual about him though. Anywhere rain hits his skin, it starts to evaporate with a small hiss into steam instead of just rolling down his skin. As a Sunai monster, Leo's temperature runs quite a bit higher than a normal human's. As he gets under the tent, it becomes even more apparent, more steam rising up from him as he flicks the few bits of rain still stubbornly clinging to him off.

He also curiously passes on any of the food and water. Good thing for everyone present he's not feeling all that peckish yet. This place is a veritable buffet for a Sunai monster.

Instead, he examines the letter with his name on it, and then looks over the vials. He dismisses blue right away. He already can't lie, so there won't be any effect. He likewise decides not to go for pink, for he has no desire to learn the thoughts of those around him. Still, that might come in handy down the line, so he pockets one of them.

He examines the three of them. Pain is something he's intimately familiar with, though more in doling it out than receiving it. He finally decides on purple. He drinks it down and immediately it feels like someone's broken several of his bones, something that should be impossible to happen for a Sunai, but all too familiar to those he's tortured before.

Leo leans up against one of the nearby tables. He's muttering to himself. "Bad idea. Very bad idea."

1. 'Cause my soul has lost it's way

[nothingtoknives]

It's the sound of music that catches his attention. The gentle strum of a tuned guitar, snaring him from the street. He swears he can almost hear the hum that would accompany it, an old lullaby accompanied by the notes of a piano.

He pushes through the door, his guard down because he's expecting someone else.

"Goody-"
Goodnight's nowhere to be seen, even if the melody clings to the air like cobwebs, fading with the softest breeze and the gentle strum of guitar strings at the hand of another man.

"... Thought you were someone else." His hand is on his knife now, wary, face a mask of stone.