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

[mysteriumtremendum]

"...Though you did just tell me something about yourself."

His lips quirk wryly. Touché.

He takes a satisfying pull from the glass, sets it down, and then replaces his hands in the pockets of the suit jacket he's evidently confiscated from one of the nearby houses. "I never particularly enjoyed murder." The words come out of him with ease, though it's possible that this is simply the first time in his... life? afterlife? that he's been able to speak so candidly of the crimes he committed in pursuit of his passions. He tips his head as if conceding some necessary point. "I'd kill a man if he became an obstacle, but never for pleasure."

(Out of spite, however, that's a different question altogether.)

"I'm Atticus." He turns his eyes back to Goodnight's and watches his face. "Who are you?"

[intheashes]

Goody's frown deepens. He shifts awkwardly. He still tries to breathe, in through the nose, out through his mouth. He hopes it'll calm him. He doesn't enjoy talk of murder. He doesn't like to think of the killing. He grits his teeth so hard that his jaw hurts. "I would think there are better ways to overcome such obstacles." He's been robbed of his best method for the time being though.

"Atticus." He repeats, to anchor the name in his mind. And because he's polite and can't shake that lesson that high society taught him long long ago, he shifts his glass to his other hand to that he can extend his towards the man for a handshake. "Goodnight."

[mysteriumtremendum]

"I would think there are better ways to overcome such obstacles."

Conceding his point with a slight nod of his head, Atticus averts his eyes as though contemplating some semantic point, rather than the pros and cons of taking life in order to achieve one's goals. "Mm," is his noncommittal response, before he meets Goody's eyes again. "Sometimes there aren't."

Whatever else may be apparent about Atticus, it probably goes without saying that the rules and code of conduct he operates by are markedly different from his present company's.

Yet he, too, is a gentleman of some calibre, and so when a hand is offered to him, he accepts it, shakes it with a genteel firmness that speaks to a life of wealth and privilege, prior to his arrival here. His eyebrows shift questioningly at that.. name? "Interesting," he responds, smiling thinly. "Is that your given name, or some moniker you acquired over time?"

[intheashes]

He hates it the most that this man is right. Sometimes, there really was no other options. It doesn't mean he likes it. It doesn't mean he can do it. And it doesn't mean that after, he won't fall apart under the strain of what he's gone and done again.

He actually laughs a little at the question about his name. It's a little refreshing in a way, for that to be the reaction. Not fear. Not respect and hero worship, nothing but the amusement of his name. It is a rather unique one. "Unfortunately, yes. Named for my Granddaddy." He almost mockingly points to himself. "Goodnight Éleuthère Saint-L'Roy Robicheaux." Indeed a mouthful and why he prefers what Sam calls him. What Billy calls him. No one else gets that honor though. "Just Goodnight is fine and fitting I suppose, with how many I've ushered to final sleep." And god he needs a drink. Now. Right now. He'll dip into his vest for a flask. Being honest with himself, he can't even feel shame right now for relying on this. "I don't suppose Atticus is a family name."