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

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.

[mysteriumtremendum]

Atticus' words could indeed have a psychological impact on Eren. Perhaps not the one that he's hoping for, but beggars surely can't be choosers in Penance.

He turns to look at the unassuming young man who has approached him, considering him inscrutably a moment. He is surely more than he appears to be; otherwise, why would he be here?

"Why decide at all?" he replies. The vials laid out before him remain untouched.

[preciousbrat]

Eren crooked his head, letting out a little laugh "Sure, our host didn't said that you have to choose. So you, want to find out what will happen if you simply do nothing?"

Maybe the 'grudge', the host is talking about is nothing but a joke. It's tempting to play with this fire. He didn't spoke out this thoughts, mostly because he assumed that maybe their host was among the people in the tent or was somehow spying on them.

He wrapped his left hand around the vial, feeling the glass pressing against his skin. He could probably break it, if he would use enough force. But then, this would probably be pointless since he had the strange feeling that these vials couldn't be destroyed. You could either look at them or open them to drink their content.

The next thought he was having, was a reminder that he had manners "Since it's not overly friendly to talk to someone without knowing their name ... I'm Eren." Life had made him cautious, therefore he decided that for now he wasn't revealing his surname. His name was already odd enough. He looked nothing like someone who had a Turkish name and yet he was bearing this name. Still he was unsure if fate was responsible for that or not.

[mysteriumtremendum]

"Atticus Vedici," comes the response; Eren's new acquaintance evidently does not share his compunctions about divulging personal details about himself in this place. Atticus holds out a hand to Eren, ostensibly to shake it in greeting.

"So you, want to find out what will happen if you simply do nothing?"

A slight shrug. Atticus looks to the vials again and picks one up--the red one--considering it without making a clear selection. "It's been my experience that gods are always willing to negotiate," he replies. A pause, and he dips his head in concession. "To a point, perhaps. I'm intrigued by the prospect of vexing them, but not committed to the idea."

He holds onto the red vial, does not put it down.

[preciousbrat]

With a decent smile Eren shook Atticus' hand. This gesture seemed to him like something that was common all over the world. Wherever he had come, people always shook their hands when they were introducing themself or greeting someone with a higher rank.

"A name that will stay in one's memory" he remarked.

Eren raised an eyebrow when he heard Atticus talking about Gods. So far he had made the opposite experience. He knew that he had no choice but to accept his fate and the God in his world would have just watched him die at a young age. But for what?

"And what, if they just pretend to accept your offer?" he asked sceptical. "How can you be sure, that they aren't playing after their own rules?"

Between thinking about an idea and actually doing it, there is sometimes a huge difference.

He shot a quick glance at the vial Atticus was holding. The red one, whose color was representing what fate could you await in 24 hours.

[mysteriumtremendum]

"Oh, they will always play by their own rules," Atticus responds, smiling. In an almost conspiratorial tone, he leans nearer to Eren and says, "That's what makes it fun."

He sounds like he means it, too.

[preciousbrat]

A game where it is not certain how it will end ... frigtening.
He asked himself if he would be brave enough for such a game. In the past he had challenged his luck a lot of times, Now and then there had been happenings that had turned out surprisingly to his own favour.

"I don't doubt that it can be fun. All I've learned it, that if you dare to challenge Gods, you're either brave or reckless."