pineslog | ( MINI-EVENT) APRIL SHOWERS BRING...

... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT??

It comes in the night, sweeping over the fence as something caught between a mist and a serene sort of tidal wave. It didn't come unnoticed - sentries posted at various intervals along the fence radioed Ortech at once, but at this hour of night, few of Wayward Pines' residents are awake to see or hear the emergency alert popping up on each of their phones:

WARNING!
APR 27 - Unidentified cloud approaching Wayward Pines!
Initial reports say potentially harmful if inhaled.
Unknown effect if in contact with skin.
STAY INDOORS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!
Turn off AC, keep all doors and windows shut.
Danger expected to pass in 24 - 48 hours.

Hours later, dawn illuminates a wall of what looks like yellow mist encroaching on the western edge of town. The farmlands have been all but swallowed by it, and the forest beyond is impossible to make out through the haze. It sweeps into the town with no measure of chaos, a quiet wall of cloud drifting through the streets at what can't be more than a casual walking pace. Not that anyone should be walking outside right now. Didn't you read the warning?

Those who do step outside - or who open their doors or windows, or who run their air conditioning on a setting that takes in air from outdoors - will find the cloud... oddly dry, for a fog. In fact, it may not be a fog at all. It seems to tickle the inside of your nose, and you have to fight the urge not to sneeze. Those with allergies will most certainly be able to identify it as some sort of pollen, if they manage to get a word out in between sneezes.

But don't let that lure you into a false sense of security. Normal pollen certainly doesn't travel in such a substantial cloud... Nor does it feel so strange to the touch. Those exposed to the pollen will quickly find that any skin it touches seems to take on a sort of tingle, numbing sensory input in favor of something more soft and pleasant. If inhaled, the same sensation spreads throughout much of your body, not unlike the warm buzz of a shot of hard alcohol but without the intoxicating effect. Or perhaps with all of the intoxicating effect - though your head remains clear, it's hard not to simply relax into the feeling of it. Within a couple of hours of the pollen's arrival, a number of townies can be found comfortably asleep in the grass in the park, on a bench outside of the hospital, or in any number of other convenient but unconventional locations. And honestly? That kind of sounds like a good idea. Just laying down, taking a nap in the soft warmth radiating throughout your body. If you do, you'll sleep longer and harder than usual, probably not even waking until a good couple of hours after the fog clears.

Which it does, in the wee hours of the following morning. The sunrise on April 28th dawns over a clear, mostly pollen-free sky, with the last dregs of the cloud funneling out through the narrow river-canyon along the northern cliffs.

Oh, but we aren't out of the woods yet.

Before the pollen has even fully dispersed, a follow-up cloud of large locust-like insects swarm in from the east in its wake. As long as the palm of your hand, these insects fill the streets and even any buildings foolish enough to open their doors, seeking... something. It quickly becomes apparent what exactly they seem to be seeking when they come up on one of the post-pollen sleepers, as if drawn to him or her by scent. A dozen or more of the insects descend upon the napping form, biting into the nearest exposed flesh. Only a few bites can be taken before the napping figure startles awake and flees, screaming, into a nearby building. The insects don't seem to put up chase. They simply resume their search for the next available sleeper.

Which may very well be you. Or perhaps you inhaled the pollen but didn't let it lull you too sleep - don't worry, they're coming for you too. They won't bother you while you're awake and awares, but you have to sleep sometime, and if there's any way into your home while you do so, they'll most certainly find it.

The pollen's effects continue throughout the day, only finally wearing off a full 24 hours after it first made contact with your skin (or 30 - 35 hours after you inhaled it). Once it does, the insects seem to lose interest in you as a potential food source. By dawn of the 29th, all pollen effects have worn off enough for the insects to disperse, following the cloud of pollen out the river-canyon to the north.

MOD NOTES

Welcome to our first mini-event here in The Pines! We meant to use this as a follow-up to one of the expeditions, but none of the expeditions were completed to an event-worthy point quite yet.

The official event dates are: Dawn of the 27th - dawn of the 28th, pollen. Insects arrive at dawn of the 28th, as the pollen disperses. Pollen effects on characters begin to fade by evening of the 28th, with the final pollen effects gone by dawn of the 29th, at which point the insects also leave.

If you'd like to opt out of this mini-event, simply say that your character stayed indoors. If you'd like to opt into the pollen but out of the insects, you're welcome to say that they're unable to access wherever your character is holed up. If you'd like to opt out and neither of these options work for your character, hit the mod team up and we'll help!

There was no OOC write-up for this event, so if you have any questions regarding this event, feel free to ask them on the FAQ or on the modplurk announcing this log!