SWP #13: The Vanishing Mists
Today, September 6th, at approximately three minutes past noon, something happened: radiating out from the fountain in Salem Square was a mist—one that did not obscure what it touched, but vanished it completely. With the Irvingly Harvest Festival in full swing, the small village square was bustling, leading to chaos.
Timeline & Impacts
Please note that this thread will be bumped as new information becomes available.
What happens today?
Who's involved today?
What happens today?
Who's involved today?
What happens today?
Who's involved today?
What happens today?
Who's involved today?
What happens today?
Who's involved today?
Friday, 12th September
What happens today?
- This morning, a team installed an impermiable, magical barrier around the village of Irvingly. This barrier is similar to the Headmaster's Barrier at Hogwarts, and no creatures or enchantments of any sort can pass through it. It cannot be removed or circumvented by any characters.
- The Ministry is now running only a skeleton crew at the Irvingly site. They have acknowledged they intend to resume studies and experiments early in October.
- Both of the above were publicized in a Prophet article today. I did not write this article because I am burnt out at work.
- The Ministry of Magic has created a temporary encampment (glamping village!) for those displaced with no second property to go to. This is located just outside of the Hogsmeade wards; muggles will feel perpetually uneasy, but can stay there as well. Threads for this encampment can go in the hogsmeade town forum
- Healers have acknowledged there is nothing to be done at this stage. Patients with mist-realated injuries have been dischaged, and have been told they'll be owled if there is further news.
Who's involved today?
- Irvingly residents who have been displaced.
- The Ministry now maintains only a skeleton crew at the perimeter, mostly to ensure the barrier doesn't fail. This crew is made up of, at any given time, an auror, a mediwitch or mediwizard, and a couple of Accidents & Catastrophes employees. If you see an Unspeakable walking the perimeter, no you didn't.
- This news is now wide-spread; any characters would reasonably know about it and be able to discuss it.
- Hogwarts house matrons to deal with panicking children as needed.
Wednesday, 10th September
What happens today?
- The Ministry has observed further spreading of the mist. The entire village is now gone.
- Irvingly remains on lockdown: no one in or out, not even Ministry employees.
- The Ministry of Magic has created a temporary encampment (glamping village!) for those displaced with no second property to go to. This is located just outside of the Hogsmeade wards; muggles will feel perpetually uneasy, but can stay there as well. Threads for this encampment can go in the hogsmeade town forum
- Healers have acknowledged there is nothing to be done at this stage. Patients with mist-realated injuries have been dischaged, and have been told they'll be owled if there is further news.
Who's involved today?
- Irvingly residents who have been displaced.
- The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes is maintaining the perimeter around the village. Aurors in training have been deployed to help with crowd control, if needed.
- Other senior Ministry officials are currently developing a Plan.
- This news is now wide-spread; any characters would reasonably know about it and be able to discuss it.
- Hogwarts house matrons to deal with panicking children as needed.
Tuesday, 9th September
What happens today?
- The Ministry has observed a spreading of the mist. It has now taken all of Salem Square, most of Swallowbury, and about half of Dovecote.
- Irvingly remains on lockdown: no one in or out, not even Ministry employees.
- The Ministry of Magic has created a temporary encampment (glamping village!) for those displaced with no second property to go to. This is located just outside of the Hogsmeade wards; muggles will feel perpetually uneasy, but can stay there as well. Threads for this encampment can go in the hogsmeade town forum
Who's involved today?
- Irvingly residents who have been displaced.
- The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes is maintaining the perimeter around the village. Aurors in training have been deployed to help with crowd control, if needed.
- Other senior Ministry officials are currently developing a Plan.
- Spell damage and artefact incident healers at Hogsmeade Hospital who are still trying, unsuccessfully, to deal with the related patients.
- With this in the Prophet now, character elsewhere may have begun to talk.
- Hogwarts house matrons to deal with panicking children as needed.
Sunday, 7th September
What happens today?
- OOC: An organizational spreadsheet has dropped! See today's announcement for more information.
- Daily Prophet Article
- Irvingly remains on lockdown: no one in or out, not even Ministry employees.
- The Ministry of Magic has created a temporary encampment (glamping village!) for those displaced with no second property to go to. This is located just outside of the Hogsmeade wards; muggles will feel perpetually uneasy, but can stay there as well. Threads for this encampment can go in the hogsmeade town forum
- At dinner, Phineas Black will make an annoucement to the Hogwarts body, but individuals may already know some/all of what's happening if they received mail from loved ones or read the paper.
Who's involved today?
- Irvingly residents who have been displaced.
- Happy Weekend: the Minister of Magic has gathered together all department heads (assistant heads if the head is missing, fired, etc.) and Wizengamot members to develop A Plan for this disaster.
- The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes is maintaining the perimeter around the village. Aurors in training have been deployed to help with crowd control, if needed.
- Spell damage and artefact incident healers at Hogsmeade Hospital who are still trying, unsuccessfully, to deal with the related patients.
- With this in the Prophet now, character elsewhere may have begun to talk.
- Hogwarts house matrons to deal with panicking children as needed.
Saturday, 6th September
What happens today?
- The mist spreads throughout Salem Square.
- Characters in the immediate area are vanished with no opportunity to escape.
- Characters 20+ yards away may see the mist, and try to flee the area, with varying degrees of success. The mist only vanishes the parts that it touches—it could get your braid, for example, without impacting the rest of you.
- Within a quarter of an hour, all of Salem Square, including the buildings that make it up and their contents, is simply a void of mist.
- Within an hour, the Ministry of Magic has arrived and begun banging on residential doors: Irvingly residents are to get out now. Those with nowhere to go easily, particularly muggle households, flee into Hawthorne Hollow. (Optional Thread | And Another)
- By sundown, the Ministry has set up a perimeter around Irvingly, but the mist does not seem to have spread beyond Salem Square.
Who's involved today?
- Anyone in Salem Square around noon will have been immediately involved to a degree determined by their player.
- By the end of the day, all Irvingly residents (unless they weirdly refuse to go?) will be displaced.
- Whatever DMLE employees could be rallied at short notice were sent to deliver notice to evacuate.
- The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes is maintaining the perimeter around the village overnight.
- All healers at Hogsmeade Hospital—particularly those trained in spell damage or artefact incidents—may be needed to treat those only partially vanished, but they will swiftly find there is nothing they can do at this time. Potential patients will be brought there as the nearest medical establishment.
Member Participation
With the exception of Irvingly residents, this plot is designed to be relatively easy to opt out of. If you want to participate, however, you can earn this lovely stamp by racking up 5 points:
Wait, points? Because there are so many different ways to engage, and varying levels at which you can do so, this particular stamp will be earned based on a point system. This list is not exhaustive—more opportunities will be added as the plot advances! For now, you can earn points in the following ways. Please note—they do NOT stack!
- 4 Points: Complete three threads with the same account directly related to the event. This could be set during the mists, depict your character dealing with displacement, or be related to future "clean-up" efforts. All threads must be 10+ posts, with 3+ being your own.
- 2 Points: Participate in a staff-led thread directly related to the event, making at least three posts.
- 2 Points: Sacrifice one of your played characters to the mist—either in part or in whole. This must be supported with a thread, either a read-only (500+ words) or with another player (10+ posts, 3+ being your own).
- 2 Points: Complete three threads with any accounts referencing the events. All threads must be 10+ posts, with 3+ being your own.
- 1 Point: Participate (3+ posts in any one thread) in a staff-posted IC event for the SWP.
- 1 Point: Sacrifice one or more members of your NPC immediate family via the Prophet's "List of the Vanished"
Instead, please contact Ursula Black, Aldous Crouch, Cassius Lestrange, Elias Grimstone or Faustus Prewett with any questions, issues, or concerns.
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