Event Log: September, The Price of Revolution p1

[faileas]

Event Log: September, The Price of Revolution Part 1

I. The Freedom Festivities Behind the fortress-like walls of Dorchacht, what was once a gloomy, imposing city is lit up for the festivities to come. Septeril brings with it many mixed emotions for the citizens of what used to be called The Black City, though the overwhelming atmosphere is positive - this is a celebration of freedom hard-earned and prosperity hard-fought-for. The triple stars of the Resistance, now the current reigning party, feature heavily in decorations and in clothing: in pins, on hats, golden stars enchanted into fabric to dance merrily across skirts and cloaks. Stars light up the streets in decorative strings hung from lamppost to lamppost, flickering gently over the cobblestones. Mirrors, as well, feature into the decor, tiny round ones hung in multitudes from awnings and in windows like ornaments, catching the light and playing it across the otherwise-utilitarian architecture, lending it a sort of understated beauty. Much of Dorchacht has been rebuilt and repurposed by necessity since the uprising last year, and many new small businesses and restaurants are being featured at the festival - their goods or their foods on display in markets of street-side stalls or on the feast tables. Local handmade wares and crafts are out for sale for modest prices, and every sale helps out both the small business, many of which are started by former slaves, and helps the local economy, which is better these days but still recovering. The festivities go for six days, almost a full week, with feasting and bonfires every evening, and tours and tales of the city by day, as they display the changes for the better they have all made. And then, on the final evening, all are invited to watch a grand fireworks show that will be put on in the skies over Dorchacht, presided over by the Circle of Three themselves. Mirrorbound are welcomed warmly, whether they were present last year or not, and treated much like family - get ready to be pulled into activities and plied with food left and right. a. Join the Fun The children of Dorchacht are out by the dozens during the festivities, excited by all the freely-offered, special sweet treats and the magical sparklers and poppers being handed out by the fistful. The poppers explode when thrown to the ground in bursts of bright colors, completely harmless, and the sparklers are enchanted not to burn little (or big) hands if mishandled. Mirrorbound passing through may find themselves roped into elaborate pretend games of revolution by eager faces: the children name themselves either Resistance members or Mirrorbound, and 'do battle' with their magic fireworks against scarecrow-like constructions cloaked in dark bed sheets as 'the bad guys'. Depending on one's perspective, it may seem dark, but this is what these children have known very recently in their lives, and their caretakers or parents (there are more of the former than the latter, especially for the young Monsters) let them play as they will. If asked, they'll just explain that some of those kids even remember the fighting when it happened; this is just another way that they try to understand how the city has changed. More organized, family-friendly reenactment performances are also common, with several of the orphanage groups putting on small plays about the uprising, or moral plays about kindness and togetherness between Witches and Monsters. This includes a prominent set of performances by the Mirrored Hearts Home for Children - maybe you're helping out with their sets or costumes, or maybe you assisted with their scripts and songs. Those Mirrorbound volunteers will want to see the kids do well, right? They'll be heartbroken if you don't show. Of course, kids aren't the only ones doing reenactments. The newly formed Dorchacht Historical Society, dedicated to protecting Dorchacht's history going forward, puts on several - and may drag in passers-by to play different roles! Only the luckiest are begged to play the role of The Dragon, who valiantly rose up against their cruel former master, Morgana, and helped lead Dorchacht to where they are today. b. Forget-Me-Not While the overall air is celebratory, among the adults who are old enough to understand just what was lost as well as gained, there is an undercurrent of sombre remembrance. Many visit the burned-out Old Coven, left as damaged as it was when the fighting ceased, as a monument to how freedom fighters suffered and fought. Plaques dot the grounds and buildings there seemingly at random, until you realize that each metal plate bearing names is laid where someone died. To decorate these plaques, and homes and businesses as well, there are tables set up in the yard of the New Coven, heavy with a rainbow of small magical flowers called Forget-Me-Nots, and the supplies to make remembrance wreaths. In this new tradition, the flowers are chosen with a dead, missing, or simply absent loved one in mind, and woven together with glass beads, small wooden charms, and a spell written on a slip of paper. The enchanted fragrance of the Forget-Me-Nots allows whoever smells them to witness short, happy memories of the person the wreath was made for - whether they knew that person or not. The memories come from the wreath-maker, and are only short flashes (less than a minute long) or mere impressions, but all are pleasant or warming. With the spell woven in, they'll last for an entire year without wilting or losing their effects, a souvenir from the festival to take home. Mirrorbound are encouraged to join in, and make wreaths of their own, whether or not they lost someone in Dorchacht's uprising. It can be for someone who has disappeared from Geardagas, someone who died long ago, someone living they miss from home, anyone who is not currently with them.

II. The Uninvited Guests On the 25th, the final day of the celebrations, the partying lasts all day. Food and drink are abundant on every corner, upbeat music is played by street performers and over the radios that can be found in nearly every household and shop, and the bonfires have been enchanted to let the flames take fanciful shapes. Drinking games and dancing, storytelling and general partying all last clear into the evening, but once dusk falls, everyone gathers in the center square of the city for the fireworks show. The Three are there - the Witches Bryn and Hilda, and the Monster known as The Dragon, Starlight, or formerly Fafnir - with Nessie and Mhairi as guests of honor, and Hilda is the one to set off the first enchanted fireworks, after a brief speech thanking everyone for coming out to celebrate a year of freedom and independence with them. It's with bursts of colorful light in the night sky behind her that she seems to appear from nowhere: tall, dark and imposing, a sharp-eyed Witch that exudes power. Morgana Drummond is not alone, either, flanked by a dozen rough-worn Witches and a host of others. The chaos that ensues is immediate and violent. "All of this for me?" Drummond sneers. Attacks bounce off her, no matter how powerful - even Nessie's considerable spells. Witches will be able to sense the strong barrier spell close-fit around her body, and the others around her will not let Monsters get close. It's The Dragon who speaks, voice rough from disuse but loud enough: "How dare you return here-" "I built this city in all the ways that matter. I was never going to let you have it. You burned away my Dorchacht, so now I will make sure there is nothing left of yours but ashes." a. To Sleep, Perchance Unreachable, Morgana Drummond's form limns in a sickly violet light, the circle of a spell forming beneath her feet, steadily growing as her power gathers. So much magic gathered in one spot is bound to be felt by all the Mirrorbound, Witch and Monster alike, oppressive in nature as if it could steal the breath from your lungs. Perhaps it truly was a fluke that she was driven from Dorchacht, a happy accident caused by a timely distraction. The spell circle spreads, glowing, until it envelops the entire city, and it pulses once, blinding, before it sears itself across Dorchacht's streets and buildings in burnt lines and symbols. The fireworks continue to pop and burst overhead, casting shadows that seem suddenly sinister. Nothing happens for just a moment - and then all the people of Dorchacht collapse in waves. Next to a stunned Nessie and furious Mhairi, Bryn, Hilda, and the Dragon fall into a heap as well, the final three bodies to hit the ground. Mirrorbound and citizens of Aefenglom do not fall prey to the sleeping spell despite being in its area of effect. It happens in the span of just a few minutes, and then Morgana is gone in the blink of an eye, leaving her people to sow terror on the sleeping city. b. Battle on the Streets While she brought with her only a dozen Witches from her former Coven, she's collected a force in the Wilde. Blank-eyed rogue necromancers, mind controlled the way the Monsters of Dorchacht used to be, storm the streets controlling in turn their dead Monsters and creatures. A few even have with them dead Nuckelavee, which will require multiple fighters to take out. Wilders from Dorchacht gone missing on expeditions in the last year bear the signs of mind control as well - the ones who aren't dead, shambling around the necromancers. Maybe you recognize them, maybe you don't. Maybe you can help them, or maybe you can't. The mind control enchantments can be dispelled with a lot of effort or with the specific spells used often by the Resistance a while ago, for those who still remember it. In the slums of Dorchacht, the people who were convinced of Morgana's return, those who want to return to the days of slavery and terror, break free from the now-sleeping guards and failing wards that kept them contained and join the fighting, manic in their glee. The spell that put the rest of Dorchacht to sleep seems to slip right off them, perhaps sensing their loyalty to terrible causes. It is chaos, as the insurgents set fires and attack at will with magic, claws, weapons, anything they have. Mirrorbound will soon realize that they and the visitors from Aefenglom are not the only targets. The sleeping people of Dorchacht are ripe for the killing, unable to react or defend themselves. The fighting will continue into the night until the invaders are all dead or captured.

III. The Aftermath When the fighting ends, the work begins. An entire city deep in the throes of an enchanted sleep is a worst-case scenario that none of them could have predicted, even those who had a hunch Morgana didn't die out in the unexplored Wilde. Miss Nessie and Mhairi will remain on the scene helping to direct the aid efforts in the aftermath of the battle. Fires must be put out, corpses must be rounded up to be buried or burned, captured attackers must be secured and questioned, sleeping citizens must be whisked from the streets to safety and shelter, and buildings ensured to be safe in the meantime. Aefenglom's Coven are called in to assist, anyone who is available, and Mirrorbound help is more than welcomed. They will need everyone they can get to make sure not all is lost in this tragic attack. Nessie herself will ensure the Three are taken to safety in Aefenglom until the people of Dorchacht can be woken. Action needs to be taken quickly. Morgana needs to be found as soon as possible, and capable hands will be needed to search the Wilde far outside Dorchacht, the most likely place for her to go. More urgently, however, are the sleeping citizens. Nessie announces late the next evening, the normally-bubbly woman gone solemn and serious: "I believe I've found a counter-ritual for the spell that nasty woman used, I have. I will need your help, though, Mirrorbound. Volunteers only, of course, of course, as it's likely to be quite dangerous, though the Dreamers and I will take every precaution we can. Discuss among yourselves, decide if you're willing. Those who are, meet at the Coven at midnight on the 27th. It's not right to just leave them all like that, not right at all..."

Welcome to September's event log, Part 1 of The Price of Revolution! This event will continue in the TDM posted on the 21st, with a foray into purposeful dreamwalking. It will be a hybrid test drive and event that current characters will be allowed to top level on as well. Quests into the Wilde to search for Morgana will currently bear no fruit beyond small clues, but Part 2 in early October will deal with her whereabouts and her final fate. As always, direct your questions about the event HERE! And finally, for those who are wondering what's up with Dorchacht, we have a Setting update for you.

Comments

[clickclickbang]

I turn into a shiba inu-looking dog on the full moon. Of course I'm cute when I'm fluffy, have you ever seen a not cute shiba?!

[song_princess]

[Emerald eyes continue to look up at him with worry and concern shining in them. Those who were inquired was something that she was used to seeing only in her nightmares and not in the flesh. But still, having one of those who have been kind to her helped her focus a bit more.]

I understand, it will help make you safe while I tend to you.

[At his question, she goes to blush just a little and nods.]

I am still learning how to move but, I can fly to where we need to go. This transformation, it did not take my wings away.

[beariot]

No, just... shameful.

[ And even that didn't feel like the right word, but she didn't really have the time or energy to fully flesh out the feelings in the matter. ]

[crowsfeat]

This isn't to repair the carapace. It's for the pain. But I'll keep it, if you truly have no want of it.

[ She'd been doing her studies. Particularly on fae anatomy. Mostly so she could do just this, help Mikasa if she was ever wounded and in need. It didn't come up, often, but there was a very strong reason Eileen kept medical tools on her person...

Reliance on the Blood was its own death sentence. ]

We take her head.

[yesdoubt]

[After warming his arms up a bit, Momo looks ready enough to head out again, but when she suggests moving back to the lines, he tilts his head a bit, looking concerned.]

Friendly lines are safer, sure, but don't the sleeping people further out from there need protecting too? They're being pretty opportunistic.

[And sleeping targets are decidedly easier to kill than the fighting back Mirrorbound and Coven. It's at least obvious his questioning comes out of worry for the people of Dorchacht more than anything, though.]

[usurpers]

They should. While they have the time to.

[ he too, has also lived this cycle . . . and he knew where it would end, such was humanity. unless, of course, this place ends up surprising him more. ]

Someone’s freedom is always going to be someone else’s prison.

[ it was historically only a matter of time; or, a battle between the strongest for survival. ]

[getting_better]

[ He gives a quiet acknowledging nod while his eyes never leave his targets. An illusion to cover them would be good but the moment it's broken they'll still have to deal with the numerous zombies. It's not a bad idea, but it could be better.

He reaches inside his coat and withdraws his magitech gun then hands it over to Momo. ]

Magitech revolver. There's six shots, think of an element before you squeeze the trigger and it'll fire a compressed spell that can either explode on contact or half a second or more after. [ The second one is his favorite cause it makes bad guys suffer more. Do you know how painful it is to have a bullet made of compressed flame lodged in your arm only to have it explode a second later? ] Focus your magic into your palms to reload. It's two seconds for me because I know the shape of the bullet but you don't have to worry about that if we do this right.

[ He takes another look at the street, his left hand pulling his sword to his hip and unlocking the blade. ]

Here's the plan. I'll draw their attention, rush them from the front, keep them on me and away from the people. I'll bait them towards that alley, have them think they got me trapped while you hide yourself with illusion magic and pick them off. Use the gun, it'll be faster that way and the sound of the shot will scare them. After one shot, move to another spot and shoot, repeat. Don't let them see the muzzle flash. Copy?

[weatherscience]

A shiba inu dog?

[ that. that is definitely sparkles in her eyes. ]

Ahhh, how adorable! The next time you change, let me know!! I want to see that...

[clickclickbang]

Assuming there's nothing, y'know, how to kill us I plan on running around the city next full moon.

[stopfen]

I don't think children work that way... [A different set of priorities and all that. And talking people into playing with them... It really depended on how much they wanted to attend the festival didn't it?

A second voice? Nah for a moment, Mikasa just stared with those large dark eyes, teetering on her crutches. How did one be convincing without threats?? The big black eyes worked to her advantage, the lights flickering off of them.] ...Help..?

[CONVINCING!]

[stopfen]

[Even then, a stupid name was better than a murder joke...

The blood did have one odd point. It was watery, it mostly smelled the same and there was red trickling or welting up on the small cuts on her face. Where she'd been grazed on her side. But where the small chips had been taken out of her chitin the blood ran clear, with a hardly noticeable green-tint.]

...ketchup? [Condiments, so adventurous. But she's shaking her head, ignoring that.]

What if they could block him from doing that? [Though, as sad as it was to admit(So she didn't outloud), Emet-selch was more physically capable than her at the moment. But the mention of her vanishing gets a huff.] Yeah... Blame Eren for that. He grabbed me and flew the moment they attacked.

[And ate at least one person in the process. Then he'd put her 'in a safe spot' and gone off the eat more people.]

[unyieldingmarch]

We need to be strategic.

[She says that flatly, though there's a pain in her eye.]

We'll need help if we're to push further. That means more than you and I. If we run into a Nucklavee, we're dead and then we can help nobody. But if we have a group, then we can do more good.

[sonnestark]

[It's easy enough to put two and two together from that response, and she glances back at her own half-finished wreath on the table— while she hasn't experienced anything out of the ordinary just yet, she knows what these are supposed to represent, and the effects they can have on people.

Even happy memories could be upsetting in their own right, depending on the context.]

You remembered something you weren't ready to see.

[That explains it. She smiles gently, shaking her head to dismiss his worries.]

I don't have to worry about it, but you're my friend. It's important to me that you're alright. Maybe we should step outside for a few minutes?

[Get away from the fragrance of the forget-me-nots. It can only help.]

[tothemetal]

Wasn't nothing exciting, just...um, you know. Not like I lost nobody.

[so he hadn't been ready for the longing that had rolled over him, nostalgia painful rather than the harmless melancholy which occasionally gripped him in this world.]

Do you mind? 's supposed to be a fun time 'nd all...even friends don't gotta cut that short if they don't wanna.

[sonnestark]

Not at all.

[It's supposed to be enjoyable, yes, but she leans in just a little as if what she's about to share with him is a secret, not meant to be overheard by anyone else participating in wreath-making.]

To tell you the truth? I was trying to be brave, but I'm not sure I'm ready for what I might see, either. I think outside will be best for both of us— come on, this way.

[She takes him by the arm and starts unceremoniously leading him towards the edge of the yard where the tables and wreath supplies have been set up. A little distance will be a good thing, and he can regain himself without worrying about other people seeing him out of sorts.]

[yesdoubt]

[Given the rather strict laws on guns where he comes from, Momo has only ever handled prop guns before (and even then he usually gets characters who prefer knives), so the revolver getting handed over to him gets rather a blank look initially. He takes it, but it's clear he hasn't got a clue how to actually use a gun in a fight until Bishop explains the magitech aspect.

Which is somewhat reassuring, because he can definitely aim well and pull a trigger, but he does have to quiz one thing Bishop says. The fact that he's clearly being expected to land fatal shots on all of them might be reason to object in another situation, but Momo's previous dealings with necromancers already impressed on him that leaving them alive isn't really an option. He'll deal with that side of his head later.]

If it's loud enough to scare them, is it going to screw up my eardrums at this close range? I've never used a gun before, I don't know what they sound like for real.

[He deals with loud concert environments all the time, but those aren't sudden and he's typically wearing some kind of ear protection.]

[yesdoubt]

[Momo looks like he really doesn't want to hear that, but at the same time, he was part of the original fight with the nuckelavee and he can only imagine the dead ones are even more stubborn about dying a second time. It's enough to make him let out a reluctant breath and nod.]

Fine. Lead the way, I hadn't gone back in that direction until now.

[He didn't even know there'd been lines set up, honestly, he'd just been picking off necromancers as he found them.]

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning has no idea how she does it, but... she follows along anyway, head turned to watch behind her as she follows Edelgard into the fray near the teleporter. Good thing too, because there are two more who come up after her, with enough time for Lightning to channel what she can into her gun, firing bullets charged with magic.

It's about as much as she can do for now.

But then she turns back, standing aside, away from the mess that Edelgard begins to leave behind, and raises the barrel to eye level, aiming with her finger on the trigger, and pulling when she's ready. It knocks one, two, three people to the ground at Edelgard's feet, but there's another Witch who's caught Lightning's attention from the other side of the teleporter, who charges up her own magic.]

Your twelve o'clock.

[Lightning dashes forward, hoping to pincer the Witch and stop her from attacking the teleporter directly.]

[sparkstrikes]

[And Lightning isn't one to pry, so she simply nods her head to that.]

Whatever it is, you're helping. That's what matters.

[She puts an arm around one of the smaller boys, pulling him in close and letting him nestle his head against her side.]

These kids need you, so no room to be ashamed of it right now.

[weatherscience]

Yes, right... let's hope there isn't.

[ despite the slight bummer that's witches trying to kill them, nami grins at prompto. ]

But if you do, come and see me, okay? I promise I'll give you good pets!

[clickclickbang]

[His tail starts wagging at the promise of pets.]

You got it. Who knows, I may even play fetch!

[stopfen]

[She nodded. Tilting her head a little while he did his thing. She'd not seen many people cast. Normally they'd speak or point, she hadn't seen one...poke at their own wrists? But the finger snap made sense enough.

Being a fae, she saw little of the changes. Only seeing the illusion of nails on her chitin covered hand that was still clutching the crutch.]

Yeah. I've done this before. [She's still giving a huff as she fiddle with her crutches. Trying to work out how to not drop them as got her lift. She settled for tucking them under one arm and wrapping the other arm loosely around his shoulders. Wincing as she lifted her bad leg.

She'd leave the good one on the ground for now while he adjusted.

...This was a lot more awkward to the last time she had to do this. It was probably due to her not having enough functioning limbs to carry things but still...He may have been knocked slightly as she tried to keep ahold of her crutches.]

[tothemetal]

[just before Karin can pull back to start guiding him towards an 'exit' or sorts, one of the drummer's massive hands reaches out to gently settle atop her head, tilting it closer until their foreheads bump in a soft, friendly gesture. a silent thank you where his words can't quite connect...and a promise to allow himself to be worried over without protest, just this once.

he moves almost like a docile child once they're upright again, easily guided despite his massive size. it does feel easier to bear that unexpected experience the further they get from the wreaths, enough so that as they begin to drift to a halt he even finds it in himself to speak again.]

This your first time doing something like this?

[unyieldingmarch]

Good. I...know that backing down is hard, but sometimes a retreat to regroup and marshal our forces is the wiser move.

[She starts in that direction, wary and alert, careful about exposing either of them to the larger, open streets and the chaos on those.

Better to stick to the shadows, and then return with reinforcements to smash the enemy.]

[beariot]

[ Chariot sucked in a breath and gave a firm, agreeing nod. It was why she hadn't bothered throwing the glamour back up, after all. Right now, it didn't matter. Life or death, she needed to set aside all of her identity conflicts and just be... who they needed her to be.

She was a teacher. This is what she had to do. ]