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

[petcromancer]

[Honestly, it's only Hector's instinctual prey-animal paranoia that has him bringing his hammer with him when he leaves the city. It's a forgemaster's hammer, at least, but still not the most efficient weapon... as he's been told every time another Mirrorbound has seen it. (He has yet to find an enemy that isn't at least inconvenienced by a hammer strike to the skull, though, so he keeps it by his side.)]

It's going to have to do. It's all I brought. I never have Belmont's axe at hand when I need it.

[He hasn't connected the dots between this dragon and Trevor's other bonded yet. If he knew, he'd... well, he wouldn't do any differently, but he'd hope the dragon makes it through the fight.]

If this was inevitable, you'd think they'd have had better fucking security.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Belmont...As much as he wants to leave that alone until later, he can't. ]

Hm...You know Trevor, then?

[ Not the time to be talking about who knows who and why. With that foolish urge out of the way, he turns his attention back to the impending threat. ]

They fooled themselves into thinking they were safe...Until that woman's dead body is hung in the center of town, their problems will never stop.

[ Too close. They're too close now and so he acts. Berserker leaps onto one closest to him, tearing out their throat with his bare hands. ]

[petcromancer]

Yes, I do.

[No time to get into the finer details, though. The enemies are drawing nearer.]

She's got necromancers. Dead isn't enough. Decapitation or cremation is what you'll need.

[And fuck, it feels weird to be on this side of the conversation. He'd almost rather fight than have to deal with the self-reflection that this is the situation he had put the people of Wallachia in.

Luckily, the Witch's horde closes in, and Hector shuts up and starts swinging his hammer.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ No time for a personal crisis today, Hector.

Berserker feels...underarmed for this and makes a dash for wrought iron fence. With very little effort, he wrenches one of the sharp vertical pieces out of place, breaking away the connecting pieces with his bare hands. It's not his spear, but it'll do.

He turns and kicks off the fence, launching himself at the nearest enemy. The spear goes through its skull, only to be yanked free again. Berserker then, without hesitation nor emotion, simply tears its head off, tossing it aside. ]

I can manage decapitation... [ There's a real problem of numbers. If there's undead mixed in with the crowd, his poison may not work against them. ] But there's no telling how long we'll last...You're not willing to flee, are you?

[petcromancer]

[The dragon is good at killing, even with his improvised weapon. Hector's glad they're on the same side, because the faun wouldn't last very long otherwise.

He swings his blacksmith's hammer at a head, and when the body crumples, he follows it down with a second swing to make sure it wouldn't get up again. Hector's no warrior, but at least he's experienced with death and what it takes to get there. Squeamish necromancers rarely make it far in their field.

For every enemy they kill, though, another seems to pop up to take their place. Hector wants to flee. Every instinct within him scream at him to run.

But there are sleeping bodies behind him. Innocent monsters. Children. He dragged them there, and he can't just leave them now. Trevor would fight to the death to protect them. Everett would treasure every life. Hector doesn't deserve either of his bonded, but he's trying to be a man they can be proud of.]

...no. It's illogical, but I can't leave.

[Hector, Forgemaster General of Dracula's Army, has finally grown a conscience and the fucking thing is going to get him killed.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Killing efficiently is something he excels at. It's a little disturbing how easily he kills, severing heads clean off as if it were paperwork at a desk job.

He pauses for a moment to look back at Hector. ]

...What's your connection to Trevor?

[ It matters now. Berserker was still not good at empathy nor caring about the consequences of his actions. Anyone important to those he actually cared about were to be protected as if they were his own. ]

I'm bonded to him.

[ Hell of a time to be having this conversation. ]

[petcromancer]

[Hector should probably be afraid to be so close to a killing machine, but he's always had a weird reaction to monsters. He doesn't fear them like he should. If anything, he's a little disappointed at the waste. The little part of him that still mourns the loss of his forging powers hates seeing bodies dismembered like this. So much harder (but not impossible) to reanimate a body without the head.

It's really not the best time for this talk, but what the fuck. They'll probably both be dead soon anyways.]

Ah, you're that dragon.

[Ciaran, or something like that, he's heard Trevor refer to him. He didn't go out of his way to meet him, probably because Hector knew Trevor's other other bond, and Alucard hates Hector. It seemed simpler to keep separate.]

I'm Hector, I bonded with him too. We could use him and his fucking whip right about now.

[The people of this city could use a real protector. But in the absence of one, they are getting a sheep with a hammer and a dragon with a fence post. Seems about right for how shit normally goes for people in Hector's experience.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Another bond, one he doesn't know about. That doesn't bother him at all -- Trevor has his own life and his own relationships. Hector is now in the small but ever growing pool of people Berserker will risk his own safety to ensure theirs. ]

It would be nice to fight alongside him... [ Nevermind that. His gaze is intense and pointed as he makes a sudden vow. ] I will protect you as long as I can, I promise you that.

[ For all that meant to Hector. For as broken of a person as he is, his loyalty is something that should never be questioned. So much had been stripped away from him due to the nature of his very existence that it's a wonder anything of who he truly is was left behind.

He continues to kill as many of the raised dead and the living alike as he can. Even as they start to swarm him, he only focuses on the task at hand. Wounds laid upon him go ignored, doing nothing to slow him. ]

[petcromancer]

[WELL, this got really intense really fast. Hector's not sure if it's a dragon thing or just the ones he's met. Not that Hector's not grateful, he just... wasn't expecting Trevor's other bond to give a fuck about what happened to him.]

I'll try not to die.

[Which is the truth. He's not trying to take risks in this fight. They just need to make it known that coming down this particular street for these particular Dorchachtans isn't worth the cost for the invaders. The witch's army is prepared for this fight, but they aren't endless.

They seem to take the Berserker as a challenge, though, and start trying to flank him. Fuck. If the dragon drops, they're going to turn to Hector next. And after that, all the people Hector's trying to protect.]

Fuck, fuck, FUCK.

[If he were still a necromancer, he could just raise the dragon back up to keep fighting after death. But now, Hector's a monster himself and he needs this dragon alive.

He leaves his doorway, with its little pile of bodies with smashed skulls forming a sad knee-high barricade, and works his way to Berserker. Back to back, as close as he dares to get. There can't be many more enemies, right? If they can just get through this wave, maybe the can figure out some other plan. Hector can only deal with one enemy at a time, but at least if he stands here, he can keep the swarm from completely encircling the dragon.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ It does help. It breaks up the line enough to give Berserker some breathing room. The horde thins down to just a few stragglers, nothing they can't handle. An eerie silence falls as the dragon cuts down the last one. ]

...We don't have much time. [ He doesn't want to say he can't handle another wave like that, but without his weapon of choice, it's unlikely he can. ] Think of something and don't worry about me.

[ It's also unlikely they'll send another wave at them with how quickly the last one was dispatched. The lives they might take of the sleeping citizens behind the door probably isn't enough incentive for them. Even so, Berserker shows no sign of lowering his guard. ]

[petcromancer]

[Berserker cuts them out a window of opportunity with his impromptu weapon, and Hector's eyes dart around, trying to figure out how to get them out of this.

What do they have? Plenty of blood and gore, a broken door, discarded weapons....]

They aren't expecting much resistance, and they won't need to look closely at areas they've already cleared.

[Hector isn't squeamish. Necromancers can't afford to be. He grabs one of the severed heads of Berserker's victims and begins to shake it around over the sleeping bodies in the house. Some well-placed blood and gore, some strategic arranging of the bodies, and Hector's hoping it will look like the people inside have already been dispatched.

He stages the scene quickly, then comes back out, blood spattered all over his snow-white wool.]

If we're not here to draw their focus, I don't think they'll look too closely at the 'dead'.

[It's a risk, but it's the best he can do without staying here and getting both him and Trevor's bonded killed.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ A risk, but it's their best bet right now. With the bloodbath of the battle outside and their bloodied bodies, the sleeping survivors are unlikely to be found. The stench of death is too strong for there to be anyone among the living here.

Berserker gives a nod. ]

Let's go, then...I don't know where we can escape to right now. If we head away from where they attacked us from, it might be safer.

[ Or they could just walk into another fight. Either option is equally likely right now. ]

[petcromancer]

[Hector gives the bloodied citizens one last look, then turns to Berserker.]

Alright. We'll do that. If they're moving logically, they won't be doubling back on areas they've already cleared.

[Which is relying on a big 'if', because people rarely act logically. But they're more screwed if they stay here, so Hector's taking a gamble.]

Are you ok to keep moving? I'm no healer, but I could try to bandage the worst of it.

[curruid_coinchenn]

I'm fine. This is nothing.

[ He's not exactly good about tending to his own wounds, nevermind letting someone else do it for him. It's also hard to tell if the blood on him is his own or those he killed. Most of the injuries he has are superficial, at least. ]

Worry about yourself first.

[ There's a finality to that statement as he turns his back to Hector, heading away from the fight. It feels ... wrong, in a way, not to pursue the fighting. That's what he's used to doing -- kill and kill and kill until there's no one left to oppose him. He has another mission right now, though, and that's to ensure the faun stays safe. ]

[petcromancer]

If you say so.

[Worrying about his own safety first is nothing new to Hector, though he's trying to be better. Still, there's a line between compassion and martyrdom he's not willing to cross.]

If we can get to the New Coven house, we can use the teleporter to get home.

[Or Hector can, no telling if Berserker will follow or not.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

You can. I'll escort you there, but I'm staying behind.

[ He's sure Hector won't really care or protest that point, but the way he says it makes it clear there's no room for such things just in case. ]

There's still work to be done...

[petcromancer]

[Well, fuck. Hector nods, but it's really not ideal. He'll take the escort and get the hell out of here, because at least one of them needs to get back to their vampire.]

Try not to let it kill you. Trevor sulks enough as it is.

[He tightens his grip on his forge hammer, weighing it in his hands before holding it up.]

Dunno what you're used to fighting with, but I can leave you this if you can use it.

[curruid_coinchenn]

There's not nearly enough of them to kill me.

[ It doesn't sound like a boast, rather a statement of fact. As for the other offer...Berserker considers it for a moment before taking the hammer from Hector. It's sturdier than the makeshift spear he made himself, at the very least. ]

I'll return it to you when I return to the city. Collateral to ensure I come back alive.

[ There's the barest hint of amusement in his tone -- his idea of a joke. ]

[petcromancer]

Let's hope that's true.

[Because Hector doesn't look convinced. Murdering someone is about quality, not quantity of assassins.

But Hector doesn't have the time or persuasion skills to talk Berserker out of his probable suicide mission. So all he can do is keep his fingers crossed.]

I'll be expecting you back soon. If there aren't that many, it shouldn't take you long to defeat them.

[curruid_coinchenn]

It will be over soon enough, you're right.

[ Berserker, now slightly better armed, turns his back, only offering a glance over his shoulder to Hector. ]

If you see Trevor before I do, give him my regards.

[ His idea of a joke delivered in his apathetic tone. That said, he turns away and starts to walk off. His job is never done... ]