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

[al_bhed]

[Rikku holds tightly as they fly up and has no issues following Eileen's roll upon landing. Her natural agility helps significantly with the latter, and it isn't long before she's able to re-orient herself. It isn't long before she sees their opponent. The undead dragon is frightening looking, but hopefully it's not anything the two of them can't handle together.

As Eileen points her pistol, Rikku charges. She makes sure to swing wide to make sure she's out of the line of fire, arriving at the dragon's right side. She swings and strikes the dragon's leg, spinning her body 360 degrees and successfully getting its attention.]

Cover your eyes! I have a flash bomb!

[She waits a few moments, hoping Eileen hears her, and throws the flash bomb down in front of the dragon. The effect will be temporary, assuming an undead entity is capable of being blinded by light.]

[crowsfeat]

Let's hope it has eyes to be blinded! [ Eileen nodded, firing off a shot that... barely really seemed to do any real damage, the Quicksilver Bullets not at all effective on the beast in terms of harm, but a bullet was still a bullet, and definitely stunned it briefly to keep it from swiping at Rikku. ]

[al_bhed]

[With Eileen's approval, Rikku pulls down her goggles to protect her eyesight and throws the bomb down. A bright flash of white light fills the air for a moment, and it seems that the undead dragon does, in fact, still have eyes. It roars and flails--dangerous, certainly, but at least it can't pinpoint her.

Rikku moves in again and slashes at the dragon's throat with her claw, hoping to get in deeply enough to sever its jugular. She draws blood, but not enough to suggest that she was successful in hitting the vein. As the dragon flails, it manages to knock Rikku off her feet after she scores the hit. She manages to roll away before a second, more fatal hit can land, but it's clear when she manages to stand again that she hit the ground hard. Her left arm is scraped and raw, bleeding a bit.

It hurts, but she's able to push that aside. For now.]

[crowsfeat]

[ Eileen would commend Rikku's aim to find the right place to stab at, but the unfortunate truth was... ]

Normal killing blows won't work on something that's already dead, girl!

[ It wasn't scolding, despite the shout. It was more of a warning, for her to get the hell out of there, because the claw to its throat only seemed to stagger it. Eileen was quick to rush in and use the Blade of Mercy to hold off another sweep of its claws, buckling just slightly beneath the weight of it. ]

[al_bhed]

[Rikku's used to being shouted at in the heat of things--it's more or less how her father communicates. As such, she doesn't take offense to the warning. Instead, she shouts back:]

Right!

[and gets back to the task at hand. As Eileen moves in, Rikku starts rummaging through her bag. She grabs a couple of incendiaries, a regent, and a flask. Weeks of training in alchemy have taught her that although the rules are different, the principle is more or less the same as her ability to mix things together back home: put components together, make explosive.]

Bomb incoming!

[And she throws it toward the dragon's rear, setting off an explosion.]

[crowsfeat]

[ The explosion staggered the beast, causing it to stumble forward but without much more than it's weight, allowing Eileen to shove it aside and position herself at its flank.

Perfect.

The blades were separated again, with one plunging right between the plated scales, spraying blackened, decaying blood while the other soon joined it, angle adjusted, to cut a way to push the first blade even deeper into the dragon's viscera.

A Hunter's deathblow. Well, on living things, at any rate.

When she pulled the first blade back, she pushed with the other, sending the dragon stumbling and rolling onto its back. Eileen looked a right mess, sprayed in the black blood as she was. ]

[al_bhed]

[At home, this would be the point in which Yuna casts some big white magic thing and finishes the undead creature off. Unfortunately, Yuna isn't here to do that, and Rikku gets the impression that such a feat isn't exactly in Eileen's toolkit.

She checks her bag, then calls out to her companion with a question:]

Hey, does healing undead creatures here hurt them? It works at home, but I don't know about here...

[She's been in Aefenglom long enough to have the foresight not to make assumptions. The last thing either of them want is to heal the dragon and make things worse.]

[crowsfeat]

[ The idea mostly just sounded... silly, to her. She wasn't really going to entertain it with much thought when she had other concerns. She flicked some of the black gore away from her cape with a flourish, and watched the dragon's body carefully, to see when it would stir again. ]

Do enough damage, and it will stop moving. That's my only aim.

[al_bhed]

So... that's a no?

[Very clearly a "no," as a matter of fact. Oh well--it was worth a shot.

If the goal is to damage it enough that it stops moving, then her priority needs to be to immobilize it so that it can't do as much damage to them in the meantime. Aside from petrification--which she's pretty sure she isn't able to do with her current understanding of Aefenglom's alchemy--the best way to accomplish that is severing tendons so it can't walk as easily.

With that in mind, Rikku moves to the dragon's rear, tightens her grip on her claw, and runs in to swipe at the back of its right hind leg.]

[crowsfeat]

[ The beast was well stunned at that point. Between what Eileen had done before, and Rikku almost literally cutting its legs out from under it, the magic holding it together was waning quickly. It would be a corpse again soon enough, but not before letting out another thick bellow of toxic gas and flame. ]

To me, girl! Eileen quickly through up her cape, as a shield, to cover them both.

[al_bhed]

[Rikku doesn't need to be told twice. She runs to Eileen and takes cover behind the woman's cloak, covering her own head out of instinct. If it weren't for the craziness of the situation, Rikku may have taken a moment to admire the craftsmanship and the way it can withstand the onslaught.

As things are, however, Rikku's attention is on the undead dragon. It seems to be in some kind of re-death throes, flailing around as best as it can given the damage the two have done to it.]

Do you think we've done it? Is it dead? Again?

[crowsfeat]

Dead or not, it won't be a threat in that state.

[ And for them, that was good enough. Tempting as it was to finish off her "prey", her every trained instinct telling her to do so, Rikku's safety was the higher priority. ]

Let's head further into the city. There are still those who need our help.

are you good with wrapping it up here?

[al_bhed]

["Close enough" is good enough for her!]

Right. Lead the way!