Player Plot: The Salvation of Geardagas, Part 1

[faileas]

Event Log: January, The Salvation of Geardagas: Part 1

The Evergreen Circle Something is happening in Aefenglom. A rash of disappearances has finally caught the attention of the authorities, but only thanks to a strange twist: a handful of the missing individuals are starting to turn up again, and not as they should be. It began with a harpy. After a week of nothing she returned, fully transformed into a Shade and too far gone to save. The same happened with a trader the next day. And the next with a witch. All three were infected, albeit to varying degrees, and only one of them was able to be brought back from the brink. Naturally, this is a huge cause for concern. There's little sign that the Bright Wall is damaged and none of the victims were known to have left the city. Questioning the survivor, Owain, doesn't produce any leads either as he can't remember anything before his disappearance. It's only after he's had some time to recover that he notices something off. As the blackening of the Cwyld fades, a small tattoo on his palm that wasn't there before becomes visible. To the concern of the Coven, it's a symbol that's familiar to them as the emblem of a rising spiritual movement favoured by the wealthy called the Evergreen Circle, led by a witch called Cillian Alder. Their purpose, he claims, is to provide hope through interrogating the Cwyld from a scholarly and philosophical perspective. In spite of this, Alder has developed more of a cult-like following than anything. Mirrorbound of standing (business owners, members of parliament, public figures, etc) might have already received one of their pamphlets. Naturally, it's an incredibly sensitive subject. The Evergreen Circle has been entirely peaceful up until now, and with such influential and powerful figures among its numbers, the Coven is reluctant to make any outright accusations. Instead, the task of investigating them has been covertly passed to the Mirrorbound. As outsiders, they stand less of a chance of causing political unrest. However, they explicitly warn against taking any hostile actions for the time being: this is an information-gathering request, nothing more. They can provide basic information about the Evergreen Circle meetings but that's about it. a. Preaching to the Choir (Every Friday Evening, Mid-Ieneuer to Early Feoveuer) Cillian Alder Art by Rachel The hall is buzzing. Though there aren't even enough people here to fill the place, everyone seems to be bubbling with excitement, exchanging loud greetings and introductions. They're particularly friendly to newcomers and are quick to offer up their experiences with the group: "Cillian is a truly free thinker!" "I haven't felt so positive about our future for a long time." "There’s a real sense of hope and community here in the Circle." The meeting convenes at 8 o’clock sharp and silence descends upon the room as a figure takes the stage. With his commanding presence and charismatic smile there's no doubt about who this is: Cillian Alder. A man in his late fifties with greying hair, he speaks with an accent crisp as cut glass and a strong voice, no doubt amplified by some kind of spell to reach around the room. He's hypnotising, those cool blue eyes of his impossible to look away from and piercing in their intensity. "How wonderful to see you all tonight, both familiar and unfamiliar faces alike! You are all welcome. I have only one request." He brings his hands together with a smile. "That you keep your hearts open. How else might our minds grow Evergreen?" Alder's speech is nothing if not passionate. He paces and proselytises, responding to the audience's interruptions and cheers with enormous enthusiasm. Throughout, his message is clear. "Who are we to immediately decry the Cwyld as a curse? Fear of the unknown, of what we have yet to control, can only hold us back! We must instead seek to understand it and be at peace with its presence! This is a test of our conviction! Our will to survive!" It goes on for the better part of an hour and, afterwards, he descends into the audience to receive their praise and questions with the gracious smile of a beloved king. He might even turn that magnanimous presence on you, affording you a few crucial moments of conversation (limited to 2 RNG characters). Will you stick around to find out more or try and slip backstage while everyone is distracted? For such a warm, welcoming atmosphere, there seems to be a lot of security around the doors leading back there so it might take some quick thinking to get through without conflict. Those who are caught will have to face the consequences, but the results might be… unfavorable. b. Spirited Away (late-Ieneuer to mid Feoveuer) Those less inclined to subterfuge won't have any problems finding trouble to get into either. As the month goes on, more and more people disappear, and that might even include Mirrorbound. Whether you're intercepting a kidnapping or fighting off your own, you're more likely to get caught up in it the longer the month goes on. It's easy enough to fight off the attackers but nigh impossible to actually catch or identify one: each is dressed in black and smells of the tell-tale decay of the Cwyld. But even assuming you do manage to apprehend one, they will refuse to talk in anything but vague, confusing comments about salvation and new beginnings. c. Cast Out (mid-Ieneuer to early Feoveuer) Likewise, the number of locals who have been abducted and released continues to rise. The victims, anywhere from badly infected to fully transformed into Shades, require subduing, healing and, in the most dire of circumstances, permanently dealt with before they can hurt anyone. Without exception, they're aggressive, reacting violently to attempts to heal as well as harm them and there are no discernable patterns when it comes to victims. However, the eagle-eyed might spot the Evergreen Circle's symbol on some of their palms if they're not too heavily corrupted.

[ ooc: More information about the event can be found on the plotting post along with comments for questions, and RNG sign-ups for directly interacting with Alder! ]

Comments

[disasterstraight]

[ Zixuan squints somewhat, confused. Did this man seriously just take his insult as a sincere, generous offer? How dumb can you be, not to notice when someone is being condescending to you?

He scoffs, crossing his arms, left over right, his sword, Suihua, clasped in his left talon, still in its sheath. If this fool thinks he is actually going to teach him the lofty philosophical insights of Cillian Alder the way one teaches a child learning their letters... ]

Maybe, if you are not prepared to listen and learn on your own, then you aren't cut out for the Circle.

[tothemetal]

[Styx returns the look of confusion with one of open geniality, unperturbed by the expression he's elicited from the other man. it's a look that - much like insults and derision - he's grown used to seeing on the people he spoke with. that impressive sword was being brandished in his (or anyone else's, he supposed) direction, so what was there to be upset about?]

Wouldn't surprise me! Don't think I ever made the cut for a club in my life, haha.

[is that something he should be admitting to so easily? the sincere laugh definitely doesn't belong, if nothing else, and yet there it was all the same.]

But I've been seeing a lot of you guys out lately, you know? Figured even if I was too stupid for the whole thing it'd be worth checking out for a while.

[what he's actually seen are the people supposedly spirited away by this organization, branded and then turned out into the streets once more - when they were beyond saving? or simple failures at furthering their goals? but it feels...unkind, to say such a thing in the group's heart. their actions are wrong, but the drummer doesn't know enough of the motives to judge so harshly.]

[disasterstraight]

Yes, the Circle's reach has been growing more and more in recent days. [ He says with a definite air of smugness. Then again, he would be smug about anything, not just the cult group he's been hypnotized into throwing in with. ]

I myself am a recent convert. I wish I had known the Circle existed earlier. I would have joined right away, if I could have.

[tothemetal]

Oh, really? Thought they started out just for rich dudes.

[unless Zixuan was also a rich dude...which, he supposes, is entirely possible. the man had a sword, after all. that was pretty fancy - and the fact that his own bonded who dressed like a homeless man had an entire mountain of fancy swords just apparently doesn't factor into this determination at all in Styx's mind.]

You been liking it, though? All the, uh, talking 'nd...more talking, I guess.

[disasterstraight]

[ He has a sword, but the sword does not make him a "rich dude." His being born into one of the wealthiest and most prominent cultivation sects in his world is what makes him a "rich dude." He may not have his family's wealth to fall back on here, but he's been making do, with as little compromising of his decadent lifestyle as possible.

He sneers at the casual way Styx describes the Circle's discussion meetings. ]

Yes. I find the talking to be quite enlightening.

[tothemetal]

[that is all very impressive, but do you know what charms big idiots more? it's the sword. simple people respected simple things.]

Glad somebody is, haha! Uh, mean, figured most people would since 's getting so big 'nd all, but...

[Styx has never met Zixuan before, and so he has no idea that maybe this sort of ideology isn't natural for him. he barely even suspects the harpy is a mirrorbound for how seamlessly he seems to move among these high-born natives. all of that should combine to make the drummer more cautious, but - he's never been particularly skilled at keeping his feelings under wraps. the other man's disdain is met with more good humor and a forthright admission.]

Maybe they explained it better later, but I couldn't really get past the shit with the Cwyld. Fought shades 'nd stuff, you know? 'nd the way they scream...I dunno, it just don't feel like it's even a little good.