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

a.i - let me know if this works

[lotus_of_rage]

[Having heard about all of this insanity, Jiang Cheng had decided to offer his assistance in whatever way that he could. Of course, the only option really available at the moment was trying to gather information on the cult.

In an attempt to try and make himself less of a target and to keep his family from being one as well, Jiang Cheng had changed his clothing style and was wearing his hair completely up... and had left Zidane and Sandu at home as much as it pained him to do so. Upclose it might not change anything, but from a distance, the style change might make him less recognizable.

But since he was upclose to Momo, he'd likely be able to recognize him]

As well as can be expected. And you?

yeah that's fine!

[yesdoubt]

[Momo is used to recognising the people he works with through considerable changes in style, so it doesn't take him long to recognise Jiang Cheng too. He nods slightly to the question, making a gesture towards the people he was talking to.]

Good, I was just thanking my work friends for telling me about these meetings. I was a bit busy to come in until recently, but now that I've had, it's been a really enlightening experience.

[He says it casually, as if he's talking about the meetings themselves, but...no. It's been very enlightening as to exactly how much of a creepy cult situation this whole thing is, though.]

They've been coming much longer than me, though, so I've been playing a little catchup here. I'm sure if you have any newcomer questions then they'll be just as happy to help.

[The two Momo are talking to, a woman with a rather severe haircut and the kind of outfit that screams "probably designs their own clothing", and a short and jolly-looking man, both take a look over Jiang Cheng. The woman's expression is indifferent but not unfriendly, but the shorter man nods enthusiastically at the prospect of helping newcomers understand the group a bit more.]

woohoo

[lotus_of_rage]

[He was not surprised that Momo recognized him. They had been around each other enough times now that such subtle things weren't going to completely throw him off. But this was good. Definitely good to have someone else he knew who was also on the inside]

Yes, it sounds like it is very enlightening.

[Jiang Cheng tried not to look judgemental about the woman who looked like she made her own clothes and possibly cut her own hair. Somehow, he succeeded and he should get a medal for that]

Yes, I should like to hear more about it. You have just recently joined as well? Fancy that I would meet someone else. It seems more people have begun to realize.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo hums thoughtfully like he's only just noticed that fact.] Yeah, they seem to have had a boom recently. But then, they've been spreading the word, I know I got information on it a few times before coming.

[The shorter man puffs up happily like he wants to take responsibility for that, and Momo laughs.]

Courtesy of my colleagues, should I mention...?

[The woman tuts quietly, though when she speaks, her tone is more that of a scolding parent. "You seem to spend so much time outside the city when I could be calling you in that I thought it would help to enlighten you about what you could be doing out there. There's such opportunity for you to be blessed."

An intentionally self-conscious laugh from Momo, like he just hadn't used his brain before. Clearly. Like getting infected is the logical thing to do outside the walls.] It's not a common point of view outside of here, is it? I suppose I just needed my mind opened a bit, with how much the Coven try to drill another viewpoint from when we arrive.

[There's a bit of a rumbled hum that the two cultists give at that, that's somewhere between disgruntled with the Coven and understanding of his position. It's at this point the shorter man finally speaks. "It must be difficult for all of you, with the Coven being upon you as soon as you arrive. It's as if they want themselves to be your only source of information."]

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng listened to the exchange, keeping his face carefully neutral during the conversation with all of them. Those two did certainly seem to believe what this cult said, which by his nature, Jiang Cheng was wary of them.

But he was going to play along]

Very difficult. The Coven was all I heard about for quite some time. Not much information out there otherwise until recently.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo nods along with Jiang Cheng, as if that reflects his experience as well.] I guess they have a natural advantage, being the central resource for that stuff...for a lot of Mirrorbound, I don't think it even occurs to them there are other sources of information. That might be why they've started to come here, too - having an alternative outlook on things is a blessing for us.

[It seems to come entirely naturally to Momo, that casual flattery of the situation and what's being offered to them, and the woman gives a bit of a disgruntled agreement.

"I used to work closely with the Coven back in the day, but they're so prone to hide things about whatever they deem dangerous or inappropriate. It was frustrating enough that I haven't used any of their resources in years. It's not worth the condescension - and what reason do we have to think they haven't simply been hiding information about the Cwyld too?"]

They're definitely like that, yeah, I've noticed even only being here a year. [Momo doesn't need to reach to agree with that - he couldn't pursue mind control magic even out of curiosity because the information on it just doesn't exist, and minor Cwyld healing had to be leaked out to the Mirrorbound by someone who'd worked closely enough with the Coven to access it. The Coven are secretive about certain things, and he imagines plenty of the people here have noticed that and taken it extremely the wrong way.]

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng gave an amused scoff at the comment]

Of course. It is always the way of those in power to tell those under them only what they want them to know. There is so much they could not be telling us.

[True. He did actually believe this, but they seemed to be less... nefarious than this group at least. Which ever one was doing the least damage by their words]

[yesdoubt]

[The smaller man gives a sad sound and pulls on his collar as if it's suddenly too tight.

"Of course, of course...it's so important to have different ways of thinking like this, otherwise we'll all simply believe we're at the mercy of a doomed future."

Momo shakes his head a bit dramatically.] It's a shame, isn't it? I hope things can be turned around by the Circle, but there must be a lot of work to be done to get to real understanding.

[Probably why they're getting so many of those reappeared infected people all of a sudden.]

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng watched the movement as he suddenly tugged at his collar. Inwardly, he wondered if it was a weird twitch of some kind]

True. There is always a lot of work to be done to correct the damage done by those who try to deprive people of information.

[How ironic that it worked on both sides]

[yesdoubt]

[Momo offers that a sage nod, because he has to clap for that double meaning in some way but unfortunately doing it too obviously would just be suspicious.]

It seems like Mr. Alder is full of passion for that work, too. Is it always like that?

[Both of the cult members nod, though it's the woman who ends up speaking first. "He has a drive you see so much less often in people of his age. Perhaps he has realised there is only so much time to make a difference, but I'm grateful for someone who's willing to make a stand against the established order."

Momo does wonder how many people are mostly here for that aspect - something against the established order more so than supporting the actual cause.]

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng is good at that. That is probably some of the subtle jab he's ever done. Usually, they were more obvious but he couldn't do that now]

Hmm... it is impressive to hear him speak about it. He really has a lot of passion for it.

[Jiang Cheng wonders that too. If it's not really the belief in what he's saying, just that it's something different]

[yesdoubt]

[The short man cuts in at that, all ebullient body language. "Oh yes, a true orator, with true dedication! I almost forgot what it felt like to hear someone speak passionately for a cause they believe in."

Momo tilts his head a bit curiously at that, as if something hadn't occurred to him.]

Does Parliament never do those kinds of speeches? I guess I've paid less attention to them than I probably should have...

[He makes bit of an awkward laugh, but the woman waves it away like it doesn't matter. Despite her severity, she seems to have a slight soft spot for Momo, judging by her tone. "Don't pay it much mind, dear, they're worse than the Coven. Nepotism as far as the eye can see, nobody cares about anyone except themselves. If moving forward threatens their position, then they'd rather we all just stayed still."]

[lotus_of_rage]

Isn't that the way it always works? People only caring about those that matter to them and not about anyone else. It is nice to hear someone who is sharing a way to help others.

[It was so hard to say that, but of course, had to agree with them in order to not stand out]

You two have been apart of it for a long time?

[yesdoubt]

[The shorter man nods, while the woman makes a bit of a face like she can't quite say that. "I've been involved for not too much more than a month or two, admittedly, so I wouldn't say a long time. I wanted to know more about their cause and methods before I joined."

The shorter man adds when she's finished, "I was one of the early adopters. It's fantastic to see Cillian's word seems to be gaining so much more momentum!"

He's so sincere in saying it that Momo has to laugh to not think about how depressing it all is. He's seen the cult mindset back home as well, and it's no more comfortable to see here.]

I'm sure he appreciates your loyalty. And look, you've brought so many more people in yourself! It's great to have a cause to put so much into.

[lotus_of_rage]

Yes, I am sure that he enjoys the loyalty and the support of his cause.

[And then to the woman]

Of course, everyone must start somewhere.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo nods along with that, spreading his hands to indicate himself and Jiang Cheng.]

Like us now, too. We all come in at the bottom at some point, but everyone here's been so welcoming that I'm sure it won't take us long to become as knowledgeable as you guys.

[The man swells pridefully, while the woman looks reluctantly flattered. "You're too nice for your own good, dear. But if you and your friend stay inquisitive then I can't say you're not well on your way to truly being part of the fold."

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement to Momo's assessment. Yes, they were all very welcoming, which might have been the disturbing part at least for him. They should have been more suspicious. Of course, that thought might come back to bite him in the end, but he wouldn't voice it at least]

Hopefully, we will be able to learn much from everyone here.

[yesdoubt]

[The shorter man seems quite eager to confirm those prospects. "Oh yes, we hold open spread of information in the highest regard here, unlike certain other establishments in the city. Anything you want to know about Cillian's ideas, someone will certainly be willing to tell you!"

Momo has his doubts about how much insider info on Cillian's ideas someone outside of the man's tight inner circle is going to have, but he goes along with the optimistic take.]

That's good to hear, I'll have to get talking to everyone else later on. Anything you wanna ask about while it's on my mind?

[He addresses that to Jiang Cheng - if there's anything relevant he hears about, he could pass it on, but they're going to have to bury it a bit in euphemism here. So he's framing it like just asking what topics are of interest.]

[lotus_of_rage]

[Jiang Cheng thought about that for a moment before he finally spoke]

Have there been many new arrivals to these meetings?

[yesdoubt]

[The woman nods very readily, as if she's been keeping fairly close track of the increase in numbers. "Oh, yes. Especially lately, there seems to have been a surge in new faces, both locals and you Mirrorbound. They have been doing more advertising recently, so it was expected even if not all of the people who come to a meeting stay with us."

Momo hums an agreement to that, because it's true enough that not everyone who checks in once is actually going to come back repeatedly and truly become a member.]

I'm not sure the Mirrorbound really knew about this before the fliers started going out, since some pay way less attention to what's going on in the city than others. [Nice excuse for why their attendance has suddenly started increasing, at least.]

[lotus_of_rage]

It's good that the word has been getting out. I know that I didn't know about it until I saw the flyers.

[Which was true... he hadn't really]

But I was certainly interested.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo nods along with that summation of the situation, tilting his head back a bit like he's trying to remember something.]

I heard about it at work first, but I didn't see much in the way of organised information until the flyers. And definitely nothing around the Haven. Maybe they changed how they were doing outreach?

[The shorter man steps in at this, almost as if he's been fed an answer to this line of thought. "Yes, they thought it might be best to start off with...the more connected of society, shall we say, to get the word out better! But we have plenty now, and all kinds of people are needed to make real change, so growing the ranks has spread out further."]

[lotus_of_rage]

[It certainly did seem awfully convenient that now he was coming up with that answer... but Jiang Cheng wasn't going to argue. Just make note of it. If he had come to argue, he would have been doing that already. But really... it was so very hard not to]

Hmm... hopefully, a lot of change can be made now that the word is spreading. Is that what most people do? Spread the word?

[yesdoubt]

["Yes, the word needs to reach the right people to make change on the prevailing opinions on the Cwyld, so our focus right now is on outreach and bringing more people into the fold."

Again, the answer comes so readily it almost seems rehearsed, and Momo is definitely noting that little detail for later on to see if everyone else he talks to has the same recycled answer.]

I swear I've seen some Parliament members here already, so you must be on the right track. Though the Coven is probably the real issue there, I'm not sure how much sway even Parliament has over them.

[lotus_of_rage]

[He would certainly agree that sounded like a staged answer, one that had been drilled into people's heads and they had no way to not copy the phrasing word for word. He would certainly be trying as well to see if he could get others to repeat the phrasing exactly]

Hmm... doesn't seem like they have much, but I could be wrong. I was never really that good with politics. Why I have avoided it.