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

[twilightskey]

[Fortunately Roxas is all but forgotten by the cult member, and he avoids further conversations with any other nearby members for the time being. Man, that was close...]

[He perks up when Momo approaches him, and he nods.]

Ah, well, I'm doing alright I guess. Thanks for earlier, by the way.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo arches his brows a bit at that, halfway between "wondering" what he means and wondering why he's bringing it up openly when there's still potential to be overheard.]

I just thought you seemed a little overwhelmed by the crowd. It's a big turnout, isn't it? They might have to change venues soon.

[Said casually, but it's a fairly direct hint that he's speaking in cover mode here and not openly. There's no way of telling who might overhear what within the building.]

Have you done much talking around yet, besides that guy? There's a lot of people with a lot to say, so I think some of them are getting excited with the newcomers.

[Good old cult enthusiasm. Though unfortunately, the members of any actual standing are a bit smarter than that.]

[twilightskey]

[Ah, right. They were still undercover. Roxas blinks, but nods briefly.]

Yeah, it is. I've never really been to a big gathering like this before, so it's... a lot to take in.

[Outside observation and intel gathering is one thing, but full on confrontation was something Roxas was trained to avoid if possible. Not that he never slipped up, but the stakes were usually never this high, or the risk of danger so prevalent.]

No, he was the first one I spoke to. I'm still kind of new here, so I don't really know who to talk to about... the initiation process.

[Hopefully his own double-meanings come across to any outsider listening in as just a nervous-yet-curious newcomer.]

[yesdoubt]

[Momo is much more used to being directly in the thick of things, so this kind of situation is basically his bread and butter. As is lying about his intentions, considering how things can get in his industry back home, but he can understand most people not being as familiar with it.]

I have some coworkers who've been with the group for longer, but it sounds as if a true initiation will take some time. It seems to be a bit of a secret what it involves, but swearing loyalty seems to be the way to do it in advance.

[He'd really like to know what this supposed "real" initiation is, but nobody seems to want to discuss anything about it, so he supposes he'll have to wait and see.]

[twilightskey]

Huh. I wonder if we'll be able to see someone get initiated, just to see what it's like.

[All the secrecy does make it difficult to gather much information, especially with how suspicious and paranoid this cult seems to be.]

You have coworkers who are with the group? Are they here tonight?

[yesdoubt]

Well, that might spoil the surprise, if they want it to be special. [Or ruin the surprise if it turns out to be something incredibly messed up, which Momo feels is more likely, but if it's that bad then presumably the others here wouldn't have gone through it. Unless it involves some kind of compulsion.

He sets that idea aside for now.] Yeah, I talked to a couple of them earlier. They're all entertainment types, so fairly public figures, they wanted to spread the word and I ended up hearing about it.

[It was a good excuse to show up for the investigations, since he'd already received flyers from the cult due to also being a semi-public figure in radio and modelling.]

[twilightskey]

[Roxas does his best to look sheepish and lets out a little chuckle.]

Yeah, I guess you're right. Wouldn't be a surprise if we knew about it, right?

[Especially if it falls in the "messed up" category.]

That's pretty interesting. I wonder who else they...

[Roxas pauses, his ear flicking and swivelling to one side. Was... that the sound of someone shuffling nearby? He half-turns to glance to the side, but stops himself, looking back to Momo.]

[Perhaps this conversation really is being eavesdropped on.]

[yesdoubt]

[Momo doesn't have the peak hearing skills a Turnskin has, so though he's generally alert, he doesn't pick up the sound that Roxas did. The way he stops himself turning stops Momo from asking after the movement, though - chances are someone is listening in and he doesn't want to draw attention to the fact.]

Who else they've talked to? [He picks up the line of conversation smoothly, as if Roxas' trail off was definitely deliberate.] I couldn't really tell you, honestly. I've seen some people I recognise around here, though, so maybe they're interested in faces that are familiar to most of the city, or influential types.

[Which is understandable for a group like this or even a less malicious group who wanted to get their message out. He brings it up rather mildly, definitely with a tone that says he's used to that way of handling things.]

[twilightskey]

[Focusing on Momo's voice, and the conversation they're having, Roxas nods slowly. He has to sound interested, especially if someone's listening in...]

Wow. I haven't seen anyone I recognize yet outside of you. That makes me wonder if they'll even take someone like me. It's not like I'm well-known or anything...

[Also makes him wonder if the cult was targeting influential people or just anyone.]

[yesdoubt]

[Momo grins reassuringly and reaches over to give him a pat on the shoulder, for all the world seeming sincere in the gesture of reaching out to a newbie.]

I've seen people from all kinds of backgrounds here! So I'm sure you don't have to worry. That's part of the beauty of a place like this, it brings people together in a desire to improve things regardless of where they might've started off.

[Even though the cult was almost definitely targeting influential people in particular, given the voracity of information spread he's seen among his coworkers, it's not as if they could turn away normal folk and still retain the numbers they need to be effective.]

[twilightskey]

You think so?

[Roxas does his best to look relieved by the news, or at least sound it.]

Well, that's good for my chances, then. I was a little worried they were looking for people with special qualities.

[yesdoubt]

It takes all kinds of people to make change, you know? All of us have something to contribute.

[As someone who went from being entirely normal to famous, Momo doesn't put much stock in the "differences" between the general public and influential people anyway. It's a matter of luck, work, and knowing the right people, as far as he's concerned.]

Everyone I've met here has been super welcoming, too, so I'm sure they won't mind helping you find your feet.

[twilightskey]

Yeah... that's good to know.

[So regular people like him are just as much at risk as influential people... it's something to look out for, at least.]

[There's that shuffling again, making Roxas's ear flick in the direction again. He listens carefully, and can swear he hears footsteps... and they're fading away. He holds still and listens around, but when he doesn't hear any other strange noises he lets out a breath.]

[When he speaks again, it's soft and under his breath.]

Whoever was listening... I think they're gone.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo can guess from the slight movements what the cause probably is, but once Roxas actually says it, he gives a slight smile and mouths something back - there's actual words along with it, but they're barely louder than a breath, taking advantage of Roxas' obvious superior hearing.]

Talk like the walls have ears. It's not always so obvious.

[Momo is incredibly used to having to be ridiculously cautious about anything he says in a remotely public space because of his job. As far as he's concerned, the disappearance of a regular eavesdropper doesn't mean there's not other things to be concerned about. Even if technological bugs don't exist here, he's willing to bet there are spells for it, and there are (however small a number) Monsters among the cult's ranks.

So he carries on like nothing happened.] What are your plans for the rest of the night? Just finding more information, or is there anything specific about joining you're trying to learn more about?

[twilightskey]

[It's very soft, but Roxas's ears swivel towards Momo and let him hear that soft whisper. He nods in reply, and like Momo continues on like nothing happened. That's part of the mission, after all, isn't it?]

Well, I first came here just wanting to find out more information, but now that I'm here I wouldn't mind learning about how to join. Like, are there specific times of the month, or any special requirements?

[Gotta sound like he's seriously considering, after all.]

[yesdoubt]

[Those are pretty specific questions, and Momo tilts his head slightly like he's trying to recall what he's been told earlier in the night. He's been talking around a lot, so isolating specific details out of it all is a little harder.]

I do remember someone mentioning you have to swear loyalty to join up, but that makes sense for something like this, since nobody wants a Coven plant or something. I haven't heard anything more specific than next month for specific times, though, sorry. I wonder if they plan dates based on the number of new recruits they get, or something.

[It'd explain the lack of an outright particular date...assuming it's not more as a decoy or vague excuse to keep people around that long.]

[twilightskey]

[He was hoping that any specifics like that might be a good idea to find out when to keep an eye out for potential cult activity.]

Oh, well, that's okay. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait, huh?

But maybe you're right. You think they'll plan a date sooner if they have more new recruits waiting?

[yesdoubt]

Well, it'd make sense, wouldn't it? Especially if it's some sort of ceremony or something, you'd want the right amount of people around for that.

[He figures it's a logical enough reason, though not knowing what specifically the true induction is, they can only really theorise.]

I guess the only way to find out is to bring more people in! [As if he's actually going to recruit as obnoxiously as some of his workmates have been, but maybe the surge in Mirrorbound membership will prompt something sooner rather than later.]

[twilightskey]

[Roxas tries to make himself grin, and nods at that.]

Yeah, you're right. More people means more opportunities, right?

[Though that's a little nerve-wracking to think of. What would the cult do if it had enough members? What if it didn't?]

[yesdoubt]

Of course! And with a group like this, more people also means more outreach, so numbers will probably boom if they're getting more people already.

[Granted, a lot of this current boom are investigating Mirrorbound, so who knows how many numbers they're getting for genuine reasons of wanting to join up with the cult.]