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

[yesdoubt]

[Under normal circumstances, Momo would've hurled himself full feral into a situation like this involving anyone in his protectorate. It's probably lucky he knows Lio would take him to task for directly setting someone on fire if he knew who he was, because otherwise that might've been what the person who started this was dealing with instead.

Still, the figure he's disguised himself as doesn't hesitate, shaking her head and cracking her knuckles. He's had to keep his build relatively the same (besides the obvious) to facilitate being able to fight without getting caught out for using an illusion, so the woman seems perfectly prepared to use force if necessary too.]

I don't start fights I can't win. [The "stranger" murmurs under her breath quickly after that - Momo favours written casting, but that's exactly why he's choosing to use spoken here - then sends two swipes of fire barreling forwards towards the weapon arms of the cultists, aiming to disable. One of them manages to move in time, the blaze dying out against the brick wall behind them, but the other screams and drops their weapon as a slash-shaped welt burns across their wrist. It'll probably heal eventually, but they're sure as hell not going to be wielding a weapon very effectively for today.

The disarmed one scrambles back quickly, seemingly aware they're not going to be much use after that but looking hesitant to outright ditch the fight, and the woman spins to face the remaining two, abandoning the fire for now in place of withdrawing a couple of throwing knives from a pocket and throwing them towards whichever cultist looks most dangerous to Lio at the moment, again aiming mostly for the arms and shoulders for disabling shots. They're all too unmistakably real as they fly true through the air - the only question is whether the cultist notices soon enough to dodge.]

[piromare]

( this time, lio watches the fire with rapt attention--- whoever this is seems to be against the cultist as well; a good thing, given lio's predicament. but it's no time for conversation, despite wanting to respond with something dripping with a little bit of sarcasm and agitation. the one that dodged the fire the first time scrambles to his side and avoids the daggers. the other one? not so lucky, as they strike true, landing with wet thuds. the daggered cultist hollers in pain, goes to remove them as the one who dodged both seems to be a lot more capable than his two allies.

lio, with his eastern blade, lunges forward at the last remaining healthy cult member. raising it upward, he catches the man who was lucky the first two times right in the chest, slashing. the cut is deep, but not enough to catch anything vital. no, all lio wants to do is completely incapacitate the man before he decides to do anything else. it forces the man back but not to the ground. )

Bastard.

( with a grunt, he raises his leg and drives his heel into the cut man's chest, sending him sprawling. )

Not gonna take me without a fight. You understand?

( and then lio directs his attention toward the unknown witch. )

Who're you?

[yesdoubt]

[Thankfully, the cultists at least know when they're beaten - trying to go at them again is just asking for wounds that'll be obvious in their daily life and raise questions, so they start to crawl their beaten selves off. After the woman pauses by the one who got throwing knifed to retrieve her weapons, at least, not seeming too concerned by the pained grunts that come from the person unlucky enough to catch them as she wrenches them out.

As for Lio's question, she answers that...not quite openly.]

An ally. But I'm not out to paint a target on my own back, so I'm not naming names until this lot clear out or we move.

[She jerks her head towards the retreating cultists. They're already most of the way gone, but Momo doesn't want to risk accidentally revealing his identity to someone who might out him to the cult since he's gotten in fairly deep.]

[piromare]

An "ally".

( the short dry laugh after accompanies his doubts. of course he's suspicious. how couldn't he be? even though she saved him, who's to say she's not some part of this entire plot? though the knives and the fire look plenty real, especially as the blood and the sizzling flesh are obvious to him... so is the possibility that this could be one big plan.

he's seen good people end up being the worst. he's seen enemies become valuable friends. wherever this woman is, lio can't be sure. even though his gut says that she's being honest.

the conflicting feelings make his heart pound. )

Give me another reason why I should trust you.

( saving him... that's one. but how about one more? )

[yesdoubt]

[Momo knows Lio well enough to not be surprised that he's being suspicious, but it does make things a bit inconvenient in this situation. Once the culprits round the corner, though, he figures it might be okay, as long as he doesn't drop the disguise entirely. He doesn't want to get caught out because one of them decides to duck back into the alley at the wrong time.

Turning away from the direction the cultists ran in, the woman puts a finger to her lips as if to tell Lio not to react too loudly. And then draws - draws, rather than speaks - a quick spell on her wrist in a manner that might be very familiar, before speaking quietly but entirely audibly to someone as close as Lio.]

I dunno. Maybe because I'm a real peach. [The "stranger" moves the hand with the spell mark on it across one side of her face - and the illusion on that side of Momo's face falls away for the moment, revealing a familiar eye and half a grin. He's maintaining the illusion that's changing the sound of his voice in case of being overheard, but Lio knows first-hand how crafty Momo is with illusions, so it's probably not hard to figure out that's what it is.] Your mother's gonna be upset if you keep being all standoffish.

[piromare]

( he bristles at the raising of a finger, wondering... what exactly he's in for? his weapon isn't sheathed yet, so he could certainly rush in and get the jump on her if he has to. possibilities are endless and not necessarily narrowing yet into an action, though as soon as the cultists leave the alleyway in worse shape than they arrived, he's about to say something else.

and then, he lowers his weapon. instantly. his insides turn cold. at the very least he's relieved. it makes some sense as to why momo would be disguising himself; though lio has been doing his best to avoid being around the growing number of followers that cillian has been accumulating with his presence. )

Well, I worry about my mother. She's been busy rubbing shoulders with a lot of different people recently. It's hard not wanting to follow her to make sure she doesn't get into trouble.

( he sheathes the waki, immediately folding his arms across his body. )

[yesdoubt]

[Momo makes an innocent sort of look before dismissing the spell he was using to unmask that one part of the illusion, putting him back in the guise of the blonde woman. Still, his body language is a bit more obviously his as he offers a broad shrug.]

Maybe you should trust her a little more. She probably knows what she's doing if she's gotten in that deep, and following along might get more than one person into trouble in the end.

[A head-tilt towards where the cultists ran off. Momo is not out to get busted, and since some of his coworkers and associates are in the cult, he couldn't necessarily risk identifying him by name because there's a fractional chance someone might be able to link that name back to him and wonder why he's letting his Bonded run so "wild" against the cult. That, and he gets concerned about Lio himself getting into trouble.]

Besides, I think the ones running around dealing with all these grab-and-go attempts are the ones who stand to be in the most trouble, considering how I found you.

[piromare]

I trust her plenty! ( his feathers bristle, as does the rest of him. ) But I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had to... fight her, for any reason.

( he also looks in the same direction, making sure none of them were peeking or looking to maybe take advantage of their situation. every exhale is accompanied by a gentle huff as he tries to work out his aggression, that anger built from being jumped by people who shouldn't have been able to, that he only got one good slash in and nothing else.

he wants to draw more blood. )

Well... well! ( lio tries not to stammer, but. it's hard. ) I can't stand by and watch. I have to do something.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo's arm shifts, very slightly, as if momentarily reaching for something behind him. Lio might've had cause to notice the very faint, almost watercolour pink enchanted tattoo on the back of Momo's neck at some point, but he doesn't usually talk much about it or what it's for.]

You won't have to fight her. [There's a certainty to that - the cult is using mind control, but having an anti-mind control ward helps where that's concerned. He's currently just hoping the cult's instances of targeting their own are related to lack of faith (or the reverse, volunteering).]

It's worth forming a group if you know others who are against this. Nothing wrong with some old-fashioned neighbourhood policing, but doing it yourself is asking for trouble as soon as the other side turns out in any real numbers.

[He's especially concerned about Lio getting bones broken if three people try to go close-quarters with him. Lio isn't the type to be satisfied with doing nothing, so Momo knows he won't be able to talk him out of it in general, but he'd at least prefer he handled it more strategically.]

[piromare]

( the color certainly catches his attention, and he's dimly aware of what it could represent when it comes to being protected versus some of the more nefarious magics that the cult seemed to wield. no way that momo would do things that reckless without some kind of plan??? he's too thoughtful in many ways.

but that doesn't stop lio for fussing. from worrying. from feeling that tight feeling in his chest out of fear. )

I wouldn't be able to fight back.

( he shakes his head quickly, before letting out one loud sigh. )

But if I do run into a bunch of them, I'll fly. I can get away from anyone. Or take some with me, if that's all I can do...

[yesdoubt]

[On one hand, it's refreshing that Lio is aware of his weaknesses where taking on that many people is concerned, considering the arguments Momo's had with Yuki about his inability to fight. On the other, it's depressing that they even have to have this conversation, that the cult is so desperate for subjects and unpredictable that they have to account for the possibility that someone's going to get group ambushed in those kinds of numbers.

Momo lets out a lengthy breath.] Don't think about that. Just fly away. If your bonded can feel you're in danger, I'm sure they'll come running.

[Momo had felt something uncomfortable through it before he arrived, but he hadn't been quite late enough for it to have been what drew him here.] I wouldn't wish what they're doing on anyone, but if they're taking people alive then there's a chance we could find someone even after being taken.

[Is Momo implying he'd try to storm wherever they're keeping people if something happened to Lio? Probably. He has his limits where people hurting those close to him is concerned.]

[piromare]

I don't want them to come. ( his wings droop, just slightly, to match the slope of his shoulders. ) I don't want them to put themselves in even more danger.

( even though he trusts momo to do everything in his power to put no one else at risk, it's... it's hard. lio has become too comfortable with having company, not having to worry about responsibilities that he no longer has, and he doesn't know what he would do if momo found himself in an untenable position. not to mention the consequences that would accompany it. )

I'll stay away. I'll keep to the rooftops, unless... unless it looks really bad.

[yesdoubt]

Would they want you to be alone and at more risk just because it kept them out of danger, though?

[Momo sure as hell wouldn't and he has had this kind of verbal fistfight with Yuki before as well, though he's usually playing Lio's role in those fights. Momo's take tends to be "better me than anyone else", though, so he argues whichever side puts someone else in less danger.]

That's probably the best way to do it. Attacking from a distance in general wouldn't be a bad idea, but there's only so much you can do with that.

[Momo has throwing knives, but he can't say that using magic for distance combat isn't far easier and most Monsters don't have that option quite so much.]

[piromare]

( he asks all the right questions, but they're also the wrong ones. momo cares for him. he cares for momo. his first bond, and the one that feels the strongest. it's a comfortable weight and a strength he knows he can rely on whenever he needs to. it's why he doesn't fight back now, why he suddenly feels... not ashamed, but conscientious about everything. that the best solution is that no one sacrifices themselves needlessly...

but he really, really wants to fight. )

... I'll find a way.

( from a distance? he's used a bow before. not a conventional one by any means, but surely there's some kind of enhanced and more modern kind out there that he could pick up. )

But tell my mother that if anything happens, I'll be there whether she likes it or not.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo has had enough fights of this nature with Yuki to know that he's probably not going to get off with anything more than a draw, so Lio's conclusion gets a resigned sort of noise out of him. It's halfway between a huff and a growl, because sometimes he just really wishes he could shut everyone he cares for in a tower away from the dangers of the world and that they would actually let him do it.

But if a concession is all he's going to get, he'll have to work with it.]

Right. I don't know how happy she's going to be to hear that, but I can't fault your resolve.

[Some part of him is proud of Lio for standing his ground, he just hates that it has to come to this.] We'd better move on, anyway. While we're talking shop, someone else might be getting shadowed.

[Even if the group they hit isn't going to be doing any more kidnapping tonight, there's got to be others out.]

[piromare]

Yeah, we should... I should return home. Or at least make my way through a district to see if I can shake any potential followers...

( he knows of a few bars here and there that'll let him get a drink and also relax before heading back to his nest. at least within the safety and familiarity of his little balcony, lio could put up a pretty decent fight if for some reason their cottage became an impromptu fighting ground. )

And I know she won't be happy no matter what happens. But she's my family. She's all I have in that regard.

( there will always be a special spot in his heart for momo. )

Thank you helping me. I hope you won't have to do it again. Maybe when it's peaceful, we can get some cake. Or beer. Or both.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo tries not to wince at the misspeak of "we", though he hasn't heard any movement since they saw the kidnappers off, so he's going to hope there's nobody around to hear it.]

Maybe you could roof-hop. I feel like they'd have trouble following that. [Of course, it's always good to take the time out to lose someone in other ways, but if he had to do it quickly then Momo feels like harpies have a few other options than those limited to just going along the ground.

He has a lot more trouble not emoting at the bit about family, because Momo is very soft about that sort of thing, but he manages to stop himself from making a fuss by just taking a bracing moment to rub his face with one hand. To the uninitiated, it might just seem like the woman he's disguised as is tired and not looking forward to doing this the rest of the night.]

I'd like that. Just gotta make sure this is all over with first. I saw what kind of results came out of the last time something like this happened, so I don't want it to escalate to that point.

[He arrived just after the Mirrorbound-targeted kidnappings by the Rathmores, so he saw the wounds and scars a lot of people ended up with from that.]