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]

[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.]