Player Plot: The Salvation of Geardagas, Part II

[faileas]

Event Log: February, The Salvation of Geardagas: Part II



CW: This plot has a general content warning for kidnapping, torture, experimentation, violence, drug use (incl. aphro), infection/disease and potential death. This is entirely opt-in.

Spirited Away, Part 2 i. Hypothesis One moment, you were free. The next, you wake up in a cold, dark room with eyes on you and the cloying smell of decay all around you. Characters who have been kidnapped are being kept in the lower floor of Alder's estate, which is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors. Without exception, the way out is always either locked or heavily guarded. All kidnapped characters have been infected with the Cwyld (sometimes by proximity to botanical materials, sometimes by being directly exposed to the violent Shades they already have imprisoned) and are being used to further the Evergreen Circle's research into the nature of the plague. The details of these tests is expanded on in the plotting post and, needless to say, their capturers have very little interest in their wellbeing. They're needlessly cruel, often pitting victims against each other and forcing them to infect newer arrivals as they turn up. Subjects are allowed a few hours of sleep at a time and a small meal- assuming that they're not being purposefully deprived of either- and are locked together in cramped cells. ii. Alternative Theory Some characters, however, escape this particular cruelty in favour of something else just as dehumanising. If a member of the inner circle has taken a liking to someone, they'll take them out of the pool of tests subjects and move them into their households. Servitude is ensured by a strong enchantment that scrambles memories and replaces them with the false knowledge that they've been working there all along. These brainwashed servants might also be forced to participate in the torture and testing of the others.

Initiation The night of the initiation party is here. If you've managed to ingratiate yourself with the cult- or at least a member of rank- you'll have already received an elegant envelope with an invitation and all the details. Or maybe you stole one or put together a convincing forgery. Alder's estate is handsome, with a small courtyard lit up with strings of lights and servants at the double doors to greet guests. Inside is just as grand. The hall and ballroom are impressive spaces with vaulted ceilings painted with elaborate star maps and broken up with marble columns that wouldn't look out of place in a palace. Drinks tables are lined up against the walls and there are several smaller drawing rooms off to the side, all of which are full of guests. Throughout the first hour or so, Alder himself flits from person to person, congratulating them and making smalltalk, but he seems different somehow. Excitable. Eager. Of course, there are other ways one might get in; while the front entrance is closely monitored, the side one leading through the kitchens isn’t. In the hustle and bustle, you might slip through unnoticed. i. Cavorting and Cruelty It isn't long before things take a turn. Alder takes to the head of the room and, with his signature voice amplifying enchantment, addresses his audience. He greets everyone and gives a fairly standard speech thanking guests and welcoming initiates to the Evergreen Circle proper- and then it happens. Servants begin to wheel in cages and tanks, all containing individuals infected with the Cwyld at various stages. Some look to have been drugged, others are wide awake, but the regulars seem delighted by their presence. They whisper and titter and applaud. Some of the more docile victims are even taken out to be showed off like animals at a fayre. "Tonight, let us enjoy the fruits of our labour! Witness the progress we've made and share our blessings among yourselves! Fear will only blind you to taking the next step. Indulge, open your minds and take the first step towards your salvation!" What he means by this quickly becomes apparent. While they're not discussing or mocking the imprisoned witches and monsters, the other guests are partaking of vice the party has to offer. The drinks flow freely and there's a manic energy in the air. Those with sharp senses might recognise that some of it has been artificially crafted by enchantments. Furthermore, if you're looking for missing loved ones, you'll no doubt spot them among the "test subjects" or servants. Good luck trying to snap the latter back to reality, though: their memories have been tightly sealed and it might take some work. One of the drawing rooms has been half curtained off and a woman at the door skittishly offers the curious an aphrodisiac-laden draught, though some might have accidentally had some already. Within, guests are draped over every surface in varying states of undress, though there are partitions up to allow for more privacy. What better way is there to spread the Cwyld and strengthen bonds than intimacy? ii. Midnight Show Things reach a fever pitch around midnight. Once more, Alder calls for everyone's attention. "There's one more thing. I know all of you are loyal, true believers- but everyone must be tested," he says, gesturing to several larger bodyguards, "and we have to protect ourselves. There are those who don't understand us and seek to undo our work. Therefore, we need to tie up loose ends." One by one, the least aggressive Cwyld-infected subjects are dragged from their cages and any remaining individuals are brought out, all restrained. One of the bodyguards is carrying a large ceremonial dagger, which he presses to the vampire at the front’s throat. "Rest assured, their deaths with not be in vain: we have learned much and they will make for the perfect offering to the beings who gave us the Cwyld's blessing!" The knife flashes, ready to cut already decaying flesh- - a blood-curdling scream echoes through the room and glass shatters as a Shade breaks free from its prison. It ploughs into the guests, howling with rage as it tears into anyone and everyone that stands in its way, and others soon follow. At some point during the chaos, Alder appears to realise that he’s been caught. He, along with his inner circle, set to work trying to cover up their actions, setting the basement floor alight and using magic to bring down supports to block doorways completely. If you want to gather evidence, it has to be now, else you can focus your efforts on a rescue mission or chasing the cult leader himself down.

[ ooc: More information about the event can be found on the plotting post along with comments for questions, and an IC vote concerning Alder's fate! ]

Comments

Saori Nakagawa | Original

[needsteaplz]

[CW for kidnapping, violence, torture, blood captivity]
Spirited Away  I-A
[She let her guard down. Saori decided to help intervene in the kidnappings going on. Then one night, she was escorting the turnskin child she rescued from such attempt when another pair of cultists ambushed them. She gave the child the chance to escape, but they weren't the target this time. Though she transformed into her beastly form and gave one of them hell by ripping off an arm, it was a small price to pay as the other knocked her out with a well aimed lightening bolt.

When she did wake up, she found herself back in her usual form but now surrounded by stone and steel.  Her fox ears picked up on whispers  around her. "She's pretty...for a chimera, anyway.  Good thing they didn't take her away from us. Have you seen her teeth? She'd be a perfect to spread the Cwyld." Saori snarled loudly which silenced them.]

Damn you all! 

Spirited Away  I-B
[The heavy metal doors to one of the holding chambers creakily opens. With a grunt, a guard tosses a body of the female chimera in, which lands with a thud and rolls to a stop while the partner watches. The two pause to see if does anything besides imitate a rag doll. "You sure she's really alive?" The other just shrugs as he locks up the door again since he's only following the higher up's orders.

Whoever is her unfortunate cell partner or neighbor maybe be able to see Saori was barely breathing and even cold to the touch. Some droplets of ice cold water still clung to her skin.  Patches of the crocodile skin on her back and tail are missing with blood both fresh and caked on in its place.  Saori's eyes slowly opened and whispered.]

Cold...

Midnight Show
[More patches of her crocodile skin are missing, and her limbs have blood smeared on them. Between the experiments and being thrown into cage matches with Shades, she is also running low on sleep among other things. On her left shoulder there's a small blackened bite mark, still looking rather fresh.

At the sound of the chaos erupting around them, Saori's eyes snap open from the micro nap and she stands up. She scans the panicked audience for any familiar faces, but screw it, she'll find a way out as she starts slamming her weight against the side of the cage. It takes a few times but she manages to get cage to topple off the stage and bust the door enough for her push her way out. The moment of freedom is brief however as she struggles to get her lower body out as her tail is too big to fit through such a small space without inflicting even more pain onto herself. ]

Wildcard
[If there's another idea you have in mind for a thread, hit me up at kansaiphones]

nami | one piece

[weatherscience]

( closed starters below! if you want one, hmu @ celen )

FOR YENNEFER.

[weatherscience]

[ sneaking in? that had been the easy part, with nami's magic and her mirroring spell that allows her to move mostly unseen for a time.

but fighting... that has never been what she likes — sure, as a pirate, it's inevitable! it's something she takes pride training, too, because she's determined to not be a weakling who can't protect herself or be an asset to her crew.

but.

but.

that doesn't mean she likes fighting! or that facing enemies and the potential threat of cwyld infection doesn't frighten her.

which is why the chaos breaks out — oh, sure, she electrocutes a couple of cultists with ease, but the moment a shade comes anywhere near her she dives behind the closest reliable-looking person... ]

Aaaahhhh, help!!

[ ... who just happens to be yennefer. sorry?? ]

[chaoticbeauty]

[ When the Shade gets out, it’s absolute chaos. She was trying to get to Jaskier -- momentarily breaking off from Geralt to help a few others on their way to Jaskier. On the upside, if there even could be one, the Shade was at least easily distracted. Given how many others there were for it to take its rage out on.

And in the heat of battle, staying focused was something Yen could at least do, barely registering when Nami jumps behind her before yelling.

The scream definitely earns some attention, Yennefer acting quickly to grab a cultist and kick them backwards into a portal, teleporting them directly into the path of the Shade. Easier said than done in her dress and heels, but she manages. ]

That won't distract it for long, we need to move.

[weatherscience]

[ — whoa. that's really impressive! it's why nami tends to opt for mini-dresses or skirts instead of longer ones; easier to move in a fight... but clearly that's not an issue for yennefer. ]

Thanks, [ nami breathes out in relief, but nods and pushes herself up again. she's right; they can hardly stay like this. the more they're still, the easier a target they make.

besides — ]

Yeah... I need to find A-Cheng. [ then, looking at yennefer, ] I can make us invisible for a moment, if that helps. Otherwise, I specialize in lightning... but in a crowd like this, it's just as easy to hit people I'm not supposed to hit as those I am!

[chaoticbeauty]

[ It's only an issue if there's a needed illusion of modesty. Yen has no illusions of needing to keep herself covered, having chosen this dress specifically in the interest of making others uncomfortable with the amount of skin she was showing, to earn some privacy in a crowd. People often looked away from more... promiscuous moments.

Yennefer would almost find this moment amusing, once again seemingly coming to the woman's rescue at the strangest of times. But, there's too much going on and too many lives at stake. ]

I can get you to who you're looking for and get you both at least closer to the exit. But, you'll likely need to get them out the rest of the way on your own. [ And she gets it, the reason she's not using fire or attempting to teleport specific parts of a person. Though, the consequences of teleporting someone a long distance is dangerous and could be used to her advantage. But not tonight.

When the Shade finishes with the cultist quickly, Yen's already moving. ] Invisibility would be good.

[weatherscience]

[ nami seems to be thinking along the same lines, actually finding a second to laugh a little — ]

I seem to be troubling you every time I see you!

[ far it be from the straw hats not to be able to laugh during a fight, no matter how serious. but the smile turns into determination quickly enough and nami nods. ]

Yes, don't worry, I can handle that! [ and, if anyone tries pursuing her... well, then she'll be out in the open. better to use her magic, then.

for now, though, what she casts is: ] Mirage tempo!

[ to themselves, nothing much seems to happen; but to others, both yennefer and nami seem to reflect everything around them, blending into the surroundings. not quite invisible, but in a chaos like this, it's as good as. ]

[chaoticbeauty]

[ There's no such thing as an appropriate reaction in any situation. Everyone handled stress and fear differently, some chose laughter and others reacted with anger because it was often easier to muster. But, keeping brevity in dire situations was sometimes needed. It was something she could appreciate from the more optimistic types as long as the situation wasn't immediately life-threatening.

The trick is very handy, Yen filing it away for a later date -- a spell that might be useful for Jaskier to learn if they can get him out of this alive. ]

Let's move, then. Do you know where they're holding A-Cheng?

[weatherscience]

No, [ she says with a frown, her earlier levity gone for now that she focuses on the task ahead. ]

But he can't be far. I don't think they're holding anyone too far from here.

[ deftly sidestepping a cultist so that she doesn't run straight into her, nami glances at yennefer, asking, ]

What about you? Are you here for a bonded, too?

[chaoticbeauty]

[ That's not something she can confirm, but it makes sense. Easier to track everyone's responses to the visual of mirrorbound in cages and varying states of corruption. Displayed like prized pieces of a collection. It was disgusting, but not surprising.

The cultist bounces off of a shield, Yennefer opting for an added layer of caution when she spots them. She didn't need anyone trying to make a grab for Nami out of panic or rage that their work was being undone so quickly. People often did unspeakable things when faced with blind panic as likely years of work unravels with a single breath.

Yennefer chooses her words carefully, her tone deceptively calm. ]

Yes, the man you met at the tavern that was with me. We're looking for a friend. Hopefully we find yours quickly.

[ Not that she didn't think Geralt couldn't handle freeing Jaskier on his own, but it was important for her to be there with him. For both of them. ]

[weatherscience]

[ blinking, she turns her focus from the chaos to yennefer, for a moment. ]

Geralt? [ clearly she's seen him more since then; not much, but enough to know him a little better. enough to have seen him crouch down and pet her cat, which took away a lot of the initial intimidation factor. ] He's here too?

[ then, she exhales, a relieved sound. ] Good. He seems reliable. [ with a soft smile, ] And I hope you find yours, too.

[chaoticbeauty]

[ For all his hard edges, there's a softness to Geralt few get to see. A softness she's grown accustomed to behind closed doors. When the dry wit doesn't carry a sharp edge. If Yen were the emotionally available type, she might've even taken this moment to offer her own praise for Geralt. But, there was too much to do and too much at stake. So, she keeps it brief as they move. ]

Reliable and handy in a fight. [ Especially since they knew each other's styles so well at this point, it was easy to compliment each other. ]

And we will. Of that I have no doubt. Did you spot your friend during the party at all?

[weatherscience]

I can imagine that!

[ she's not seen him fight — well, not outside of the raid here, but from what little she did see, he deserves the compliment. ]

Mm, I did, but now in this chaos... he's got dark, long hair and he wears purple robes, so I don't understand how he can be this hard to spot!

[ but maybe if yen sees a flash of purple, now, she'll let her know. ]

[chaoticbeauty]

[ Her history with Geralt is not one she ever intends to share, even conversationally. There are certain parts of her life that will remain private for as long as she can manage.

The mention of purple robes is all Yen needed to hear, shifting her focus to search for color rather than a face. Easier to manage without having to attempt to hunt for someone she's never met by just description of appearances. There's an actual ability to help now, no time to do any sort of tracking magic in the mess and chaos. There's a yell and an explosion of wood as the Shade blows through a table, Yen instinctively shielding to block the projectiles.

And when tracking the Shade with her eyes, she catches a flash of purple through the sea of bodies and screams, deeper into the crowd than Yen would have intentionally gone without good reason. ]

I think I spotted him, stay close.

[weatherscience]

[ despite knowing that yennefer has shielded them before, nami still dives down as the projectiles fly towards them, only to exhale in relief when they scatter around them along the edges of the shield. ]

That's useful, [ she mutters, quietly deciding that maybe that should be the next spell she attempts to learn...

but the moment yennefer says that she might have actually seen her bonded, nami turns to her, eyes wide and hopeful. ]

Yes! Thank you... just, if you can get me close enough, I can do the rest.