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Player Plot: The Salvation of Geardagas, Part II
Event Log: February, The Salvation of Geardagas: Part II
Spirited Away, Part 2
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.
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Initiation
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.
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?
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! ]
sure don't have an angry enough emote for this
Karin tackles Dimitri Urmanov to the ground with her strike, digging her talons in until he screams with pain. Some part of Alice wants to wince and shy away from the violence and agony of it all. It's the part of her, she realizes, that's been brainwashed to react that way--Alice Elliot herself has faced far, far worse than the pained screams of a man on the precipice of his comeuppance. She can't remember much of it, but she knows it to be true.
In response to Karin's threat, Dmitri turns his attention to Alice.]
"Alice, please... have her stand down... I've been so good to you..."
[As if he hadn't just murdered that faun in cold blood. As if he hadn't just tried to kill her, spoke of her like a plaything to be discarded once she's inconvenient. As if he didn't deserve the fury of a woman tortured and pushed to the edge.
He's counting on Alice's false memories to win her back to his side, appealing to the loyalty he'd implanted within her consciousness to be enough to have her pity him and want to help him. Alice is horrified to realize that it kind of works. Her stomach drops and a wave of sympathy for the man who raised her hits her square in the chest. He's always been a kind man, a good man... why would he...?
The horror of it causes something deep inside of her to snap.]
How dare you.
[Even pinned as he is, Dimitri seems to shrink back at the aggressiveness of her response.]
Do you see what suffering your Circle has brought? People lined in cages, terrified and wounded and infected and dying? Do you see Karin? Look at her and tell me you don't notice what's happened to her. [And to Jaskier. And to the faun whose name he probably doesn't even know.] You did this. And now you have the audacity to try and hide behind a woman whose memories you stole.
How dare you. The men I know back home who committed these sorts of atrocities at least had the conviction to fight and die for them.
[Tears are running down Alice's face, rage and pain and sorrow needing some sort of outlet so that they don't consume her. The hallucination of Yuri is gone, but she swears she can hear him say Atta girl, Alice.
She takes a few steadying breaths before turning to Karin. Her voice is quieter, but still shakes the the pressure of her anger.]
He won't apologize.
[It's permission to proceed with the execution. May God have mercy on her for it.]
I don’t either but I re-read this and I sure am crying, this is fine
It turns her stomach, but they both know it to be true. The man pinned beneath her is a coward, desperate to hide behind one of his own victims, and she will not let it stand.
She’s taken lives before. More than she can count, if she’s being honest, in the name of being a soldier, but it was never like this. It was often in self-defense, and perhaps this was, too, but it was more than that— this was a crime of passion, of hurt and of rage that could not be held back.
But he deserves this. She’s not so vain as to think that she can truly say who should live and who should die, that she can make a decision with such finality, but in this case... she’ll make the exception.
He deserves this.
She takes Alice’s permission for what it is and lets her talons sink in deep, tearing flesh, and his screams are quickly silenced as his attempts to call for help are drowned in his own blood before she severs his vocal cords. It only takes a matter of seconds; human life is so much more fragile than any of them ever give it credit for, but his throat is left open and raw, his blood bright against pale flesh as he goes still beneath her, the spray of it falling across her face even so.
She goes still, and her shoulders sag forward as she drops her gaze.
He absolutely deserved this.]
He can’t hurt you anymore, Alice.
[He can’t hurt anyone.]
everything is fine >_> I'm not crying, you're crying
Well... no, it isn't over. The chaos continues around them. But for Alice, it certainly feels over. Dimitri Urmanov is dead. Her world as she thought she knew it has come crashing down in the course of a night. She's covered in blood and infection, and she's filled with pain and fury. Every thought, every memory feels like a betrayal regardless of if it belongs to her or the person the Circle had wanted her to be.
Everything feels real. Everything feels false.
All this time, she's been a victim of the Evergreen Circle's cruelty just as much as the people in the cages. The difference is that she's just now realizing it.
Alice slowly slinks to the floor and lets out a keening sob, the kind of cry she hasn't made since her father died. Her actual father, who actually died horribly in front of her eyes so that she could be spared. The noise is full of grief and trauma and pain and terror, and she feels as small and useless as she did back then. This time, however, she isn't alone hiding in an unknown cellar and screaming into a bag of grain for fear of alerting her enemy to her presence.
Karin is here. Karin is protecting her, saving her, just as she promised Yuri she would. Just as she promised Alice she would.
Alice reaches out for her bonded, burying her face in her shoulder as she continues to cry.]
I am absolutely crying
She pulls Alice against her, ignoring the blood on her own face and hands, sitting back on her heels and resting her chin atop her Bonded's head, her eyes screwed shut.
This isn't over, and it won't be even after they've left this manor, but they're a step closer, and Alice is safe. She's free.]
You're safe.
[The reassurance is soft, Karin's voice hoarse from countless days of her own abuse, and her embrace tightens as she allows Alice to sob into her shoulder. She'll not shush her, or expect her to move— not until she's done, and she can take as long as she likes.]
I have you. And we're going to be fine.
no subject
For the moment, that knowledge is all Alice needs. The rest, they'll handle later. Together.]