[open] pre-gaming, the dignitary variety

[freeing]

Who: Anyone invested in the Dorchacht Dilemma or planning to visit Dorchacht through the event.
When: Septeril 1st, late evening
Where: The Sly Seadog
What: Planning
Warnings: Who the eff knows



[ It was getting late in the evening, but it was crucial to meet up. Daenerys – with the help of some more technologically savvy people – offered invitations to anyone who seemed interested in the affair with Dorchacht.

They meet at the Sly Seadog: a run-down little dive of a tavern, found along a narrow back-alley in the harbour, frequented by sailors, welcoming to Monsters and humans alike. The crowd is dense for this early in the "night", but still a few drunkards pawning off their last bit of money for a little bit more booze.

It was not up to a standard she would prefer, but it's something and it's relatively quiet. Three long tables can fit enough people for their meeting – and there's some standing room at the bar. Time to get down to business, right?

Feel free to top level, make points, argue, etc. ]

Comments

IC SUGGESTIONS

[freeing]

Leave some IC suggestions for your character to make. Reply with +1s if you support this route. We can maybe present this to the mods on how they could handle the upcoming excursion.

EXAMPLE

[freeing]

Burn them all.

CONTACT THE RESISTANCE

[sageprincess]

A task for the more, ah... discreet among us, but it simply does not feel right to leave their opinions out of the discussion.

DON'T BE STUPID

[lonewanderer]

Just don't.

this counts as a suggestion right

SMUGGLE MONSTERS BACK TO AEFENGLOM

[starseedling]

Just put those oppressed monsters in your magic pockets and take them home. As many as you can carry.

GO HOME

[usurpers]

there’re a lot of people working on dorch and that’s actually fantastic! 👏 anyone want to focus their misplaced energies onto why they’re being dragged into this in the first place?

hard to tell if he’s being serious of if he just had way too many drinks. eren will be contacting anyone who agrees in the near future!

Win hearts & minds

[faithlikeaseed]

While the vengeful, what-would-Andraste-do part of Myr wants to burn Dorch to the ground, indiscriminately free slaves, and kick over trash cans, he's trying to remember there's a lot of non-Monster smallfolk there who probably aren't bad sorts and don't know any better about Monsters than they've been told.

So, since starting a nuclear war in the gay bar is off the table: Take a little time, especially if you're a Monster, to demonstrate kindness to those who seem worth the effort. Especially if you can do it in a particularly Monstrous way.

(This doesn't mean you can't cause havoc discreetly, of course. He sure plans to.)

As for him, he may be taking some bags of wildflower seed to cheer up bare patches of dirt. Faun terrorism. Fight the power!!

Give the monster delegates magic protection in clothing or armor

[thisisamazing]

If other witches who learned the resistance's anti-compulsion spell in the dream want to help recreate and brush up the runes with their own spin (to keep it from being immediately recognizable as the resistance's), and enchant them into clothing / keep the enchantments charged up through the trip, Hiccup will want to provide their monster delegates with a sort of safety net to keep them from basically being steamrolled in talks.

ota — everybody got they cups 🍺

[usurpers]

[ queer little situation.

as far as those who’ve showed up are concerned, eren is one of them. different than he was perhaps for those who’ve seen him anywhere close to last week, or anytime before that— he might even do well in blending into the ambience undetected. as far as an undetected dragon man goes. he has aged an extra year in a night, his hair unquestionably longer and his height towering a few more inches (his dragon legs are coming in fine). tattoos, new enough to bleed some, paint the membranes of his arm wings in and out with the symbols of runes and enchantments, up the neck and down the back, only covered partially by a black-pattern poncho (which doesn’t cover much).

odd is also how the man does not speak when he was once even expected to be talkative, coal and deep sunset scales occasionally shimmering into brighter or duller colors to match his hidden mood, behind a stoic expression that only listens, observes, and allow his fingers to play with a broken piece of glass against the counter. his broken piece of glass, mind you.

how many drinks he’s had by now is a mystery, but the bartender seems impressed when he asks for one more, as calmly as he did the last time. ]

Lots willing to help. [ he says to the person next to him, after a moment is given between conversations. it’s hard to tell if he’s being ironic about something, trying to start conversation or if he’s just flat with his words, all that doesn’t seem to match an expression so staid.

don’t mind him, just getting a feel. ]

[proficience]

[As a man soon to play the part of a dignitary, Dazai was one of many to receive an invitation to the pub, though he's not quite sure what to make of the entire situation, or even the atmosphere. Many conversations are going at once, which, while not overwhelming to him, are a little on the annoying side.

The fact that he can't really drink alcohol to enjoy the taste any longer doesn't help, as evidenced by how he looks at this stranger's next drink with desire-filled eyes. He even sighs a little. But, it seems that the stranger has noticed him, so he should respond. He feigns a small smile.]

I've been told that the more there are, the merrier. Still trying to figure out if that's the case.

[He pauses.]

That your drink of choice?

[cspd]

Getting this many people on the same page is going to be like herding cats.

[ Lloyd has...some notes scribbled on the notebook in front of him, though not as many as the amount of talking being done would seem to imply - because he's writing down facts and important questions they need to answer, and leaving off the arguing, filler, posturing, and the like.

He sighs and takes a minute sip of his drink - his one drink, which seems to be disappearing at a glacial pace.

It's going to be a long night. ]

[overworker]

[Towa has shifted seats several times to get involved in different plans and enter into discussion. While she knows that going is unavoidable at this point, she knows that there are a great number of people who's ideas of getting involved go further than she'd hoped they would.]

It may not be our fight, but I think a lot of people-- myself included-- find it hard to ignore the issue we see. If not because it's morally wrong then... because we never want to see such horrible practices implemented where they could further affect us.

[The shock of those living conditions, and the threat of conflict are good enough reasons to shake anyone. And she's not just a little uneasy about what their involvement could mean for their situation. But there was a risk that came with not getting involved as well. She takes a long, slow drink of scotch from the glass in front of her, closing her eyes.]

I just... hope we're making the right decision.

ota

[thisisamazing]

[Hiccup makes his way into the tavern trailed by a dragon, which is not unusual for him. A couple of people recognize him - recognize Toothless, more like; the apprentice to a blacksmith he frequents, an old sailor they share their catch of fish with sometimes. He greets them on his way in when they greet him first, but his smile isn't all there - it hasn't been since the dream.

He's looking pretty sleepless these days, a little more rumpled than usual. There's a streak of soot on the side of his neck that he missed when he was washing up to come into town. He's had nightmares that keep him awake, lately, and he's been working his ass off in the forge to finish orders and something else people might notice - Toothless is sporting a new tail-fin, this one a matte jet black, blending into his scales unlike the red leather of his previous one. He's also not wearing the usual saddle today.

Hiccup sits toward the end of the table, and Toothless sits right behind him, big chin on his shoulder and the edge of the chair, watching the others gathered. A little tiredly, he says,] If they really are keeping monsters as slaves, how can we settle for anything less than freeing them?

[freeing]

[ Look, she respects Hiccup's space, but she's totally going to be all up on Toothless with some pets and scruffing, okay. Daenerys did notice his new tail and was pretty in awe of such a thing – it was beautiful, in its own technical way.

Her gaze was to Hiccup, however. ]

The first step is preparing ourselves before the excursion, then seeing firsthand if the enslavement we saw is truth. I do not trust dreams, but I am wary of them. [ They do not want a war – she does not want a war. ] I do not believe many of us could sit silently with dilemma of the monsters. I also do not believe either city is ready to go to war, based upon the bigger threat they have... This slavery may be the only sense of stability they have, wrongfully so.

ota - a snoopy bar-birb

[rowdyraven]

[Well this is...something. He's worked here at The Sly Seadog for a while - since his first few weeks in the city, in fact - and it's rare to see this number of outsiders (those like himself) gathered in the rowdy little dive that reminds him so sharply of home. He's been keeping to himself for some time, since his...housemate...up and left him, since the changes came in thick and fast and left him near-unrecognizable as the man he'd been upon entry into this strange world. Thickly feathered now, inky wings tucked close to his back, hands sharply taloned and legs digitigrade where they'd once been long and straight and pale. He cuts an imposing figure, startlingly tall, eye-patch abanoned now and leaving his plagued eye on unabashed display - just one monstrous feature amidst a myriad of them, why bother to hide it? - and though he has a ready smile for any of the regulars, it's one filled with razor-sharp teeth.

But never mind him. It's the other outsiders that are of interest. He's seen the posts on his watch, has heard tell of the most recent dream, one he didn't fall prey to but which has caused - it seems - quite a stir. And finally, for the first time in what feels like far too long, his interest is piqued. He's been inert, morose, useless really, since his arrival here, his grand plans of bringing medical aid to those outside the wall abandoned when his monstrous changes began to take hold. Perhaps its about time he actually went and did something useful around here.

So whilst he isn't directly taking part in the meeting, he's listening in, collecting glasses from those two long tables with greater frequency than is strictly necessary, and will happily strike up conversation with anyone who comes to the bar for the cheap - but strong - swill on offer, here.]

[freeing]

[ Sorry, hope you get a million tips for the bullshit the Sly Seadog is being put through. Daenerys had needed a lot of drink to calm her nerves, to further think clearly and allow others to weigh in. She was not their Queen – but she was invested in ensuring no one ended in collars. If one city could do so, what is stopping Aefenglom? It's a pessimistic concern she keeps only to her trusted ones and washes it down with a few heavy drinks.

As he filters in and out, taking her empty – Daenerys looks up with an appreciative nod. ]

Thank you, ser. I apologize if we leave a mess in our wake, some... may be getting carried away.

ota

[freeing]

[ It... was very clear that this woman was vocal during this whole mess. Hellbound and tunnel-visioned on ensuring at the end of the day, justice was ample to all citizens of this world. With no true investment beyond her short-sighted view of slavery, Daenerys wishes to gain council from others. To listen and view the choices they have properly.

She sits in a corner with a few people she trusts, sipping on backwater ale and trying to not interject. For once, she is restraining her thoughts until people had a chance to speak. Carefully, Daenerys will stand and address anyone who wishes to listen, almost as if giving a speech: ]

Friends, we all share a common concern. The dreams we have been given have not yet proven as fact or omen. We are extended the opportunity to see for ourselves what lies in... Dorchacht. Admittedly, I have heard concerns both erring caution and encouraging justice to be sought. Both are true – which is why we must hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

You know not of me nor have reason to place faith in me, but I assure you – I will listen to you all and offer my own considerations all the same. So please –

[ Daenerys opens the topic up rather bluntly: ]

We are being brought to seemingly offer reparations – but we must offer them the time to tell us their demands first. I believe we should speak with Aefenglom's Coven on what they are willing to do for the best and worst outcomes. It is in my opinion that we shall not allow Aefenglom to roll over like dogs to their demands.

[ A breath, more harshly: ]

We must find a way to protect anyone going on this excursion. Armor, spells to counter magic, plans to ensure not all of our people are at the same location in fear of an attack. Once again, I believe more experienced Witches may be useful to bring along.

[ Dany does not yield in her own anxiety for offering such a bold claim, instead she fuels herself on knowing what is right: ]

My main concern is this: if we find Morgana Drummond to be encouraging the enslavement of monsters, abusing magic with vocal commands, or selling monsters... we must work with the Aefenglom Coven to ensure this does not bleed into their city and we put a stop to it in theirs. I do not suggest war, but I seek to snuff out any spark of that behavior. How we go about that... I am still not for certain.

[ Daenerys is use to giving orders, not bending. Yet... it visibly looks as if she is strained to do so. Her eyes dart around and finally: ]

I am open for suggestions. Please, someone take the floor. I fear we have a long night ahead of us.

[rollfordiplomacy]

[Everett is at the meeting with a feather in hand and notes being written. There's wine before him, but it is scarcely sipped. He wants to stay sharp for the discussions being had, well document points being made so they can be looked back upon and nothing is talked over. He tends to speak up when the page is full and his ink needs time to settle in before he turns to a new fold of parchment.

Dany's words take up a neat page, all their own.

When there is some lull in the conversation, some taking a break to refresh their drinks and chat between themselves rather than at the entire forum, he moves to sit by her.

He leads with a joke, because of course he does]

How was the stay with your mother? [haha, you really clocked him...]

ota

[fiddlestick]

[In this dive bar, Elliot looks a little out of place. A short young man, scrawny enough to have a strong wind knock him over. His expression betrays his nerves too. He's doing his best to be composed, but there's no hiding the anxiety coming from him. His hands hold onto a glass of water, not being a drinker himself or perhaps being too young.

He doesn't talk much through the meeting, but he's paying attention to the words being spoken. Thinking, assessing, sometimes reacting with widen eyes or a quiet sound of concern. There's no doubt the situation they were shown in Dorchact bothers him, but he doesn't seem to get caught up in the fervor with the more outspoken members of the meeting. This is a time for him to gather information, not join in any causes. ]

[halfmoon]

If you grip that glass of water any tighter, it's going to shatter.

[ Makoto's soft, low voice from beside Elliot is light and friendly, despite the grave topic of discussion. He flashes a reserved smile at him and takes a sip of his own drink... which might be alcohol. Maybe.

Sighing, he leans closer to him so they can quietly talk without causing too much of a disruption. He's wearing a black shawl typical of witches, but underneath it is a large red hood. Right now, it's piled up on his shoulders and behind his head, but when he walked into the bar he had it pulled so far down his face that you might wonder whether he could see where he was going. ]

What do you make of all this?

[topslug]

While Yako's been mostly silent, listening to others interject with their viewpoints, this is a perspective she agrees with, and she'll raise her voice in support.

"We just don't know enough about Dorchacht itself, or how long this has been going on," she offers. "Based on records I found in the dream, I do know that they were in favor of Serwyl da Uathmar ruling Geardagas, and that they got the idea to use monsters as shock troops. But that doesn't tell us much about the resistance itself ... and they weren't willing to let us into their confidence, even if they were willing to help."

It doesn't immediately occur to her that people might not even know who she's referring to, there. Her teeth worry at her lip.

"I want to help these people, but I don't think we're in a position to dictate to them what help they need."

ota

[cspd]

[ Lloyd has a drink, but just one, and he's nursing it so slowly it'll clearly last the night...even if they have a lot to talk about. There's also a notebook out in front of him, although he's not noting every comment and suggestion - just concrete facts and the most important points. ]

Not all of us are planning on going for the same reasons. I think it'd be wise to get an idea of who here does have diplomatic experience, and who's focused on other concerns.

[overworker]

[She hadn't come expecting to drink but-- well, with the opportunity, it's not a bad idea. Just one. Enough to help calm her nerves but not mess up her thinking.]

...well... I don't know if I'd call it diplomatic experience, but... when the civil war broke out, I was the acting captain of the Courageous. We acted as a third party, separated from either side of the conflict. That experience... it feels kind of similar, now.

[firewalled]

[Rich looks exhausted and far less enthusiastic than he usually is when he enters the bar. It's been... a rough time, since that dream-that-apparently-wasn't-a-dream in Dorchacht. It's all the more reason for him to go, though. There isn't a point to moping around and feeling sorry for himself. It's easier to handle his problems by... well, he'd call this confronting them, but it's really more running away from one to go find another.

Still, he's willing to listen, even if he doesn't think himself smart enough to really contribute. He doesn't drink, but eventually his old spark of passion comes back, and he even feels willing to bring up a point.]

Do you think we should try to disguise any monsters who have more noticeable features? [He gestures to his face, a good third of the burn scar on his cheek now covered with orange and red scales.] Just in case they turn out to not be as willing to discuss things with us. Lots of people think this could be a trap.

[fifty]

If you want to disguise yourself, or if anyone else does, that's cool, but I think it'd be good if some of us don't. If we're all disguised, it'll look like we only sent witches, and they could take that as Aefenglom not thinking monsters are as good as witches either.

[heartsbane]

[ Jorah has, for the most part, sat silent near Daenerys' side as she held her conversation with the numerous other individuals that have gathered along with them. he has many opinions and thoughts, some that even conflict with that of his Queen's, but he refrains from stating them for now. he tries to practice the advice of listening before speaking, so some considerable time passes before he decides to involve himself.

unlike Dany, he does not stand to ensure attention is placed on him. he simply gulps down a liberal portion of his ale before moving to wipe it out of his beard with the back of his wrist. ]

While I share my Queen's sentiments regarding the importance of preventing a preemptive attack from Dorchacht, I do not believe we should be the first to draw our swords. We need a more subtle approach. There are far too many unanswered questions, and we cannot assume the answers we do have are true simply because of a dream.

[ perhaps Jorah is still equating his lack of knowledge to being relatively new, but he can't hope to imagine there are many in Aefenglom with the full story. ]

I have no reason to doubt our own Coven over that of Dorchacht's, but I am uncomfortable with blindly assuming they have told us everything they know. Sending any one of us with them under the guise of diplomacy is dangerous.

[ and the idea of Daenerys volunteering herself without seeking Jorah's advice yields... thoughts, but he keeps those to himself if only because he knows they would fall on empty ears. ]

They talked of an alternative means of getting there. One that is more... volatile, but perhaps unexpected. Does anyone know more of what they meant by "teleportation"? If it works to ensure a small group of us can enter unannounced, maybe we can obtain the answers we week before we make any rash decisions.

[ there is much for them to find out themselves. if the rebellion exists in the real Dorchacht, if the witches that have died truly died, any signs of an army preparing for an inevitable war. it's dangerous work, but Jorah believes it's more practical and assumed than that of blindly sailing to the enemy in hopes of peacemaking. ]

OTA

[alienwear]

[ Peridot is woefully undecided as to how to deal with this whole messy Dorcha business. The little green dragon showed up on the scene along with that one faerie kid some of the people here might recognize from the network, slinking onto the scene quietly and taking a seat while all the others debate.

Those who know her will notice that she's being uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole meeting. She's really just here to observe intently to all the other ideas being put forward. Her tail is draped over the edge of her chair, swishing back and forth slowly. She also has a mug of ale clasped between her clawed hands throughout the whole discussion, which she very occasionally lifts to take tiny sips from. Each sip is followed by a hideously disgusted expression, face scrunched, mouth open with her forked blue tongue sticking all the way out, as if its trying to escape from the taste of the alcohol. ]

[usurpers]

[ smol dragon, meet tol dragon. he is both accompanying her in drink and, surprise, a flicking reptile tongue every time he sips. his features are just, you know! completely and magically straight. he could compete with garnet for a little while if he wanted to. ]

Looks good.

[ he doesn’t have a tail (yet), but scales, horns, fangs & claws, arm-wings— even legs that are no longer a man’s are all accounted for. ]

OTA

[starseedling]

[Steven feels pretty out of place in a bar, even if it's filled with people he's seen around or is friends with. He's pretty sure he's not allowed to go in bars or drink in normal circumstances, so his presence is a bit awkward and non-commital, like he's waiting for someone to kick him out.

Fortunately, being a fae might actually help him, here. It's easy to assume his youthful appearance is a byproduct of his species, given how short and ageless they tend to be. He isn't drinking any alcohol though, which means he's probably not pleasing their venue. Maybe he'll try ordering food?

It could be good, right? It turns out that it's not so good. He orders some kind of meat pie, receives it, and is so spooked by its interior that he turns it away from him and tries to pretend it never happened.

So! Politics. He doesn't have a ton left to say at this point, but...]

Do you think they'll even listen to any monsters that come along? I'm pretty sure they think we were born to be slaves.

[thisisamazing]

[And that would be Toothless, sliding his head flat along the table, trying to subtly get his mouth around that abandoned meat pie, like a dog that knows it isn't supposed to eat off the table but is risking it anyway.

Hiccup shakes his head.] Maybe they will or maybe they won't, but it won't do our cause any good to only send witches to these talks. Why- why should they listen to us about freeing monsters if we don't include them at the table as our equals?

If they want to treat with us, they'll have to treat with monsters too. We have to show them that we're stronger as a united front.

OTA

[fifty]

Okay, hey guys! There's a bunch of us, huh? [America is loud and confident--whether you approve or not, there's no doubt he knows how to draw the attention of an entire room, and he's doing his best to do so now.] That's great, 'cause if there were only a few of us they'd probably feel even more okay messing with us. But! They're probably gonna do anyway, so I've got a question! You guys who said you've got experience with diplomatic meetings and politics and all that. Like, we're obviously from all sorts of different places, but it'd be good to know who needs more or less coaching, right? Someone already asked but I want more specifics! Like it'd probably be good to know what kind of experience it is specifically, too! Like if you mostly work with small groups or with big groups and if your world is similar to this one! Like, I've done diplomacy meetings for a few centuries, but magic isn't really a thing, and also this world's more old-fashioned than mine, so I might be kind of rusty with the old-style stuff.

[freeing]

[ Well. There's some energy that seems almost foreign in a place like this... It throws her off at first, but Daenerys still listens all the same. Each question he asks, it helps Dany sum the courage up to speak boldly of her experience – only doing so on select occasions privately before now. ]

It is not simply about experience. Some do not wish to bear that kind of burden for people that are not theirs – I do not blame them. We need people that are willing to stand by their conviction and do what is right. It is natural, it is a skill no amount of experience can garner.

I was – [ No, she stops. No pitying, Daenerys. Your people are still there. ] I am Queen of the Free Cities of Essos and Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. I have conquered more than I have sat down and negotiate. My ... weakness... is others strengths... We need a variety of experience, opinions, and skills in this case, I believe.

[ However, she does err caution: ]

Do you wish to partake in this excursion as well? You mention... centuries... and seem hesitant, but –

[ You lookin' kinda young there, fam. ]