☆ A Special Delegation Arrives

[moustre]

It's unmistakable, how a ship rolls into the harbor one day bearing a flag unlike that of Aefenglom's, with triple stars sewn bright gold against the dark blue of its fabric, and Captain Heuf clears the way for three figures as they move down the gangplank: A tall, thin woman with the same symbol pinned at her breast, a shorter, plumper woman with it shining proudly in her hair, and the last is a hooded figure who follows with a limp in their step, hands black and distinctly pointed.

The paper rings out hours after with a headline that's bold and practically screaming in its delight: Dorchacht's Ambassadors Arrive By Sea, and the Coven opens its doors to their biggest audience hall they can afford to give up at the time of day on request of the ambassadors themselves. Once all who wish to attend have attended, a gradual hush is put upon the crowd and the shortest of the trio climbs upon stairs offered up to the podium stationed in the middle of the heightened stage, round, heart-shaped face beaming as she speaks with a quick tongue.

"My oh my oh my, if this isn't just far too exciting! Hello hello hello, thank you all for comin' to welcome us here today! I'm Dorchacht's shining star, most brilliant inventor--"

"And humble beyond words," the tallest speaks dryly, evidently the oldest from the tremble of her voice. Her face is far more angular, sharp in every way, with a coolness to her gaze. "Really, Hilda, have you no sense of decorum? We are ambassadors here today."

Hilda giggles and waves her hand. "Oh, you're just far too uptight, Bryn. We're ambassadors, yes, but more than that we are here as friends, now aren't we? Hm? Don't you agree?"

Bryn rolls her eyes and motions her on, crossing her arms.

"Right! Now then, as Bryn says, we're ambassadors from Dorchacht -- the new Dorchacht, change brought on by the love of her people. We'd like to extend our hands, palms open and sleeves drawn back, to Aefenglom's people, in thanks for taking care of our wayward refugees... and as thanks for those who assisted, in their own ways, in helping us be rid of Dorchacht's former Coven head, Morgana Drummond."

A murmur goes across the crowd, Witch, non-Witch, and Monster alike, and Bryn steps forward more prominently.

"I can imagine the questions some or most of you may have in regards to the current state of Dorchacht, and we will answer the specifics later. For the moment, we are able to confirm that in place of a central leader which heads the Coven and city itself we have established a Circle of Three, with those three being ourselves. Hilda here, despite her flighty tone, was the Resistance's prime inventor, and some of you may recognize her as such from your time there."

"Bryn's the mother of the section leader whom you helped as well, may his soul rest easy." Bryn dips her head at Hilda's words, smile pursed. "She's taken up his cause as her own, and we thank her for it."

There's a pause as the women look at each other, and Bryn raises an eyebrow. Hilda glances at their hooded companion, who seems content to stay at the back where they stood in the first place, and then clears her throat.

"And, ah, our shy companion here the former Bonded of Drummond, who is currently without a name, so we've-- I've taken to calling them Starlight, and Bryn's simply been referring to them as The Dragon. Whichever is fine, they don't seem to care too much about things like that.

"Nonetheless! Nonetheless," Hilda's quick to continue, leaning across the podium with a large smile, "things have changed and are ever changing in Dorchacht, and for the better -- we strive to repair the bridge torn asunder by Drummond and those before her, to see each other as equals, and to assist with the reformation of this world, starting with the Wilde at our doorstep, just as Aefenglom has done. We've heard such wonderful things, and we're eager to have all the hands we can take."

Bryn nods, raising her voice to strike clear. "We have managed to find a safe enough path to the teleportation device a good handful of you entered Dorchacht through, and are currently doing our best to get it up in working order. With the assistance of the Coven here, we will manage to do so by the week's end, and we welcome you all to come to Dorchacht, old and new alike, to see our changes and to cleanse the surrounding areas of the Cwyld."

It's with this finality of their announcements, it'd seem, that they open the floor to all those who'd like to speak, be they with question, congratulation, or offer to help.

All questions, comments, etc can be done with IC words or as summarizations should that please you, simply make note of it in the comment! Both Bryn and Hilda may be spoken with, either together or as separate people, but please note that Fafnir/Starlight/The Dragon will not be available for questioning, no matter who asks.

Please feel free to use this post to mingle with each other as well if any discussions arise!

Comments

OOC QUESTIONS

[moustre]

[spaghettimonster]

When the teleportation device is in working order, is it meant to be open for people to come and go relatively freely (able to take quests and act on them through the month)? Should we anticipate some delay between trips (only one trip every X increments of time), or any other complications to visiting and doing quests?

[sageprincess]

So. What would happen to the poor sod that attempts to scry upon Morgana's supposedly dead body?

NPC INTERACTION

[moustre]

Please note in your comment whether you'd prefer an IC thread or summaries, and if you want Bryn, Hilda, or both. Fafnir/Starlight/The Dragon is not speaking to anyone, at this moment.

[digiorno]

Summaries are fine — Giorno would ask both Bryn and Hilda what guarantee they can provide that Starlight's voice (and by extension, the voice of Monsters in Dorchact) will be heard and equally valued, given that they are outnumbered, surrounded by two strong personalities, and a Monster among Witches. He will further ask for their reasoning in including only one Monster and two Witches in the first place, given that the state of Monster rights in Dorchacht was the central cause of conflict in the first place.

[rollfordiplomacy]

Summary is preferred! Everett will be greeting and congratulating all three if possible, glad to see change in person. As a Diplomat himself, he's eager to offer himself to be a further Ambassador between the two cities, if ever desired. He'll also invite them for a spot of tea at his shop, his treat.

More hushed tones, he also wants to follow up on the Witches being used as batteries that were discovered. Did the resistance rescue those poor souls? Could they recover from being so incapacitated and drained? Is the Control Spell completely gone within the city, or is that still needing to be dealt with in full?

IC thread or summary (Hilda)

[futhark]

Ambassadors of Dorchacht. Those events happened months ago, and yet still feel as if it was yesterday. When a chance to ask a question appears, Caster approaches Hilda, as he had seen her during their times helping the resistance.

"You come with great, joyous news! I foresee a lot of drinks raised to names of your victors and your freedom." Starting with the congratulations seems like the right thing to do. Though there is a matter that he is curious about. "May I ask a question regarding the fates of the people in the room that seemed to power the Enchantment" Delivering information about the mana batteries under the Coven was the last thing done before leaving Dorchacht. And many, including him, have been plagued with questions what happened to those people.

[mirshikar]

Summary is a-okay! After giving commendations to the Circle of Three, Asura will ask of Bryn and Hilda both what fate befell Morgana Drummond. What was the pivotal moment which lead to her downfall, and where she is now. And afterward, he will want to know the ways which the Mirrorbound might assist Dorchacht in repairing that proverbial bridge and ensuring that Drummond's influence never rises in Dorchacht again.

[joies]

Summary totally fine!! Persephone is warm and friendly when she greets the trio, though she becomes a bit more serious once she asks Byrn and Hilda if they will communicate with the refugees here.

Mostly regarding if it will be safe for them to go back, since she imagines they had to leave behind friends and family, and if they could guarantee their safety if they wish to go back. For those that don't wish to leave, would visits from those within Dorchacht be possible, such as through the teleportation device once it's working.

[sylphid]

So the dragon isn't speaking to anyone, but if Fie like offers him some food and/or a trinket, would he accept or interact?

Like here's some fried fish and a yo-yo.

Summary of that interaction please.

[freeing]

Summary, please!

Even if the Dragon is not speaking with anyone, Daenerys is going to certainly make herself known to them with introductions. With a baby Drogon perched upon her shoulder, she shows empathy and apologies for the cruelties of this world upon them. Dany speaks of the strength of dragons in her world briefly and says Fafnir/Starlight/The Dragon is no different. She also encourages them to find a name for themselves, one they can wear proudly. She expects nothing in return, just a formal and respectable acknowledgment of one's presence.

However, towards Bryn and Hilda, Dany does inquire of the fallout of their actions. She'd like first hand to hear of casualties, major losses, and what are the opinions of the Mirrorbound in Dorchacht, given their timely arrival and leaving during this time. Clearly, she is fishing for opinions of their (the Mirrorbound's) reputation and possibly how it compares to Aefenglom (as she still believes Aefenglom was wrong not intervening sooner).

[whomthebelltolls]

Summary is fine.

A bit of a perfunctory congratulations later, Maria has a couple questions. Firstly: Did they ever find any other books, anything about their past - Dorchacht's old identity - that could help? She knows the previous Coven made everything about Morgana and her future, but did anything survive of the way things were before Morgana even touched the Coven? She's curious about what kind of place Dorchacht was before, and where it's going to be in the future. Those two tend to be connected, after all. What kind of future do they want to have? What kind of magics are their Coven going to specialize in now? That sort of thing.

IC or summery is fine!

[showsnopiety]

When Caren steps up, she brings with her an offering of good will-or perhaps just an understanding that talking is hungry and thirsty work. She brings forth a pitcher of tea and cups, as well as pastries, which, as she will mention with eyes demurrely downcast, that she made fresh this morning-she hopes they will enjoy this taste of home!

She wonders though-the monster market. That's surely been dismantled, yes? She knows that even here, in this city-there's been black markets but...she heard there were riots when so many of her fellow residents visited...

Summary interactions!

[kuroi_taiyo]

On a lighter bit, Judar doesn't need to go to Fafnir/Starlight/The Dragon for questioning, but he's gonna Faun and probably hit on him a bit. I'm sure it won't go well, or like flirting to a wall, but that's fine. He'll realize it's not going anywhere quickly enough. But hey, it's important to make everyone feel welcome, right?

Mostly, Judar would love to pick Hilda's mind for inventions, as he's familiar with magic tools overall. Partially with knowing more about the components and balances used for the teleportation device a little better, from an expert's point of view, as he has something similar in the world he's from. Probably more about their cleansing techniques, and any fun projects being tinkered with.

As Judar arrived after the Dorchact events, he has no context or experience about previous events, so he can't exactly talk about the things there. The only thing he knows about, and would try to poke an update about, is the 'power generator' areas of using people as batteries for particular magic. To see if it's being discontinued, or adjusted to something less horrific/forced upon dissenters, and if it's known if that's something that was developed there, or adapted from another city's design, or anything else like that.

[fiddlestick]

Summary is fine!

Elliot is listening to the other conversations and questions, but when it's his turn he'll inquire how music is looking. Is that radio program he handed off to the Resistance still running? Are lullabies still being used as control spells? Basically, how free minded are the people of Dorchacht allowed to be and how are they adjusting to that?

Also unrelated to music, what exactly happened to Morgana?

[wordsinthesoul]

Summary is fine! Thancred would like to first congratulate them, and ask after a little more about the histories of Bryn and Hilda. What brought them forward in the roles? What plans have they made in rebuilding ties- how do they see Aefenglom assisting? How is Dorchact doing while they're here?

[fulgency]

Summary is fine.

Ozymandias will want to speak to Bryn and Hilda individually since he will be looking for inconsistencies in their answers that go beyond just differences in personality. He doesn't interrogate them and is polite/conversational, but he offers neither praise nor congratulations.

He will ask them more about Morgana's downfall. He is most interested in how this purported change in attitudes has been perceived by the population of Dorchact, particularly those that stand to lose power/privilege (i.e. Witches, particularly the aristocracy and those who supported Drummond) as Monsters gain it. How exactly are they controlling for any continued propaganda and prejudices? To what extent are they assisting the freed Monsters in establishing themselves or protecting their voice? Why is it just one Monster has been selected for this Trio? He's also curious about the reasoning behind inviting anyone from Aefenglom to their city considering the trouble that's come with it (even if it was for the greater good).

As far as The Dragon is concerned, Ozymandias would at least greet him, but after enough observations of him not speaking to anyone, Ozymandias will not press for anything beyond that.

summaries are ok!

[manlet]

-whenever there's a chance, andersen will try to speak with hilda, as she's the self-proclaimed genius. he's curious about any research dorchacht has done on the cwyld and if any progress has been made

-to all three of them, andersen will politely ask how long they plan to stay in aefenglom. diplomacy is long and tedious work, but it gives them the chance to sight-see, at least. will they be helping with the refugees as well?

summary is fine

[beariot]

Ursula introduces herself as politely as she can manage, but it's obvious she's deeply nervous and having to sum up a lot of gumption to even be standing there. She informs the three that she established a school for the refugee children, particularly the orphaned ones, that came over, which has been running with some success to this point in providing a sense of normalcy for them.

But she can't help be concerned about what's next for those children in particular. Those who came over with parents might return home, if their home is truly a better place than the one they fled from, but those with none to return to still are so. She wants to know what they intend to do.

summary is fine!

[amurder]

Salieri isn't in any rush to ask questions and for the most part patiently waits and observes their three new guests. Once he does get the chance, however, he'll introduce himself by name only and thank them for making their presence known.

He'll then go on to ask how the Witches in Dorchacht are taking this new shift in leadership. If they've met much opposition since becoming newly appointed Ambassadors or if things have been taken into stride now that change is looming over the horizon. Kind of a blunt question, yeah- but he definitely wants to know what the public opinion is there before he goes visiting anytime soon.

And lastly, he'll ask if things have flourished in the Art scene, so to speak. Has music and art become more diverse since their last visit?

IC or Summary!

[newtralize]

Newt will be sure to be proper and polite in his introduction and greeting to the three. With British hospitality, he'll probably offer food like biscuits or something that can be easily stored.

His interests are in the status of the city, as it was on fire and disarray when they had left and he is concerned over how rebuilding has been. He's interested in the casualties (I've seen the previous reply to it), but more importantly how recovery is. The mental and physical health and where it might be failing/falling and how reconstruction is going. What is Dorchacht lacking or in a shortage of to have a better idea of what the city as a whole might need. Newt's main interest is to help the people wholeheartedly if there are those that are suffering.

He also would like to know the difficult/how long it took to assist Fafnir/Starlight in getting out of the bond and the recovery. Newt would like a thorough timeline if they are willing as he's interested in the healing/recovery process and figuring out what might be done to make it smoother/faster and if there are others in similar states. He also would like to hopefully help the refugees in Aefenglom who were in particularly terrible states and seeking what might help them recover better. Newt seems particularly interested in their health and state. Sorry, he might be staring a bit at Fafnir/Starlight out of habit when it comes to being concerned of their health.

In general, Newt's concerns seem to be about the health of everyone in Dorchacht and ways to improve it.

[morbide]

A summary would be perfect!

Henry approaches with congratulations for taking what's theirs, convinced that a fun (and gory) battle must have taken place for leadership. He wishes he were there to see the overthrowing of Morgana. No matter what, he'd be thrilled to come over and offer his help in Dorchacht! Henry is especially enthusiastic about helping Monsters get back on their feet. He loves the Monsters.

Now, the business. As business as things can be for someone like Henry. For a while he could hardly remember it, he confesses, but he mentions a visit to the infirmary while he was in Dorch to the three. They don't think he's mad, do they? He doesn't think so. He wants to know if those Monsters that were on the tables are okay, "since I don't think they were visiting those quacks for a case of the Cwyld." And where'd they get all of that blood?! You know, red, bloody, and magical, the stuff they dipped him in. It sure was an effective place, that infirmary... With Morgana out of the picture, are they still as good at curing the Cwyld?

Finally, after a few off-color jokes about how Morgana finally fell off of her high... mount, Henry offers his hopes that "Starlight" is doing well after her death. (He wonders aloud if they have a name they prefer best. Then says "Starlight" can call him whatever they want, if they don't get to pick their own name.) Followed is an unsettling remark about wondering if she'd have anything to say postmortem, and if it'd be fun to revive her just to kill her again. ...This is probably a joke.

Summery or IC interaction is fine!

[weirdnecro]

It takes awhile for Sokie to come forward. She's trying to be polite, especially since there are a lot of questions being asked. But she does come with a fresh offering of coffee if they want it, with cream or sugar to go in it.

If they don't have any, she'll have some-she's not letting good coffee go to waste! She also has another offering, specifically for Dragon if they so choose to use it- thick paper and a long ink brush. All they have to do is press the top if the brush gets dry, she explains- and not to worry if it breaks. She has more that she's been making for fun! She hopes this can help with Dragon, maybe help them speak on paper rather then with their voice for now.

No pressure! Hilda, Bryn, it's certainly a pleasure to meet you! And good job in bringing back the city to the people! Sokie does have just-a few questions though on how they can help with bringing back the voice of Dragon and others injured by the old regime. But oh, also- there was some trouble in the city recently. Have they heard about it? It was crazy!

[thejoyrider]

Summary is fine! Marie will introduce herself to every single one of the ambassadors and then ask them what, at this moment are the most dire needs of people of Dorchacht, both material and non-material ones and if there is anything they already know could be done for them to help out. She will ask that question to Starlight as well, a few times, even if they do not give her any answers.

Let's Summary! BrynHilda

[silentsavant]

Soren can never quite be convinced that everything is as the Circle of Three claims it to be —— not until he ascertains for himself. That said, he takes their announcement with a grain of salt, as he always does with information he receives secondhand.

The small, humanoid black dragon approaches them when all three are together, greeting them politely but not warmly. His penetrating focus remains chiefly on Bryn and Hilda, though the state of the dragon intrigues him (if not makes him uncomfortable in a way he hasn't quite come to terms with, but that scared speechlessness and the comprehension of what abuse they must have suffered is oddly... personal, and he doesn't like it). He remarks upon how quickly Dorchacht seems to have changed its tune, and how based on his experiences with the locals, he can't imagine everyone being so quick to sing along, even if its new leadership is.

A concern he brings up is how Dorchacht is prepared to weather the effects of the Sisters; the refugees here were certainly not. And once that is answered, what of Drummond's aims? Did anyone know anything of her grander ambitions before she was lost to the Wilde, and was there anything she was scheming that involved the Mirrorbound?