☆ 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

[moustre]

He can speak to them individually, but will find that the only real difference in their replies is personality and embellishment - Hilda is much more expressive, while Bryn is more reserved and refined in her speech. The actual facts don't seem to differ between them.

Asura beat him to Morgana's downfall, but Hilda elaborates excitedly that they ran her out of town, with Monsters chasing her all the way, out into the unexplored woods outside the city. She must be dead now, of course. Not even a Witch like her could survive that kind of dangerous unknown by herself, fleeing. It's been months, and she would have nowhere to go.

As far as the perception of the changes Dorchacht is going through, of course there are snags. No revolution is without them, they imagine. Many Witches were part of the Resistance to begin with and are delighted at the changes - they don't see it as a loss of status, they see it as a raise in status for their Monster brethren. They've always striven for equality, not one over the other. There are Drummond loyalists still, but they're kept well in hand, and any attempts at an overthrow have so far been squashed by brave Resistance guards. More people in Dorchacht than you understand are good people, Bryn chides, who were trapped in the old ways by their fear of Morgana's wrath. Now that she's gone, that fear for their own safety if they speak out is removed.

They are, of course, assisting the freed Monsters however they can. Many are still finding their footing, but with protection from the Resistance and the changing attitudes, they are growing more sure of themselves. Storytelling and song are becoming big trends, especially tales of that final conflict within the city that drove Morgana out, and the radio program has continued to lend many of them a voice. The Dragon nods solemnly at this, in agreement. As far as everything else goes, they're still figuring it out, but helping Monsters start their own businesses or choose to go to school, providing better housing and amenities, etc. are only part of what they're doing to ensure that their city can thrive all together. This is also part of their reason for wanting to explore and expand the safe lands around Dorchacht, similar to Aefenglom - many of the Monster (and Witch) citizens have been cooped up for too long, and are eager to strike out and discover things, now that they have the freedom to do so.

Why has only one Monster been selected for their Circle of Three? Well, none of them were necessarily selected, it wasn't quite so purposeful. They each hope to fill a different need as equals based on their knowledge, not their forms. But of course, The Dragon is a bit of a symbol of hope, and a sharp mind who was privy to much of Morgana's horrible business throughout their captivity. They suffered more at her hands than anyone, and survived, and grow stronger with every day of freedom that passes. They were the first thought to lead the city, actually, but a trio, they all feel, is better than a single ruler. They keep each other in check, Bryn says with a smile. The Dragon lays a hand on her arm and the corners of their lips turn up, just slightly.

As far as inviting people from Aefenglom, why wouldn't they? They owe a great debt to the ambassadors who visited Dorchacht, in the open and in secret alike. They don't particularly consider The Rising to be the bad sort of trouble; it was necessary to have a catalyst, perhaps, to turn Drummond's eye away from the Resistance and give them a hand up. And the Mirrorbound did much to keep their people safe during the ordeal, including smuggling out those who needed to be gotten away. They hope to be allies with Aefenglom for years to come, and the Mirrorbound are held in high regard there - they want them to see the good their actions have caused, how much happier their people are now.

[fulgency]

Ozymandias will not interrupt or speak much as Bryn and Hilda offer their respective answers to his questions, and keep his expression and reactions tempered even though a great deal of what they say certainly stirs quite a bit within him. He does have more questions though and once they're through offering an explanation, he follows up with them.

He will press a little more about Morgana's presumed death, or rather how the city itself and Bryn and Hilda personally think of it. Ozymandias will explain that to him and his people, death is not a permanent thing, but a transitionary event from one life to the next. Taking that and the degree of magic that exists in this world alongside the unknown elements of the woods outside Dorchacht into consideration, the lack of concrete evidence of her removal from this life and world truthfully doesn't sit well with him. He struggles to imagine that the shadow she once cast over the city has faded that quickly that there is not some lingering unease. He's curious if there have been any efforts to find out what has become of her either through physical (i.e. the very dangerous task of actually trying to follow where she went in the woods) or magical undertakings (i.e. scrying and divination).

He also doesn't find their answer about the loyalists to be completely satisfying. Stopping overt attempts at overthrow is all well and good, but how is that not merely forcing the movement underground? Have there been any consequences for those that participated more fully (i.e. not those who were complacent out of fear or any other reason) in Drummond's regime? How do they intend to handle those that might continue to speak in support of Drummond's ideals but not appear to be acting on them?

[moustre]

Yes, yes, a few of them seem to be unconvinced of her demise, but Hilda waves that concern away. What can she do even if she did survive out in the Wilde she must have feared? She has nowhere to go. The tides have turned in Dorchacht and numbers are not in her favor. Bryn is more reserved, and not quite so strong in her conviction, but she has to agree to those points. Morgana is most likely dead. Following her? Out there? Oh, no, none of them are prepared for such a thing. To send members of their Resistance out there with no training or knowledge, especially in the middle of a revolution, that would have been suicide. They're only now beginning to tentatively explore the Wilde outside their door, hoping to learn what's out there, but as safely as they can. As far as scrying, of course they've done that, but so far, there have been no signs that point toward her being alive.

As far as the scars she left on Dorchacht... Well, of course those won't be healed so quickly. They've had a few months and progress is being made, but there will always be more work to do. Those who stood with Morgana willingly, who continued to fight to bring back the old ways, have had their magic bound and rendered inert. The worst have been imprisoned. As far as the rest? They don't have to like it, but they do have to accept it. Monster rights will not be compromised upon. As they find a tentative peace, they hope to turn to methods of education, denouncing all the lies Morgana told about Monsters and their place in society, and community-building. With Dorchacht's economy, trade, and infrastructure destabilized by the shift in power, survival has a way of bringing people together, and they're hopeful for the future.