Event Log: January, Return to Dorchacht

[faileas]

Event Log: January, Return to Dorchacht

I. A Tarnished Reality The teleporter to Dorchacht becomes operational by the 4th and the ambassadors return to their city with the first open, ceremonial operation of the device - along with any Mirrorbound who wish to join them, and Theodore Rosethorne and Sowilo, who make the trip as representatives of the Coven to ensure that all is well. Those who missed the first teleportation, never fear! Now that both waypoints are functional, Mirrorbound and others may travel freely between Aefenglom and Dorchacht at any point they choose to. Notably absent from the group, though - most of the Dorchacht refugees originally smuggled into Aefenglom. Only three or four are going back with the ambassadors, and they're primarily Witches. The rest have chosen to stay. Upon return to Dorchacht, it's obvious that some major changes have been made with the new regime. The sky is overcast, but it's merely fault of the weather at this time of year - the oppressive fog that used to hang over the Black City is gone, along with its effects on the natural lunar cycle. The auction blocks, damaged in the fires of the event the locals now call "The Rising", have been fully torn down, not a trace of them left to sully the streets. Where the triple stars of the Resistance used to be worn in secret, a majority of citizens now bear them openly (and in many cases, proudly) on pins and on clothing. In fact, any Witches who do not display the triple stars on their person somewhere, are generally regarded with suspicion, disgust, or fear unless they're recognized as Mirrorbound Witches - careful not to be mistaken for a Drummond sympathizer. The Monster citizens won't be outwardly cruel to any Witches, but will be somewhat fearful, hurrying their children along or crossing the street to get away. Recognizable Mirrorbound, those who were there during The Rising and before, are treated a bit like celebrities on the streets, though any Mirrorbound are given a warm welcome, albeit a little less warm for Witches. Storytellers share tales of how diplomats treating one another, Witches and Monsters alike, as equals so publicly and openly within Dorchacht gave them hope that such a life is attainable, or how a band of Mirrorbound snuck into the city under the cover of darkness and helped give their Resistance a leg up in the good fight against Drummond's extremists. Others share stories of being rescued from burning buildings or cruel Witches during The Rising by brave heroes. Many of these tales are shared in the form of song, as homage to those Mirrorbound who brought hopeful music to Dorchacht through the radio, which is still operational and playing a selection of music with a little more variety. Still a bit soft, their speakers and songs are, but as time passes, they grow a little more experimental, branching out from the lullabies that used to be played. Overall, the Black City is much less black these days, a little greener and brighter from the plants left by Mirrorbound before. Where the old Dorchacht could take your breath away with its feeling of barred oppression, many of those barricaded windows have been opened, reinforcements on the doors broken down. Though things are never perfect after a revolution, and it's clear that the work continues. Armed Resistance guards patrol the streets in trios, normally two Monsters and a Witch, to keep the peace. Their first priority is the protection of Monsters, many of whom still seem anxious and scared as they go about their days - not of the guards themselves, who they often greet with smiles, but of the Witches and humans they pass on the streets. In some cases, keeping the peace means breaking up fights between their own and those humans and Witches who do not want to accept Monsters as their equals, and in some cases it means putting Drummond sympathizers in their places with intimidation and force. While they do their best to keep skirmishes out of Mirrorbound sight, it's clear that despite the improvements, Dorchacht is still no utopia, and the road to a true peace is fraught with speedbumps. As noted, characters are free to travel between Aefenglom and Dorchacht by teleporter as often as they'd like! The waypoints will remain open even after this month and travel will be unrestricted; we will note if this situation changes in the future. Dorchacht quests are also now available ICly!

II. A Few Alterations a. The Coven Major changes are still underway. One of the biggest that Mirrorbound will notice is that the new administration of Dorchacht have moved the Coven. The old building is in a state of disrepair right now, doors and windows wide open, the interior stripped of trappings. The library has shed its books to somewhere else. The basement where so many horrors took place is abandoned. Instead, a sign has been erected outside it, stating that this center of Drummond's operations will be turned into a museum to remember their unpleasant history, and to memorialize those who lost their lives fighting for freedom. It's still a work in progress, and not high on the priority list when survival and care of the citizens have to take precedence, but inside, characters may still find small shrines set up in various places to Resistance members who died there. Instead, Dorchacht's new Coven is currently based inside an old manor located just a handful of blocks from the town square, and it's a much more informal affair. Magic lessons have continued with Resistance Witches, though the subject matter has changed instead. They experiment with different types of magic based on their own interests, but many are studying plant magic, medicine, and defensive spells that can be used out in the Wilde. Anything that will prove to be practical going forward. Lessons are also open to Monsters now, so they can see what their magical brethren are learning (and know that the compulsion and control spells that Morgana loved so much are no longer being taught). With the Coven being moved, visitors from Aefenglom are offered places to stay either within the manor of the new Coven, or in various empty houses around the city. Stay as long as you'd like, they say, and apologize that the accommodations aren't nicer - reconstruction is still obviously ongoing all over the city, repairing damages from The Rising and the fighting that happened afterward. They don't really have anywhere as nice as the rooms their ambassadors were given in Aefenglom. b. The Walls One of the biggest on-going projects in Dorchacht right now is removing the Monster control spells from the set of enchantments on their city walls. High on the list of priorities is making sure that Monsters can feel safe again, secure in their own minds and bodies. As the spells are made visible, particular sets of runes have to be ground down and smoothed over. A spell is either cast or provided to soften the stone temporarily, and then it's basically going at it with magitech-powered sanders created by Hilda. The particular runes that need to be gotten rid of will be provided on reference sheets - please don't touch the others, they chide! Those are to protect from the Cwyld, and are still very important. While help is welcomed with open arms and enthusiasm at most sections of the walls, those guards posted at one particular small district, guarded with trios of Resistance members at each entrance and warded with alarm magic to warn of escape, turn Mirrorbound away; these runes are being altered, not removed, to help contain unruly Drummond loyalists, they say. The people who now live in that guarded district are all human, whether they're Witches or no, and all refuse to bear the triple stars. "Troublemakers," the guards will explain grimly. "We have to contain them for now. It isn't a perfect solution, but they've hurt people, or tried to hurt people, since Drummond was run out of town." c. Bond Lessons Bonding is a bit of a tricky subject in the new Dorchacht. Many Monsters are afraid of the idea, as it was once used as one of the collars around their necks, but the Circle of Three recognize it as an important way to wean citizens off the lullabies and calming draughts that prevent going feral during full moons. As part of encouraging others to form Bonds, partnerships at the very least the way most Resistance members describe theirs, there are demonstrations and public seminars that pop up around Dorchacht on the regular. They may be as informal as a circle in what's going to be a park or as official-seeming as a talk held inside a shop or lecture hall, but they have one thing in common. Many of the citizens are keen on getting Mirrorbound in on it -- mostly by dragging them in, asking if they have a Bonded, and if they do, they tell the Mirrorbound to talk about their Bonded. They're interested in the ups and downs (but mostly ups) of having one in order to show that if the Mirrorbound are into it, you should be too! They accept all stories but prefer the happy ones - the aim is to encourage their Monster citizens and help them be less afraid of taking that step with Witches. And for those who aren't in a Bond, or decline to talk -- well, they get what amounts to a "flour sack baby" in the form of a Dorchacht citizen of the opposite role of their own (a Monster would receive a human/Witch, a Witch would receive a Monster) that they must hang with for a day, ensuring no harm comes to them, bound by one of the temporary Bonding potions so popular in the Wilders' ranks. (As a note, for the second option, you have free reign of the NPC; do the personalities you find fun, be they cooperative or mischievous, shy or loud, abrasive to your character or someone they can genuinely get along with. They are all willing - no one is being forced into this. No Fae or Dragons allowed for Monster NPCs, unfortunately, as they are still very much not about.)

III. Ahoy Mateys! With Dorchacht opening up again after the last few months of closed off internal fighting, plenty of trading ships' Captains are ready and raring to go build business relations with the new regime and find a new market for some of their wares. There has been increased interest in finding a shorter route to Dorchacht by sea - the teleporter is useful for small groups of people, sure, but it can't handle much cargo. The only problem? Ships are being turned back, barely halfway there, with significant damage to their hulls. Brave individuals looking for a seafaring adventure are asked to come aboard and help the crew navigate tumultuous waters, hopefully figuring out along the way what's causing the damage to previous ships. It's a three day trip to Dorchacht if the waters are kind, and characters can simply teleport back home once there. On board the various ships brave enough to return to the sea, Mirrorbound find the problem halfway through the trip: a colossal squid that's made it home at this point, thrashing ships that come too close to its den. While uninfected, it does have injuries on its body, which may be the source of its lashing out. The ships are able to bring themselves close enough for longer ranged attacks, and the Harpy on board are careful not to be captured by the churning waves caused by the thrashing, but there's others who want to seek a less violent mean to end this surf and turf conflict. Killing, healing, subduing, or relocating it are all valid options, but getting in close to do any of those will be difficult, as it has a tendency to ink up the waters around it and reduce visibility to nothing. Be careful of any creatures swimming around that are interested in the weakened squid as well, such as various carnivorous fish, sea-plants, and things that appear alike to Merrow, but rely only on instinct. The Merrow cannot be spoken to, nor are they infected; the Captains of the ships will explain that they're "wild", and refer to them as distant cousins to the Merrow that sparsely populate Aefenglom itself.

IV. Back At Home Back in Aefenglom, the stir caused by the Circle of Three's arrival takes time to calm. It's the talk of the town for days - many seem happy about Morgana Drummond's apparent demise. "Good for them," is the general sentiment in the residential areas more populated by Monsters and the Harbor District. They're glad to know that things are on the way up there. Others think this is a boon; should anything happen, now Aefenglom has an ally city to stand with them, one in their debt. Others still don't really care either way, and go about their lives as if nothing's happened. The refugees, in their neighborhoods on the far reaches of the Haven, seem happy to hear news from home and find The Dragon/Starlight/Fafnir freed, and while a few of them choose to return to Dorchacht, having never put down roots in Aefenglom, more still don't wish to leave the homes and families they've formed here, or the Mirrorbound who have helped them so much over the months. Some even doubt that things are as good as they say, and choose to remain for that reason - slavery and ill treatment from the upper class in Aefenglom instilled in them a sense of (well-earned) paranoia regarding the intentions of Witches, especially those back home. They hear that things have changed, but don't necessarily want to find out for themselves. Even still, the mood is upbeat, with a general consensus that if Morgana is really gone, that's at least a solid step in the right direction. In the Aristocratic District, though, the atmosphere is sour. The general sentiment is that they wish the refugees would have left with those ambassadors. The kinder ones think Aefenglom should focus on its own citizens - the people from the Outer City brought in to weather the blizzard have never left, after all, still living in the neighborhoods with the refugees. Those who are more vocally outspoken about the Mirrorbounds' presence in the city think they should have all left to Dorchacht. Let another city shoulder all the misfortune they bring with them! Many of the people grumbling about that are ones who were directly affected by the Mists back in October, either through temporary changes themselves or through being attacked by ferals. Some of the more hot-headed young people try to spread this message - through graffiti, on homes and businesses in the Haven and the refugees' district, though if caught, they're quick to run away and not willing to enter into a confrontation. The graffiti is wholly mundane and not particularly difficult to remove, just unpleasant, telling Mirrorbound and refugees alike to "go home" or "go back to Dorchacht", in so much colorful language. Seems there's still some work to do at home, as well.

Welcome to your establishing post for the current situation in Dorchacht! This log takes place through the entire month; characters can come and go as they please. As always, you can direct all your questions HERE. This month we're also putting up a City Tracker for PC actions, both in Aefenglom's plot later on and Dorchacht's log here. Let us know what your character is doing, good or bad! The cut-off for the tracker is February 3rd.

Comments

[whomthebelltolls]

[And it's just in time, as well. With the strength of the bite, and its thrashing, it probably could have crushed her shoulder, or dislocated it - but the blow is very timely, and the creature has to release Maria from its grip to scream in pain and rage, and it gives her enough time to back off, long legs taking her quite far backward in just a few steps, before she gets her swords back in order.]

Yes. They're just Beasts. And I don't think it'll relent until it has our blood and flesh.

[She rolls her shoulder a little bit to test mobility - it's sore, definitely, but she'll be able to end this fight.

Even with the screaming horse creature. Even with the memories it dredges up, fishing from the depths of her mind. Of the Hell she was in before she came here.

It charges again, but this time, Maria's ready to meet it. It's not the giant horse Beast that her old friend had become. It's just a monster - and not even one with a capital M.

Still...

I'm sorry, Ludwig.]

[scatmaam]

[ A monster, to be sure, but it attacked with purpose, that Scathach noticed. It didn't simply flail and lash out to keep its territory or defend itself from intruders. But it wasn't treating them as prey, either... not in the strictest sense.

It fought with a purpose, and that purpose wasn't simple hunger. Scathach kept her guard up, letting Maria counter the beast's charge as she felt fit, but her senses trained to the area around them...

There had to be more. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

We should end this quickly. Its squalling is likely to draw more attention. [Whether it was others of its own kind, or something else drawn by the awful screaming, something would find its way to them with all this noise. It seems to draw itself back up for another charge, but Maria is about half a second ahead of it, and, in a flash of teleportation magic, half a yard behind it just as it starts moving.

It throws it off, at least, forces it to reconsider targets toward Scathach, but it doesn't get much chance to try to redirect before Maria's on it from behind with both her sword and her dagger, in a brutal cross-slash.

And it screams. It screams as badly as Ludwig would, some days, throwing himself into the walls of the huge underground room he was in. Raving, and thrashing around in the ankle-deep pool of blood.]

[scatmaam]

Then I'll silence it.

[ Despite the creature's flailing, Scathach's spear found its target true, thrust out in an instant from its defensive position, right into the throat of the beast, about half the tip's length in before just as quickly being withdrawn, the lancer shifting steps back. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[It strikes true, alright, and the thing rears back up, trying to get away from the sudden thrust, a scream cut into a strangled, gurgling wheeze as it backs away.

But Maria is behind it, unmoving from where she had been before; and now, she can see more clearly the differences between this... creature (there's a tickling of something familiar... the regions around Yharnam had legends of demons like this, she thinks, but doesn't have the time to try to figure out what it is) and the Beast that her old friend had become.

And, what's more, is while it's still reared up and trying to pull back, that gives her access to its human half.

She jumps forward, plants her foot on the horse's hindquarters, and does that brutal cross-slash with her swords... and mostly decapitates the human head of the creature, cutting open its shoulder and leaving it split and bleeding and wheezing even louder. It goes from a rear, to a buck, and Maria nearly loses her balance, but teleports out of the way before she can fall beneath the trampling hooves, even though it ends with an awkward half-roll.

They've got it from both ends, at least. It can't attack them both.]

[scatmaam]

[ They had the advantage, but no wound seemed to truly deter the demon... But a sudden memory came to Scathach's mind, and her eyes became wide with realization. Pulling down her mask, she called out to Maria. ]

Water! Summon water! Enough to bind the thing in its flow! Keep it rushing!

[whomthebelltolls]

[Water? It gives her the briefest pause, while the thing thrashes and recovers. Water is not Maria's element - quite the opposite, in fact, when it can be considered she also bleeds fire anymore - but she knows she at least has one advantage to the element she hasn't studied much.

After all, she Bonded a Merrow.

She closes her eyes, steps back, and presses into the spell; or what she knows about evocation of water, and is surprised that it comes out in quite the deluge, gushing forth and catching their horsey foe unawares from behind. The rushing sound of it almost completely drowns out the renewed frenzy of wheezing as the thing tries to scream again, tries to move, tries to get out of there, but Maria has it surrounded.

She's not sure how long she can keep this up, so Scathach should probably hurry.]

[scatmaam]

[ The spell did its trick, imprisoning the demon in a cell of rushing water. It cared not cross it, acting as if burned whenever it touched it. Scathach was quick to capitalize, leaping again and driving her lance once more. Her aim was to skewer both chests in a single blow. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[It's draining, certainly, but at least her companion is quick on her feet. A warrior, indeed. Maria does little but keep her concentration, brow furrowing more and more as the water takes its toll on her mana reserves. Having a Monster Bond closer by than Alex is helping, but she's glad when the spear thrusts true, and the thing wheeze-howls and starts to fall.

Because as it collapses, Maria slumps forward, and the stream of water abates rapidly, as she bends over her knees and pants in exhaustion. That was more exertion than any physical fight she'd been in recently. Must be because the element is... wrong for Maria.]

[scatmaam]

[ Scathach waited until the last of the twitches to twist her spear away, slinging off the blood and bits with a hard flick before settling the spear back at her side, circling the beast in the now wet soil to check on Maria, settling a hand gently on her shoulder, making certain Maria saw her do so so as not to startle. ]

They're called nuckelavee, at least where I come from. Terror of the northern islands... And I doubt they just showed up here...

[ Someone put them there. Someone probably commanded them to attack. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[It's good to approach her slowly, and to make it obvious, of course, but it may say something when Maria doesn't just shrug the hand off, and allows it to remain until she stands back upright, her breath mostly caught.

Ah... that's what it was. It's not the connection to Ludwig that's just making these things sound so familiar, though her memories aren't helping at all, the name rings something of a bell, though not enough that Maria has any startling clarity of revelation. The name doesn't quite sound right, but it's also close enough. It's mostly a horse monster terrorizing the northern islands - where Maria comes from, it very well could be a variety of Beast, escaped from Yharnam and left to wreak havoc. They did that, on occasion, and the Yharnamites never bothered caring enough to send someone after it. Outsider problems were for Outsiders to deal with.]

Lured by something you think? Or perhaps chased by something deeper in the Wildes? [She wrinkles her nose in distaste.] ... If only Dorchacht had kept better record of at least what is right outside their gates.

[scatmaam]

[ Scathach pulled her mask down, letting out a heavy breath and pulling to a less personal space once Maria seemed more steady, shaking her head. ]

No. I was tracking the kills... were these things truly dashing in from the deeper Wildes, there'd be far more deaths.

This is targeted. Directed.

[whomthebelltolls]

[And this is about the part where Maria sighs the most put upon sigh that ever did exist. She's going to jump to a conclusion, here, but she already feels like she knows where this is going.] I told them Drummond was still alive. If not her, escaped sympathizers or loyalists. They seemed convinced everything was going to go well from here on. I don't fault them for wanting to believe it, but they were stubborn when I told them to be prepared if she returned.

[She wrinkles her nose a little. Well, that's about as well as it's going to be. Aefenglom is barely her concern, and Dorchacht is even less so, but it's still an unpleasant feeling that something is coming and she could've been right about it.] ... I'm going back to the city. I need to wash the memories out of my mind.

[scatmaam]

[ Scathach couldn't help a small chuckle, shaking her head. ]

That's assuming you can find anything worth washing it with while you're here. Still, I wouldn't mind joining you, if you'd like the company.

[whomthebelltolls]

[Maria huffs a snort, and her voice is nearly a growl as she says:] At this point I would take backwoods moonshine.

[It's not just the horror of the creature, or the unpleasant truth that someone connected to Drummond - or Drummond herself - could arise to cause more problems. In fact, that is low on Maria's priority list, because Dorchacht wasn't really her concern in the first place. She looks at the surroundings, makes sure they're far enough from the wall to not need to burnt the corpse, then motions back in the direction of the city.] Perhaps you can sniff out something good. My sense of smell isn't what it used to be.

[Disadvantages of the Blood being washed out of her system. One of the like. Two disadvantages.]