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

[hallucinogem]

iv. if it's true what they say

Emerald doesn't buy it. She hasn't bought it for a while, but she buys it even less now. Massive change like this doesn't just happen overnight, no matter how trustworthy the dignitaries try to make themselves seem. It doesn't matter that it's been a couple months and she's never actually seen Dorchacht in person; the weight of the Witch she'd killed still hangs on her shoulders, but it doesn't seem to hurt quite as hard when she hears all this garbage about a "brand new Dorchacht".

With some of her puca features coming in a little more prominently—her snout is pronounced, her ears are budding up out of her green hair, and her legs are getting a little bulkier—Emerald is taking this time to reacquaint herself with the city. To handle herself with a little more confidence, to build more relationships after her recent breakdown with Chandra and the other... instance with Lancer.

She's got a lily tucked into the front pocket of her top, though, and she smells distinctly of oranges and cloves and sea salt, and there's a fresh coat of black lipstick on her lips. If people had been kind enough to give her these gifts, it would be rude not to make use of them. (Maybe she can find whoever gave her that lily.)

Over the course of a few days, she can be found cleaning graffiti off storefronts, though she's never been able to actually catch anyone in the act (so far). She's taken to spending a little more time in a local monster-friendly bar, the one where she's had a few drinks now and the one that Lancer seems to frequent more often than not. In both places, she's going to be muttering loudly about how it doesn't feel like Dorchacht has changed at all, about how she doesn't believe it, about how they're still not going to catch her dead in that city. Of course, if she's had a few, she's doing a little more than muttering about it.

Or maybe, if you don't want a bitter girl who's unconvinced that huge sweeping change is that easy, you can run into her in the streets, asking if there's anywhere she can be made useful or if anyone in particular knows anything about flowers.

There's also the action option. Her Bonded is going through what could charitably be called a Time, and she's out there in the Cwyld, trying to work away some of the transferred anger and also hone her close-range combat. Her guns have their blades extended, and she's mostly working on slicing things up in melee and occasionally delivering some powerful kicks that might make Mercury jealous if he were here. It's not wildly dangerous work; it's routine for her by now, and it's part of being a "hero". But it's something new to do.

[integrous]

Asahi may not exactly be the bar-going type, but bars need things delivered as well. And the delivery place she works for seems to have realised it's easier to send the local harpy over to a monster-friendly bar rather than a witch. And Asahi is really just planning on heading out right after she's made her delivery, already stretching her wings to prepare to fly away again, when she hears someone mumbling. Or, well, more like raving with that volume.

Usually that wouldn't be too weird in a bar. There's always drunk people around. But the moment she hears the word Dorchacht, she's immediately paying attention.

.. maybe her next delivery can wait a moment or two.

She moves a little closer to Emerald, trying to draw her attention. ".. Hey, you're talking about that other city, right?"

[hallucinogem]

Emerald's head turns and she tries not to focus on how the weight of her head is different with her ears coming in and her snout as it is and also, how her eyes are swimming in alcohol. She narrows her red eyes suspiciously, but decides just as quickly that it's nothing and continues her raving without caring very hard about who this person is in relation to either of the cities.

"Yeah. Dorchacht." The word drips with as much disdain as she can muster. "Where they chain up people like me and force them to obey Witches. And we're supposed to buy that everything's suddenly fine there?"

[integrous]

She sighs, the feathered wings on her back folding in on each other a little. Even if the other is right, the obvious drunkenness is still a little uncomfortable.

"You're right. I don't believe it either. I feel kind of nervous about the fact that some of the people from here actually went there again after all that."

[hallucinogem]

"They're stupid," she says plainly. "They're walking into a trap. And if they get it sprung on them then it's their fault."

Or... she would like to believe that. She sighs and leans forward and points at the girl's wings. "You and me, we're gonna have to go in and save them if anything happens. You know nobody's gonna save 'em without us. Without people like us who know the whole thing's bullshit. You ready for that?"

[integrous]

Something about that statement seems to catch her off guard - or at the very least surprises her. Her eyes grow wider for a moment, although she doesn't move backwards when the other gets closer.

After a moment the surprise just melts into a concerned frown.

"There's no way two people alone can save all of those people." Especially since Asahi doesn't feel particularly strong, despite her monster traits. "They'd probably be able to just put us under some weird spell like they did to all the monsters there."

[hallucinogem]

"Yeah, but what else are we gonna do?" The thing is that Em is tired of feeling impotent. She's tired of sitting here having to be at the mercy of her own traits. She's getting in over her head and she's being stupid, and she wants someone else to dive in with her.

Sober Emerald knows this. And wouldn't be saying all this to a literal stranger. Sober Emerald is not here. "Sit here and throw parties and pretend it's all okay? Like everyone else in this gods-damned city? You and me," she says to the girl whose name she doesn't know, "We're the only ones around here who can actually see what's going on. We gotta do something. We'll get more people to listen to us and we'll fix it."

[integrous]

Asahi slowly is getting the idea that the other might not be so bold about it to just about anyone if she was sober. But alas, this is very obviously a drunk moment, and that's what makes Asahi hesitate. She doesn't want to totally dismiss the other and just quickly get away since Emerald does have a point, but she's not too sure if it's a good idea to follow plans made up by a drunk mind..

But she can at least listen, right? Then maybe she can talk again to this person some other day when Emerald is sober. "How do you think people would listen though?"

[hallucinogem]

"I don't know," she admits far too freely, and she's even willing to ignore the part where her obviously brilliant plan is being called into question. (Gods, how much has she had by now? How bitter is she about Dorchacht? It doesn't matter.)

"Get loud. Make it hard to ignore. There's—we have the, uh, the speaker system? For the roommate announcements or whatever when we have a new group of Mirrorbound come in. Steal that and start yelling! Or, or... or do something to make it so they have to pay attention to us! Let them all know that we don't buy their bullshit!" She's looking on and grinning with excitement that can't fit in her body. "Just be loud about it! It's that easy! Be the loudest and they have to listen."

[integrous]

"I.. well, I'm sure everyone would be able to hear it, but I'm still not sure they'd immediately be convinced by it."

Unless people were somehow automatically convinced by loud messages. In which case Asahi may in some instances be the most convincing person ever, considering how her voice's volume raises when she gets emotional..

Not right now though. Right now she's mostly just trying to navigate this complicated situation where she half agrees yet half has to play the realistic one here.

"It feels like some people might not listen unless something goes super wrong all over again."

[hallucinogem]

"There's always gonna be people who think everything is fine," she mutters, or at least she thinks she's muttering but it's still definitely clear words. "There's always gonna be people who can just ignore everything. You're not that kind of person, right?"

It's not, like. It's not accusatory, but it's not wholly friendly, either. Emerald's not a great judge of character, and much less right now. "You're not like the rest of the city here. You have... you have open eyes, you're not sitting here pretending that we're not fighting two different wars... why are they trying to ignore that we're under attack?" she asks, and she just sounds exasperated now. Her emotions, her thoughts are getting harder to pin down, but she's just. She has a lot of frustrations and she never talks about them nearly enough.

[integrous]

Wow, there sure are a lot of sentiments being conveyed here that Asahi herself has thought before as well. Just never voiced, since it never really felt like anyone thought those things as well. So she's almost a little speechless as she listens, until Emerald asks her that question, which is when she shakes her head.

"I.. Of course not. I've felt terrible ever since we had that dream of that other city to begin with."

Even though she feels guilty for never going there to try and liberate it. She was too scared. Too worried about ending up like the monsters there. She mentally kicks herself for being a coward.

"And seeing how those refugees are being treated here now just makes me feel worse. It's like there's no one truly protecting them. They still have to deal with hearing so many hateful things."

[hallucinogem]

"That's what people like us are here for! Do you know how many of those assholes I've scared off?" She reaches behind her back and pulls a gun out of its holster lazily, almost fumbling for it. "Don't worry, it's not... it's not loaded, the bullets don't work here, but people who think they can just run around and say shit about refugees and spray graffiti all over people's houses... they're just... they're all cowards, you know?"

The Emerald who'd arrived here wouldn't be saying these kinds of things. She feels borderline heroic, or she's felt that way for a while, and obviously she's not a hero and never could be. So it's weird. But right now, this Emerald doesn't care.

"The refugees aren't hurting anyone. They're running away from the worst thing they've ever lived through. And you know what?" And she holsters the gun and leans in and she's going to try to put an arm around this other girl's shoulder. Personal space? What's that? "They lived. They're here. They survived. So if we can't go out there and kick Dorchacht ass, we gotta... we gotta make sure that they feel safe here insead."

the streets

[scatmaam]

An added benefit of that perfume...

[ A familiar voice calls from behind, the source wearing a fur cape to stave away some of the cold her actual fur couldn't quite keep away, and a familiar red spear flung over her shoulder. She could actually carry it in public now, though it did bring some attention from those who remembered the stories of a blood red spear that brought justice against the slavers, but... She was ignoring it, for the most part.

Her eyes were focused on Emerald, her expression soft. ] It makes you very easy to find in a crowd. [ She said as she tapped the side of her nose. ]

[hallucinogem]

[as though Emerald could forget that voice. she turned on her heel and tried her absolute best to keep her face steady, to stop herself from smiling as much as she truly wanted to at the face, the voice, the person before her.]

Lancer. [the name felt gentle on her lips; she hadn't forgotten. she doubted she ever would.] Good thing you caught me before my ears finished coming in. Once they do, you won't ever need the perfume to find me.

[she walked up to her and did let out the tiniest of smiles once she was closer, once the conversation could reasonably have been limited to the both of them and no one else.] Thank you. [and a pause, and she looked down slightly.] I didn't... get anything for you.

[scatmaam]

You didn't have to. [ Scathach shrugged, clearly not bothered by that truth. She wasn't the sort to value that sort of thing, anyways, even if she did like giving those she favored little things here and then. But she hardly expected the same in return.

When Emerald was close, Scathach showed no hesitation in draping an arm over the girl, leaning in close to nuzzle against her. ]

I've a bond now. It's helped my moods even out.

[hallucinogem]

You do?

[the idea did actually make her smile even wider, even though it was only going to be a private thing for Lancer to see. even then, it fell off her face quickly, though it couldn't avoid lingering in her voice.]

Anyone I know? Not that I know very many Witches... but I guess there's nothing stopping people like us from bonding with each other. If we wanted. [not a suggestion. they were doing well enough on their own, weren't they?]

[scatmaam]

[ Scathach didn't need a bond with Emerald to feel connected to her, at that point. And while theirs was much less literal, it was no less important to her, something she was keen on fostering. She let out a soft hum as they walked along. ]

Her name is Zelda. We've... a shared affinity for the shadows.

[hallucinogem]

Oh really?

[and Emerald can barely stop herself. there's a very distinct memory creeping into the forefront of her mind, and though she wants to sound sly about it, her expression is almost. peaceful. when she asks.]

The same kind of affinity you shared with me? Or is it something more than that?

[scatmaam]

[ Scathach let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. ]

Not the same. I doubt such things are even on her mind. But I am fond of her... but I would not push her the same way I do you.

[hallucinogem]

[that was almost a relief. not that she could tell Lancer what to do with her time, but Emerald liked hearing that she was... special, in at least some ways.]

If you give her any tests, she can probably cheat on them pretty easily. That probably takes a lot of the fun out of it. [and she smiled her black-lipped smile up at Lancer, and her back felt a little straighter knowing that she had people looking out for her. wanting her to be happy and taken care of. these gifts were doing wonders for her confidence.] I know you love pushing me in weird directions just to see how I'll react.

[scatmaam]

Because my intuition tells me you can handle it. That your reactions will be interesting. [ A small shrug, reaching to rough up Emerald's hair a bit, smirking as she did so and leaning in close, taking in more of that wonderful scent... ]

And you'll not ever doubt my fondness for you now, despite how things began... And should I ever give you reason to, you'll tell me plainly.

[hallucinogem]

[gods, it was almost embarrassing being treated like this. or, well. that she was enjoying it. she liked being doted on, and a lot of the terror of Lancer had left her, and she knew that... even if she still had to tread a little carefully around her, she knew that Lancer did just want to push her in the right directions. fortunately, as her hair got tousled, Emerald let her reactions stop at an open-mouthed smile, the stage immediately before a laugh.]

I will. You're... gods, it feels so weird to say this, but I think you're a good influence on me. You and the shadows and... [she was trying to sound dramatic because she didn't know what else to do, and her lips closed, and she shook her head.] I don't know. Thank you?

[scatmaam]

You needn't thank me. [ Scathach shook her head before leaning in to press a feather-light kiss to Emerald's temple, pausing there for a moment to take in more of that scent, again, just... very happy with her selection, and how it blended with Emerald's natural musk. Her canine sense of smell was doing her wonders. ]

I'm not your teacher. Those days are long behind me. I'm just your friend. And I'll do for you as I do for any friend.

[hallucinogem]

[that was. almost too much to deal with, and if Emerald felt in danger at all then she knew her flight-or-freeze instinct would be kicking in, but she felt... exactly the opposite here. and there was an inclination to lean into it, to press herself a little more firmly against Lancer's lips even though it was just a kiss to her temple.]

Does that mean you're going to stop with the pop quizzes? [her lips quirked up. did that count as teasing? her fingers grazed the side of Lancer's hand.] Or would that make me a lot less interesting to you? I know it's more fun when people are interesting.