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

[integrous]

Yeah. [ It's almost a nod more than an answer with how out of breath she is - it's faintly whispered more than said. Ange moves to lean against the wall for a second to make her head stop spinning, but once she feels steady enough to walk again, she quickly opens the door and holds it open for him. ]

Come on in.

[ Momiji might just be the person she'd mind having over the least, after all. ]

You can even sleep here for the night if you want. It isn't safe outside.

[selfishwish]

Thanks...!

[He doesn't need to be told twice, hopping inside and slipping out of his shoes out of habit. His shirt and the fur on his arms have gotten slightly paint-spattered on the dash over, from the hastily-capped can and wet brush he's still toting.] Nobody saw us, I'm pretty sure--

Do you think? [He asks, slightly surprised, in reply to that last warning. Sure, there have been vandals, but they're not that scary...] Kyo's apartment's not that far...

[But, hey, he's never been the type to turn down a good sleepover. Those were virtually unheard of back home.]

[integrous]

[ She's really hoping no one saw them. The last thing she wants is for people to show up at her house to try and threaten her. Just the thought itself is enough to make her feel antsy, and she sucks in a deep breath to try and quickly force the feeling down. ]

.. well, if you want, you can go. [ It's not like she's going to force him to stay here, after all, even though the thought of him being out there by himself doesn't exactly make her feel at ease. No matter that it'd just be for a small distance. ] It's not like I mind having you over though.

[ Her tone slowly grows a bit more unsure. Is she just being too paranoid? She's been wondering that to herself for a while now. ]

But-- You know, if you don't want to stay, that's totally fine too.

[selfishwish]

No-o, I'll stay over! It is kinda late. [A mild understatement, that.] I was just asking.

[He shrugs and traipses around the room to peep out the nearest window, just to double-check that there's no sign of anyone wandering after them. When the coast appears clear, he smiles back at Asahi.]

...Were you out trying to catch bad guys? Sorry I surprised you like that!

But my costume was really convincing, right?

[integrous]

Yeah.

[ To both of those questions, but the fact that she's sighing a little as she says it completely belongs to the answer to the second question. ]

I couldn't sleep, so I was sitting up there. [ She points at the ceiling, meaning up on the roof. ] And I spotted you from there, but since I couldn't see what you were writing and didn't recognize you, I thought you were one of those jerks writing all the mean things all over town. I didn't recognize you until I heard your voice.

[selfishwish]

...Me neither. [The puca admits, at that first observation.]

Two of the guys who live there were spraying stuff around the Haven yesterday. I was just going to go tell on them, but--their butler wouldn't even let me talk to anybody!

[Not even with him impersonating a member of the City Guard, which was pretty ridiculous if you asked him! But also maybe he doesn't need to mention that detail.]

I figured nobody'd get in trouble [Including, y'know, him] if I just looked like a human.

[integrous]

[ She's quiet for a moment, seemingly mulling over in her head what he's telling her as she moves to sit down on her bed. ]

That's not too bad of a plan. [ She'll admit that. Momiji's plans can be a little.. reckless sometimes, if she had to pick a diplomatic word for it, but some thought seems to have gone into this one. ]

Sorry, I guess I kind of ruined it by storming in like some giant police bird, huh. I would've just let you go at it if I had picked up earlier on what you were writing.

[ Hey, she doesn't mind mischief when it's also rebelling against a corrupt system. ]

[selfishwish]

Mm, you didn't ruin it! I still got it all painted.

You just really scared me there for a minute! I didn't know who was about to get me before I saw your face.

[After the fact, though, the fear just makes for a lingering thrill, and he can't help but laugh aloud. Actually, the night was a pretty unqualified success, even if his penmanship suffered a little bit.]

If I'd been one of those jerks, I would have run away so fast.

[integrous]

Really?

[ Asahi glances over to him. It's pure habit. Of course she can't see a tail growing to indicate whether or not that was just him trying to be nice or him being honest. She tried her best to be intimidating, but she's honestly not too sure how one teenage girl can be intimidating in this place.

Even with wings and harpy features. ]

Maybe I should try to see whether I can spot some of those guys some other night then. We seriously need to find some way to put a stop to those jerks. [ She pauses, seems to realise something, and manages a small smile at Momiji after letting out a breath to release some of her tension. ] If they didn't get the message after seeing what you put out there, anyway.

[ She at least wants to make sure to acknowledge he did something good back there. ]

[selfishwish]

I bet you could! You caught me, and I was being super sneaky. Most of the buttheads I've seen doing that aren't even really trying to hide it, they just run off after.

[He enthuses, finally finding a safe spot to set down his vandalism equipment before hopping over to seat himself on the bed next to Asahi. Bird vengeance from above sounds much funnier when it's someone who's deserving (and not him) on the receiving end of it.]

That'd teach them a lesson, for sure!

[Which feels important to him on a bone-deep level, lately. He''s been trying not to question that, because they definitely are jerks!]

[integrous]

[ Maybe she'll really try doing it again some other day. It's something about the way he says it. Asahi tends to doubt herself and her plans a lot, especially in this place where everything feels so uncertain, but when Momiji puts it like that.. he just really makes it sound like she can do it.

Her smile grows a little wider. ]

How are you so good at encouraging people? [ It's a deserved compliment, to the point that Asahi feels like she has to say it. Momiji deserves to hear it. ] You sometimes turn it around so easily when I feel all bummed.

[selfishwish]

Really?

[Oh no. He's actually blushing at that, bunny-ears shooting all the way up with surprise. It's not really a compliment he's gotten before! Being the encouraging one definitely wasn't his job description at home--though, admittedly, they actually didn't have someone who did fit that description until pretty recently.

Which just makes him that much more chuffed at the praise.]

I dunno-o... it's just true, I think! [He beams, then offers a cheerful shrug.]

You worry about stuff a whole lot, but you always take care of everything. At least when I'm around.

[integrous]

It's because I'm better at just doing things than thinking.

[ Because when she does start thinking, she starts overly fussing and worrying about everything. It's better for her when she just lets her dumb impulses take over which make her jump into things. That's how she decided to get him away from those weird tough guys he was playing cards with before, after all. If she had thought about it for too long, she would just have started worrying and not done a thing. ]

I guess we all have our own talents. [ And Momiji's definitely is cheering people up, she thinks. She doesn't get how it's so surprising to him when it's so obvious to her, but she feels glad to see him so happy about being told that all the same. ] So.. Thanks for being my friend. And for being good at some of the things I suck at.

[selfishwish]

Thanks for being good at the things I suck at.

[He chirps back, poking his tongue out slightly. If they're going to keep being self-deprecating, he's at least going to be a huge brat about it.

Then he leans back, breathing out contently and blinking down at himself. He's not even sure how late it is now, but the company and a successfully-managed caper have tonight's restlessness well in hand. That's been rare lately.]

Mm...do you think I can borrow a pajama shirt? I don't want to get paint all over your stuff--

[integrous]

[ She nods, hopping off the bed. ]

Of course. [ Asahi starts sorting through a pile of clothes. Usually she's a bit neater and more organized about all of this, but it's been so hard to focus with everything going on lately. But she does manage to pull a pajama shirt out of the pile, throwing it over to Momiji. ] Here, you can wear that. It's clean, don't worry.

[ She figures she at least has to add that considering the clothes pile over here and all.. ]

You can sleep on the bed too. I've been really bad at actually sleeping in there lately anyway.

[selfishwish]

Thanks!

[If the clutter bothers him, it doesn't show at all--Asahi should see his bedroom back at Kyo's, between how unused to the whole "not having maids" thing he still is, his unscratched burrowing instincts, and that fun puca tendency to find all sorts of neat things in unexpected places. (It's a huge mess.)

Instead, he just catches the shirt and promptly spins around to face away as he starts to pull off his paint-spattered top and change.]

Oh, 'kay. ...Is it not comfy, with your wings?

[He pauses to ask, peeking back over-shoulder. He hadn't thought about how that would work! Actual birds probably mostly sleep perched on something, right...?]

[integrous]

Hmm.. kinda.

[ But there seems to be more to it than just that answer, judging by the fact she says it somewhat hesitantly. (Or maybe that hesitance just comes from how she's trying to not look and give him some privacy while he's changing!) ]

At first it was still kind of manageable, even with the wings, but I don't really.. feel comfortable anymore. That low to the ground. [ Dumb harpy instincts kicking in. It's why she figures he can probably sleep in a bed.. Rabbits shouldn't have that kind of problem, right? ] So I usually sleep up there now.

[ She points up, at the rafters near the ceiling. There's a corner up there that has cloth and all sorts of things gathered into a shape that vaguely resembles a nest. ]

[selfishwish]

Oh--wow.

[Once he's pulled the loaned shirt on, Momiji turns and follows Asahi's line-of-sight, craning his head back to blink up at her nest.

That is the obvious bird answer to the problem, isn't it? Still, he wasn't expecting it!]

Is it cozy...? [He scoots back a little further to try to get a better look. He goes quiet for a moment, looking almost bashful.] ...I think puca might have like the opposite thing.

[integrous]

[ The opposite, huh? So maybe it's more like they hate high places..? Asahi curiously looks over at him. ]

Really? I guess rabbits usually stay low to the ground.. [ And puca seem to be rabbit-like enough, judging by Momiji's ears and all. And his general cuteness. Although that might also be a Momiji trait moreso than a puca one. ] Does sleeping on a bed work out for you then? If it's too uncomfortable, we can try to work something else out.

[selfishwish]

No, it's fine! I just have a normal bed at Kyo's--

[And it works...passably? As well as anything else he's tried, so far, anyway. The apartment doesn't have anywhere underground he can retreat to conveniently, and it turns out trying to sleep under the bed is just not the same (and is also very uncomfortable). When it's cold enough, he can get by with cocooning himself in a couple of spare covers, but even that doesn't quite scratch the burrowing itch.]

I stayed with some other puca in Dorchacht, though? And they'd dug in under an inn there and had kind of a--den? With four of them all together.

[He shrugs, going somewhat pink. Not exactly the kind of quick fix one can implement at home, but it was the best. And now it's just this weird, unsatisfied urge.]

[integrous]

[ Well, this may just be the very first time that there has been an upside to her weird harpy instincts that make her sleep up high. It makes her understand what he must be feeling a lot better - if she couldn't have made her nest for some reason, she probably would have felt like something was missing too. ]

That must've been nice. [ Not that Asahi personally thinks it's nice. .. well, maybe the company part of it is? She sometimes gets awfully lonely here alone. But the burrowing part isn't really her deal. She can understand why it must be nice for Momiji though. ] Maybe you can have something like that here one day too. There's got to be other puca around.

[selfishwish]

Maybe. I don't think Kyo'd let me dig us a basement, though...? And that sounds like a lot of work!

[He snickers, shaking his head and then dropping back on the bed, scooting himself up towards its headboard to start to settle in. He's mostly joking.]

This is good for tonight, though, thanks! I just didn't know other Monsters did stuff like that.

[Abnormal sleeping habits and all. It's a little less embarrassing, actually, realizing he's not just being super-weird about it.]

[integrous]

Yeah, this place sure is giving all of us some unique habits, huh?

[ But at least it does make it easier to not feel as judged. At least they're all weirdos together. (Then again, Momiji is always so nice, it's hard to ever feel fully judged around him to begin with.)

Ange spreads her wings, flying up to her usual spot higher up to settle in there. ]

Alright, good night. Just yell at me if something's up, I don't sleep all that deeply.

[selfishwish]

'Kay! G'night, Asahi.

[He watches her alight into the nest in the rafters and then gets himself tucked in--covers bundled snugly around him, curled up tight with one pillow clutched to his chest and his cheek pressed into another.

Not long after, he's fast asleep...and less troublesome of a house-guest than one might expect. Beyond talking (and occasionally looking like he's trying to hop) in his sleep, he dozes off without any commotion.

All in all, not a bad night!]