☆ Event Log: Snatched, Part One

[faileas]

Event Log: January, Snatched - Part One

I. The Fires (14th) Though it began this month with petty vandalism, before long, things escalate. On the evening of the 14th, when many are settling down for the night, fires blaze to life simultaneously all over the city, though they seem to cluster in places that Mirrorbound and refugees frequent. Homes, businesses, market stalls, the Barracks, the Residential Districts, they could pop up anywhere, but the worst of them seem to hit different locations within the Haven. The refugees stand to lose a lot in the fires, everything they've built up since arriving here at the end of September, and Mirrorbound stand to suffer damage to the homes or businesses they've built in Aefenglom. No doubt everyone is quick to catch on, but with so many locations burning at once, help is thin on the ground. As soon as they're alerted, the Coven sends out a call to all Witches, Merrow, water-based Dragons, anyone who can manipulate water or ice to help put out the fires across town before they can spread. With the city plan so tight and buildings so close together, it's a real worry. They'll accept all hands, even those with no particular water-based talents - anybody can carry buckets, after all. Bucket brigades made up of mostly Monsters form from the River Temese out to pass water to where it's needed most. Others with fire magic or resistances are asked to search the buildings still on fire for anyone still trapped inside. On the streets, more set up stations to treat burns and smoke inhalation, and to check people over for worse injuries. It takes a couple of hours to put out the last of the flames, but thanks to quick action, no lives are confirmed lost. The City Guard is present at the sites of the fires in the hours afterward, questioning witnesses and determining the sources with both magical and Monster-ability-based methods, but as the chaos calms down, it quickly becomes clear that 1. this is a case of purposeful arson, and 2. not all witnesses are present. Maybe it's your friend, or family member, or just an acquaintance you know you saw go into their house at the end of the day, but they're conspicuously absent from the crowds gathered on the streets. Those who are Bonded to a missing person feel it first, though - a horrible sensation like a pillow over the face or a tightening in the chest, smothering their Bond to barely anything, except the very rare flicker of something, a tiny spark lost to the darkness as soon as it's felt. The sudden absence of them is like a case of phantom limb, something that should be there suddenly isn't, but yet it isn't quite an annullment or breaking of the Bond. It's still there, just muted and tamped down. It feels a little different for everyone, maybe painful or maybe just uncomfortable, or maybe, in the cases of new or less-close Bonds, it simply feels as if it never existed. Regardless, those Bonded can't be found through Bonds. It's like those loved ones have vanished, without a trace. The City Guard and Coven representatives alike will seek to make a comprehensive list of all who have gone missing, but Mirrorbound cooperation will be needed for that; they would know better than anyone, because the missing ones are all Mirrorbound or refugees.

II. The Lost Souls (14th - 20th) CW: Torture, captivity, restraints. You were spirited away in the middle of the night. Maybe you were out, or maybe you were safe in your own home, but either way, someone managed to get the drop on you. Upon waking, everything is fuzzy, until clarity returns suddenly and violently. It's possible to remember a struggle, an enchanted darkness that might have enveloped you, maybe even a glimpse of the face of the human or Witch who grabbed you, but now you're stuck in a small, stone cell, the only entrance covered in shiny new bars thick enough to hold back a rampaging Dragon. The hall beyond is also stone and dimly lit by sparse magitech lights and the soft, runic glow of spells drawn on the walls and floors. There are more cells like yours, filled with more Monsters and Witches like you. What's worse, maybe you're alone, or maybe another poor soul is trapped with you - the space isn't exactly large enough for two, but the comfort might be nice. Witches will find their magic restrained, tamped down with a spell similar to the Coven's punishment for lawbreaking. Monsters' restraints are more traditional - muzzles, chains, manacles, and particular weaknesses that differ from Monster type to Monster type, such as silver or iron, water, or the lack of water. Even if, by some small mercy, a person finds themselves with their hands free, all of the captives' Watches have been taken, along with most other belongings on them. The uncertainty of your new location doesn't last for long. It's only a matter of time before people pass through the cellblock in pairs or trios, talking to each other and ignoring the captives behind bars, checking up on the spells that line the room. Those with keen memories will realize - these are not the same people who took them in the first place. All are human, and they all share a familial resemblance - black hair, violet eyes, pointed noses, and unpleasant sneers. Over time, with observation (and what else are you going to do, while you wait for the worst?), maybe frequenters of the Coven will pick out a familiar face, a haughty, unpopular Witch named Constance Rathmore who refuses to associate with Mirrorbound in classes, or those familiar with the law might pick out a mid-ranked member of the City Guard named Godfrey Rathmore, who perhaps looks the other way when refugees are harassed. As the hours tick by, it becomes obvious that there are maybe 22 of the Rathmore family, the only ones with access to this corridor. Other voices, maybe familiar from the kidnapping, can be heard outside the main doors at times, but they never enter, and seem none the wiser as to what is actually happening. a. The Torments And what is happening? Something sinister. It's usually a different set of family members, a pair of cousins, the daughter or the son, occasionally even the matriarch and her son and daughter-in-law (who may be recognized as long-time members of Parliament). Their methods and motivations may be a bit different, but they share one thing - innate cruelty, and a hatred for those they see as a plague on Aefenglom, those harbingers of unwanted change. Sometimes they inflict pain on captives right there through the bars of the cells, with nasty spells or physical instruments, but more often, they choose a victim or two to remove from their cell, still in restraints, to take down the hall, through the heavy door at the opposite end from the entrance. The wide room at the end is a place of horrors: instruments of torture lining tables, heavy restraints, and glass jars to receive any bits or blood they might separate from the original owners, to sell on the black market. The runes on the walls and floor in this room are different as well - this is advanced, forbidden magic, practiced by the daughter Constance on brand new test subjects. When the family members have grown bored or tired themselves out, they return their current playthings to a cell - not always the same cell with the same cellmate, not always with the same restraints, but every time they ensure that it will be difficult to escape or fight back. b. The Whispers While the Rathmores do not often speak directly to captives, they speak to each other quite a bit, as do the others who occasionally pass outside the heavy door at the entrance and simply seem to serve as watchmen outside the corridor. It's easy to get snippets of conversation between the horrors. What else are you going to do, besides wait, and listen, and plot your escape? "Shame about Uncle Rodolphus. Scarred by the mist, his Black Market business raided." "None of it would have happened if they hadn't provoked Dorchacht. It was Drummond's Witch in our city who unleashed that awful gas, as retribution for what they did over there..." "...-Destabilizing a whole city like that, and there are only a hundred of them give or take. Imagine what they'll do to Aefenglom if we don't stop it." "They'll all want to leave after this, surely. We'll go for another batch in a couple of weeks, once Godfrey convinces the Guard to stop looking." "Good. Maybe Dorchacht will take them. Them and their brutal revolutionaries..." "...-Father thinks we can control them if he manages to get in touch with his contact in Dorchacht. They had that spell, you know? Like the collars, but better. Maybe then we can sell them off, make some money back to cover our losses..." "...-All this pushing for equality. The whole economy will collapse. Everyone has their place in a functioning society, right, sister?"... "...-heard from Mr. Rathmore himself they're doing magic in there. A spell to send the Mirrorbound home, and the refugees along with them." "Then why did we have to grab them like that? You'd think they'd want to leave." "The Coven wants them here, obviously. It's a power-play, there's no way they'd allow Mr. Rathmore to do this..." "...-I don't know about this, the Rathmores always seemed a little extreme-..." As a reminder: while this prompt contains a general content warning for torture, please make sure to leave decently specific content warnings in your headers for anything that may be uncomfortable for other players to stumble across. The level of torture experienced by each character is up to the individual players - please respect each other's limits!

III. The Ones Left Behind (14th - 20th) Meanwhile, out in the city, the atmosphere is a new kind of tense. The papers pick up the story pretty quickly, so before long, it seems that everyone knows about it. In the days since the fires, repairs seem to be on the backburner; the remaining refugees especially worry for their missing friends and loved ones, and the missing Mirrorbound. The graffiti stops entirely, as do nasty comments in the streets. The upper-class, when they come into contact with the remaining Mirrorbound, cannot meet their eyes, or even react with genuine sympathy, a rare few even saying in hushed murmurs that they hope they find their people. Vandalizing their property is one thing, it seems, but people simply vanishing, Bonds being smothered... that's another. Even if they don't worry for the Mirrorbound, they worry for their own safety in Aefenglom now. On the other hand, residents of the Western Residential District, primarily Monsters but including a fair few humans as well, stop by the Haven more often, bringing food and kind words, and asking after the disappearances with real concern. The City Guard is an increased presence on the streets, trying to track down witnesses who may have information, but without warrants, their hands are tied in a lot of cases. Some Mirrorbound are asked quietly by the Lead Investigator if they wouldn't mind looking into some of the sources of the fires, and trying to track down anyone who might have seen something - they can operate a little more loosely, not being bound by the same bureaucracy as the Guard. They're promised Guard and Coven cooperation and support in this. The demand for artists increases in the days after the abduction. Many of the refugees especially will seek out anyone who can draw to help them create fliers about the missing people to post around town, to raise awareness. Maybe they want to make posters of another refugee, or maybe they want posters made of particular Mirrorbound faces who helped them in the past. They're distressed, but they're pulling together as a community - and it's clear they consider all the Mirrorbound a part of it, judging from how they'll try to pull anyone in to their efforts to put the 'missing' posters up around the city. The Coven, too, is in a flurry of worry, second only to the refugees, who are missing some of their own as well. Many of the regular classes are disrupted and become impromptu Divining sessions, circles of Witches holding hands and chanting in rooms filled with incense smoke, making concentrated efforts to determine the location of their missing fellows. After all, many Mirrorbound are their classmates, and they want to see them returned safely. Anyone passing through the Coven may get pulled into one of these sessions - Witches to lend their magic to the circle, Monsters who know any of the missing to act as foci. Unfortunately, nothing concrete turns up in the fleeting visions they do get, and the backlash is immense, resulting in splitting migraines. It's magical interference for sure. Luckily, Miss Aerianna, the middle-aged Arachne caretaker to the Dreamers (who, she'll say, are currently unreachable - they're trying to suss out the missing Mirrorbound as well), is well-versed with Divination headaches, and is around distributing her supposed cure-all, which smells like swamp-water and tastes twice as bad. At least it works on the headaches. While the part of the city who wanted to see the Mirrorbound gone have quieted down some, the part of the city that welcomes them has grown louder, providing what support they can to try to find those lost souls who have vanished. The investigation briefs will be posted under location-specific headers down below! Feel free to thread underneath them with others investigating the same area, or collaborate with other teams to share information. We decided to go ahead and allow for everyone who signed up to investigate whichever area they're interested in rather than splitting characters into mod-decided teams, but we encourage working together!

Welcome to Part One of January's event, Snatched! The sign-ups thread is here - it's not too late to get involved. Only the kidnapped characters who will escape on the evening of the 20th is closed out to new sign-ups. Headers for the investigations are here. Part Two of this event will be posted on the 21st and will include the escape, rescue and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

And a note for all! If your character does anything significant during Part 1 or Part 2, we want to hear about it on the city tracker! Make sure your submissions are in by Feb. 3rd, because a special aftermath post will go up on the 4th.

Comments

[showsnopiety]

Ssh.

[She would have liked to position herself better but-well-she nearly ended up on the floor instead. She made to grab at Soren so she wouldn't fall over- though it wasn't easy, restrained as they both were.

But after a few moments-maybe longer for Soren, considering how loopy he was-she stiffened, her fox-like ears going flat against her skull.]

Soren? Soren, are you with me?

[What did they give him to make him this messed up...?]

[silentsavant]

[A thin sheen of sweat glosses his brow as he tries to keep his head above the primal feelings threatening to pull him under. He's doing a pretty good job of it so far, especially thanks to the various sedating concoctions they gave him to make him behave last time they poked and prodded at him, but the energy of this place is exhausting and makes him feel ill. He swallows, keeping his half-lidded eyes focused dully ahead.]

Don't... Don't mind me. ...What are they saying?

[showsnopiety]

[She doesn't know how he's still awake. It's worrisome, but...if he was trying...She blew out a breath, closing her eyes.

It didn't help with her hearing, but it helped her focus.]

They're talking about how they'll get more of us.

[She's growling, quietly. She didn't even realize it.]

[silentsavant]

Not surprising...

[Their tormentors have it out for the Mirrorbound; they make their motives very clear with every breath. From the moment they were kicked out of the Coven and into the Haven district, Soren knew things would come to a head. Of course, he never expected it to pan out quite like this, but it certainly speaks volumes about what sorts of people they're up against and what underhanded methods they're willing to use to get their way. That the darker shades of human nature can and will rear up, Soren is programmed to always expect. It feels like he's being blamed for something that isn't even his fault. A familiar feeling.

What he longs for are more details, more to grasp onto in order to help make better sense of their harrowing situation. His voice rides on a scant whisper.]

...What else?

[showsnopiety]

[She understands the bitter taste in his mouth. Though, she's not sure what he's thinking, loopy as he is. Maybe this is sombering.

No time to think about it. She has to focus, and after a few moments she murmurs,]

They're waiting for Godfrey to convince the guardsmen to look the other way before they try again.

[silentsavant]

...Urgh...

[The mere thought of more sufferers to add to this discord makes him swoon, along with another throb of his aching head from the distant screams, the reek of blood, the suffering pitched in unison. It makes a submerged part of him want to rear up, thrash, tear it all to pieces until there is nothing and no one left...

...but the drugs are keeping that beast tame and dull for now. Instead, he just struggles within the cage of himself. He hopes they don't wear off any time soon, or else he might be the only one left living in his cell. Or two corpses. He really doesn't want it to come to either of those ends.]

There... has to be a way...

[He tries to latch onto a thought, gets so far as flipping through possible means to distract and coordinate, only to be slammed by another pulse of pain. He twists his neck which leans him into Caren's head, the muscles of his face strained and his body shaking.]

If... even one of us can escape...!

[showsnopiety]

[She'd been forced to train herself, to listen only to certain noises made. Else, she would be writhing on the ground in pain.

Which was a terrible idea. As terrible as becoming a corpse due to a dragon's rage.]

Shhh.

[She reached to clasp a hand against his waist. Not that it was great, with her wrists shackled to her waist by a short chain, but she was doing her best.]

Come here. Sit on me. We can think of how to steal the keys together.

[silentsavant]

S-Sit... on you...?

[But. Why?

Not that she isn't warm and he isn't cold-blooded, making the strange suggestion appeal to him in spite of his usual reservations.]

[showsnopiety]

A few things, one of which is body heat.

Also, you may feel better if I'm in range for you to squeeze.

[Like a squishy.

But not.]

[silentsavant]

Maybe if I were a child...

[Look, Caren!!! He doesn't need you to be his squishy leave him alone he's a perfectly well-adjusted adult ok?!

...but amid the screaming coldness outside of their cell, some warmth might console whatever rages within. It's instinct, even if Soren himself isn't used to the warmth offered from others quite yet. He leans a little more heavily into her, as though she could shut it all out.]

[showsnopiety]

You can pretend to be. I won't tell.

[They're being tortured!!! Everything is out the window!

She huffed, and made to tug at him.]

Come here.

[Up here you.]

[silentsavant]

Pretend to be a... Don't be ridiculous...

[Up he goes, onto her lap. He doesn't even have the willpower to resist. Pretty embarrassing! But he really doesn't have the luxury to be too ashamed when he's so deep in the thralls of pain and feebleness. She's pretty soft... and definitely warm. He curls up where he is, folding his wings a little tighter to himself.]

... ...

[showsnopiety]

See? You needed this.

[She's soft, warm, and cozy. Even without using her wings to capture the heat, they're good. Well. More or less.]

Like I said. I won't tell anyone.

[silentsavant]

[And bringing the tsun out of him, apparently.]

Like I'm worried about... nngh... [His claws dig into the clothes at her chest as he rides another pulse of overstimulation; he makes a concerted effort to try and avoid piercing flesh, but whether that's successful or not is up in the air. He grits his sharp teeth and curls up tighter, groaning in quiet staccato bursts.]

I've never... felt like this before. All of this suffering... It's... getting to me. Too strongly...

[showsnopiety]

[Completely bringing out the tsun. If the situation was less dire, she'd tease him about it.

But she doesn't. Nor does she make any noises about his claws dig in. She's felt worse today. Or...was it yesterday? She can't remember anymore.]

Can you describe it? Talk to me. Maybe somehow...we can break the cycle.

[silentsavant]

[He doubts they can do much to assuage him. The only thing that could free him from this feeling is to be somewhere else. He sucks in a shallow, shuddering breath that was meant to be deeper. His arms tremble as he clutches her; he keeps his head down as though in shame.]

It's as though I can feel it... intimately, the pain of others. The discord makes me swoon. Like I'm going to be ill. Weakness. Yet... a tremendous, violent force is trying to clamber free. Total opposites contending within...

[showsnopiety]

[She isn't even sure what's causing the cycle either. And he's...not in good shape. And she wonders...is he at risk of going feral...?

...Ah.

This won't be pleasant.

She sighed, and slowly pulled down part of her dress, revealing the crook of her neck.]

Maybe...see if having magic will help. Bite down.

[silentsavant]

[He can scarcely think clearly enough to weigh the decision. Her suggestion confuses him. He can see where she's going with the magic aspect, since it's easy to make the connection to his condition be going feral. Magic helps monsters to stabilize their minds. But how does biting her help in that regard? Chimeras are the most variable and unpredictable of all monsters, so could her species have something to do with it?]

Biting you generates magic...?

[showsnopiety]

No.

[That'd mean she'd be covered in scars from being monster bait during the full moon. Instead, she offers a quiet huff.]

It may not be much, but even monsters have magic. Ergo, if you taste some of my blood...

[She might have enough, or not enough. It's a gamble.]

[silentsavant]

[Harpies can perform wind magic; fae can cast illusions... but the fundamental properties of monsters as opposed to witches was that they were devoid of magic and needed a source to feed off of. However, it has also been said that monsters were expressions of magic themselves. He considers with this idea swaying in his mind. But there's one problem, and his instincts scream at him. He shakes his head.]

I can't trust myself. W-What if I... want even more of your blood...?

[showsnopiety]

[It's not a great idea. It's even a terrible idea. But it's something. If vampires can feed off of monsters...it means there's something there, right...?

Gently, she brought a hand up to rest against his face.]

Then I'll stop you. You're not going to kill me.

[silentsavant]

You? Stop me?

[He's a dragon. She's a chimera. It doesn't guarantee the result of a savage clash between them, especially when they're both varying degrees of broken and worn down, but in a raw contest of pure strength, anyone could guess which of the two to bet on. Insistence burns in his eyes before he squeezes shut them shut, his arms shaking, his blood racing icy hot.]

How do you intend to keep a dragon from rampaging? I'll go mad. I won't have mercy. It's too risky...

[And he's growing more upset by his own jumbled thoughts swooning to the soundtrack of frightened screams and enraged roars. It bleeds into the tremble of his voice. He holds onto her more tightly, tries to bury his nose into her neck in desperation. If it smells of blood, it might make him worse. But if she's unmarred there, the effect will have the opposite.

A selfish idea wriggles its way into his brain. Why should he care if he hurts her? If she causes him to lose sight of himself, at least he won't be able to tell that he's suffering anymore. There is another solution, but if she fails to make the mark, that, too, carries some risk. Frantically he entreats her.]

If you think you can knock me out in one hit... that might be the safest option. Please. I can barely stand being conscious right now...

[showsnopiety]

Right now...it would be easy to.

[Normally, if they were as they were usually-he has a keen mind and dragon's strength. He could easily out move her then, and have her pinned to the ground, no problem. But like this...he can't use his mind. He's distracted, his mind and body is wrapped up in the overstimulation. And with the blood...he'd be focused on the flood of magic, on the flavor of her blood.

He's on top of her, but with enough speed and a hard hit....]

And of course I'm not going to tell you how I'd do it for you. It doesn't matter if you're a dragon and I'm a chimera.

What matters is your choice. Will you try, or will you focus on my scent? Or did you want me to choke you out?

[Caren...no one wants to be choked out.]

wow soren this is actually really embarrassing of you... SNNNNNIIIIFF

[silentsavant]

[Soren wants to be choked out!!!! Take him out of this cruel world once and for all, Caren!

...or he would, if he didn't think it might trigger an irrational burst of anger or self-defense on his end. He takes a deep breath of her. Though she's been through hell like he has, it isn't enough to chase away her natural scent, a clean and comforting one, delicately fresh and warmly sweet. It's a complete contrast to his surroundings. It stifles them. He squeezes his eyes shut and inhales deeply again.

He doesn't care how weird this is right now. He just wants refuge, and Caren is a little bit of one.]

Some snort drugs, Soren snorts skin

[showsnopiety]

[Well She can't choke him out if he doesn't consent!!!!

She waits for him to say something but...yeah it seems like he made his choice. She sighed, and gently smoothed her fingers over his hair, over and over.]

All right. I see you've made your choice.

[Sniff away, she's done weirder stuff.]