☆ Event Log: Snatched, Part Two

[faileas]

Event Log: January, Snatched - Part Two

I. A Great Escape (20th, Evening) It's been a miserable six days for the Mirrorbound and refugees kept locked away in a basement cell block, subject to all kinds of torment and experimentation. They're a resilient sort, though, and their efforts to organize and bolster each other are not in vain. As the time passes with no sign of the City Guard drawing close to their operations, the Rathmore family grows overconfident, and characters can hear them talking to each other about another mass-kidnapping in the works. The best opening comes late on the night of the 20th. A few of the family's numbers are out - notably, Thomas Rathmore, his wife, and his mother are attending an emergency meeting of Parliament, and Constance is making an appearance at the Coven. This leaves the more inexperienced cousins in charge, the lesser known Rathmores with no particular skill outside of cruelty. Changing of the guard begins as usual, a handful of Rathmores delivering some sparse rations and taking their time to choose a few prisoners to remove from their cells, but this time, the Mirrorbound bite back. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Daenerys and Asura, along with the prisoners preparing an organized revolt, a fire started in the torture room provides chaos and cover - and one dead Rathmore cousin, whose body gives up some of the keys to a handful cells. Time to play the cards you've held close to your chest over days of torture, your held-back spells, your tricks, your items that weren't confiscated. A mass escape isn't likely, with so many people still present in the building and so many of the captives injured and tired, but with enough of a distraction in the form of a prison riot, which may be enough to overpower the three Rathmores initially left in the cell block, a handful of scrappy Mirrorbound may make it out to safety before reinforcements arrive. a. The Escape Attempt There is one door out of the cell block, the main, heavy, warded door that the Rathmores enter and exit from every few hours. It's locked down tight - but it's possible to power through it, pick the lock, or charm it open. On the other side of the door, in the greater basement area, they'll find themselves free of the Bond dampening. Witch magic make take some time to return, depending on whether they were drugged or only charmed, but it'll be important to move quickly. The Rathmores' basement area is large - the size of the mansion above and the grounds put together, and they'll find themselves on the lower of two levels. The cellblock turns out to be a room within an even bigger room, with the stairs at the opposite end. The dangers are numerous: magical and mechanical traps set in areas marked off-limits, illusions intended to confuse and turn people around. There is only one completely safe path from the cellblock door to the stairs, unless they take the time to disarm the traps and illusions with their returning magic and abilities. That safe path is faster but more exposed, with two or three Rathmores in pursuit, and also the other people that could occasionally be heard outside the door - young aristocrats in on the kidnapping, who thought the Mirrorbound would be sent home. They're just as surprised to see you as you are them. In fact, it's not difficult to overpower these non-Rathmore kidnappers; they're obviously shocked to see Mirrorbound still here, in such states, and some are quite angry, or scared to learn what they've inadvertently gotten themselves into. A good handful flee instead of fight, but some others follow through on the shouted orders to go after you. Use the chaos your appearance causes to your advantage. Once escapees reach the upper basement level, up the stairs and through a hidden door, a few more traps remain, but up here, it looks more like a normal basement; servants' quarters, empty for some time now, storage rooms full of antiques, and winding hallways connecting them. It's easier to hide in this dusty maze to escape any pursuers, and eventually, they find the servants' exit out onto the back grounds. From there, freedom is just a run and a decorative, wrought-iron fence away. b. The Chaos Back in the cells, everything descends into chaos. The Rathmores are furious; while two or three of the cousins go after the escapees, the rest begin to gather down in the cell block, put out the fire, and the interrogations begin. They don't bother taking prisoners out to torment them now - they can't, with their torture room charred and smokey. Their main focus is forcing prisoners back in, and locking everything down with magic and heavy chains, to ensure no one else gets out. They grow more vicious now, and they begin speaking directly to the captives - they want to know which ones got free, how they managed it, who helped them, where they're going, who they're going to tell. Those who refuse to talk will be gagged or muzzled or simply beaten without finesse, and they'll move on to the next captive. Preying on the Mirrorbound's camaraderie with each other is the tactic they quickly turn to, hurting one to try and make another talk. The talk outside the main door grows louder in these few hours, angrier. Occasionally one of the Rathmore cousins will go out to spin some lies, or simply shout down any protesting. Some of the enchantments were damaged in the riot, though - they can hear you, just as well as you can hear them, muffled but still mostly clear. The more they hear from within, the more the confusion outside grows; all the better for the escaped Mirrorbound. ..."What's going on? Those were Mirrorbound that got out-" "We thought you were sending them home!" "You told us there was no risk, that this would make them leave-" "You don't need to worry about that! Go back upstairs!" "Someone needs to get a message to our Uncle Thomas immediately-"... They're all panicking as their grand plans, flimsy as they may have been, start to crumble around them. It's just a matter of time, now. The OOC post for the escape plotting is here if anyone needs to refer back to it! Eight characters will be escaping first thanks to a joint effort. The rescue will be underway within two hours of their escape, but those two hours are likely to be unpleasant for characters who remain in captivity. Any NPC maimings or proposed deaths need to be reported on the City Tracker; please note that mass murder / killing NPCs will still have consequences and needs mod approval first, but we're happy to work with players however we can.

II. The Cavalry (21st, Very Early Morning) The City Guard is closer than the Rathmores think. Thanks to Mirrorbound investigative help, not always strictly legal but still appreciated nonetheless, they've all followed the clues back and determined a possible address. By the evening of the 20th, several members of the Guard and Witches from the Coven, along with any Mirrorbound who followed the trail, are camped out at a manse nearby, the home of a wealthy widow eager to see her nasty neighbors knocked down a peg. Without solid evidence, the Guard can't get a warrant cleared to search the property owned by a Mr. Barclay, assistant to Thomas Rathmore, but solid evidence comes as soon as eight Mirrorbound manage to fight their way out of captivity, returning to friends and Bonded. They are the last piece of the puzzle, and now legal action can be taken. Theodore Rosethorne, leading a small group from the Coven, sends out a magical message to just the Mirrorbound - they've been found. Anyone who wishes to help bring their missing fellows home, anyone who can help with much-needed healing, or anyone who wishes to bring their captors to justice needs to show up now, because time is of the essence. The Guard can't mobilize more men quickly enough in the middle of the night to be useful and they need all the hands they can get, without a floor plan of the mansion or solid ideas of the captors' numbers. They can barely wait an hour for more hands to arrive before it begins. a. The Rescue Sowilo, Theodore's Bonded Fae and a skilled hand at illusions (and seeing through such), leads the rescue efforts, along with some of Theodore's Witches from the Coven. With information from the escapees, they plan to go through the back, take the servants' exit, and make their way down to the basement levels, while Theodore's assault team will go through the front doors, making as much noise as possible. Sowilo's illusions will keep their presence masked at least until they get into the house. The aim is to get through as quietly as possible, find the cellblock, and secure a safe route to take the prisoners out without them getting hurt any worse than they are. It's easier said than done. Magical and mechanical traps of various types litter both basement floors, and heavy illusion work has been placed to obscure the way. Splitting into smaller groups to disarm the traps and deal with the illusions will be necessary, as the entire group will make its way down to the cellblock as quickly as possible. Sowilo hopes they face little to no resistance, with Theodore's group doing their job, but a few, Rathmores and otherwise, are bound to try and stop them; in that case, they will have to fight. "Make sure you can argue a case for self-defense, if you have to hurt them," Sowilo will tell the rescuers and later the freed prisoners on the way out, wings fluttering agitatedly. "Let them be arrested and publicly humiliated in court - ruin their whole family line for generations to come." He's not happy about it either, and will overlook some of the captors getting a taste of what they deserve, but deaths are not permitted on his or the Witches' watch: anyone who takes things too far will find that the person they're attacking has simply vanished - a convincing illusion - before they're handily knocked out with a spell. They face less resistance than the assault team, but less is not none; a few of the Rathmores are determined to salvage their efforts, and some of their unwitting aristocratic cronies have sided with them. Once they reach the cellblock, dismantling the enchantments that keep the prisoners restrained and addled is the first order of business for some. Others can start unlocking cells and helping people out of their restraints. Protection for the escapees on their way out will also be necessary, as well as medical attention back at the temporary base camp. The main focus has to be on those lost friends and loved ones, bringing them back out to freedom and making sure they're tended to - not on revenge. b. The Assault Theodore Rosethorne, along with some members of the City Guard and some Witches from the Coven, leads the assault. While the rescue team goes around the back, they plan to go through the front door, as loudly and conspicuously as possible. The mansion is large and needs to be swept from top to bottom for perpetrators and evidence that can be used in court. Those joining up with this team are warned that it needs to remain legal - the Mirrorbound and the refugees, all of them, have a very shaky, uncertain legal status within the city, and a mass murder could severely harm what good will they have from the locals as well as their status here. After all, many are still neutral to positive on the Mirrorbound, but that could change in an instant. The Coven will take as much responsibility as they can, but they cannot accept the blame for a senseless slaughter. Splitting into smaller groups will be necessary in order to cover more ground quickly. The aim is to locate, subdue, and arrest as many of the culprits inside as they can. The Guard provides magic-suppressing cuffs, and the Coven a basic knock-out spell, but since many will not go so willingly, some degree of force may be unavoidable. If there's one thing the rich fear, it's a legal black mark on their family name and reputation - the Rathmores will fight back harder than their underlings, but they're also the ones they need alive to face the justice system. Those outside the family, those who only knew about the kidnapping portion, are a mixed bag - some might fight back, siding with the Rathmores, but some might give themselves up once the realization of what happened in that basement sinks in. Once they make their entrance, things move quickly. Several wealthy aristocrats either flee or fight, but their attention is thankfully pulled away from the basement and toward the upper levels. There are dozens of rooms to search, and many are cluttered with an old hoarding family's antiques, furniture piled against doors and windows blocking access to some areas, hundreds of nooks and crannies among the sheer amount of stuff provide cover for culprits to hide in. It's going to be work to ferret them all out and bring them in. Worse still, the Rathmores have collected dozens of cursed or enchanted objects that may be used as weapons against the forces of justice. Some degree of force is expected, but still if anyone tries to take things too far, they might find themselves slapped into cuffs or knocked out with a spell themselves. Any NPC maimings or proposed deaths need to be reported on the City Tracker; please note that mass murder / killing NPCs will still have consequences and needs mod approval first, but we're happy to work with players however we can.

III. The After (21st On) Activity continues all through the night and late into the morning at the former Rathmore estate. All the Rathmores and a couple dozen other wealthy aristocrats are brought out in cuffs over the course of several hours, while all the prisoners are liberated to receive medical attention and reunite with their loved ones. The Guard take statements from everyone who will give one - what they witnessed, what happened to them, what they know - and all who were affected are told they will be invited to testify at trial. A gathering crowd forms at the end of the street, wealthy neighbors aghast at the horrors they're learning had occurred right in their District. Most are disgusted with the once-prominent family. On the steps of the Parliament building, Thomas Rathmore, his wife, and his mother, all sitting members of Parliament themselves, are publicly arrested in front of colleagues and on-lookers early in the morning. Constance Rathmore is taken out of the Coven roughly in magic-suppressing cuffs, surrounded by a small group of furious Witches, students of the Coven who spent the week trying to find the missing Mirrorbound and refugees with Divination. They escort her to the prison themselves. All who are arrested are transported to holding cells of their own within the City Guard - all except those requiring urgent medical attention, who will remain cuffed to their hospital beds until trial. Nessie and Mhairi make an appearance at one point to give the Mirrorbound their sincerest apologies for what happened, and Mhairi delivers the news that they're pushing for an expedited trial in Parliament, in order to keep Thomas Rathmore from bribing any contacts. They, along with Theodore and Sowilo, and the Guard, are all open and forthright with what will happen next: public trial and a certain conviction, followed by sentencing. They don't expect that the Rathmores will get away lightly; what they did is too public and too horrific for even the anti-Mirrorbound wealthy to stomach. Those others who were involved, who weren't aware of what was going on behind that metal door, they'll still face justice themselves, no doubt. In the meanwhile, those kept hostage will need all the help they can get to reach something resembling normal again. Hug your loved ones, nourish your Bonds with each other, and begin trying to heal together.

Welcome to Part Two of January's event log, Snatched! An aftermath summary of the trial and sentencing will go up on Feb. 4, the day after the City Tracker deadline, so get your submissions in if you have them! More politically-oriented characters may find an opening in the near future to enact change within Parliament and provide their own representation within the city...

And as a general reminder, please make sure to use content warnings where necessary in your headers!

Comments

[ua_duibhne]

[In a vague kind of way, Diarmuid wonders if this is how he should have felt seeing Kayneth after Saber's Master was finished with him; the guilt was there but this seething, blistering rage was missing and it's a different animal still from that of his second death. It's a kind of passion he hasn't experienced since he was alive and back then it had only resolved itself with the heavy weight of a fresh head in his hands. Any other time, the ugliness of it might have repelled him but it hardly matters now. Let him become a beast for vengeance.

Yet he's as gentle as a lamb with Berserker, handling his broken body as though it were made of glass. After another tentative kiss to his forehead, he frees him first of the muzzle and then of the chains, being careful to support his weight as he loosens the last of them.]

I've got you, a rún. [Next, he begins to fumble around in his satchel.] Let me see if I can do anything from here.

[The few spells he knows seem insignificant in the face of Berserker's injuries but he won't let his inadequacy get in the way of trying. Diarmuid settles beside him once more and begins to perform a more complicated version of a healing enchantment he already knows, steely determination only giving way to relief when he feels the energy pass between them. It's not much but it should at least dull the pain.]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ As his restraints drop away, the injuries he caused himself become evident. His neck is rubbed raw from fighting the collar, his wrists are the same from the metal cuffs. While dragons had no weakness to metals, flesh quickly gives way to it without protection. He'd grown accustomed to his scales protecting the delicate skin, but they were gone now.

The spell does lessen the pain. It's still difficult to make his aching body move. Regardless of what pain he might be feeling, he pulls Diarmuid into a sudden embrace. Everything hurts, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that he can feel his Bonded against him and take in his scent; it's tainted with the sharp, metallic scent of blood, yet it's still achingly familiar. ]

... I couldn't protect myself. I've failed you.

[ Shame burns through him like a wildfire. Tears sting his eyes as his body starts to tremble. He's not even strong enough to hold back what he's been concealing from his tormentors.

Helpless and useless. ]

[ua_duibhne]

[Diarmuid holds him closer still, eyes squeezing shut as much to keep back tears of his own as to stop himself from poring over every devastating detail of Berserker's capture where it's written across his body. It's almost too much when he feels him begin to shake.]

You survived. You've failed no one.

[Diarmuid cuffs at his cheeks and leans back on his heels so that he can take Berserker's chin in his hand. He forces him to meet his gaze, gold eyes bright even in the darkness, even as he's shaking with emotion and shock and barely keeping it together.]

Against all odds, you survived and even if you hadn't, I- [His voice catches and this time he has to take a moment to compose himself before the dam breaks altogether.] ... you will never lose me. I would drag you back from my father's house with my own hands, Cú.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ He doesn't want to look at Diarmuid -- the shame is too painful. Tears spill from his red eyes as frustration burns hotter in him. Even though his words ring true, he still feels like he's worthless for only surviving. Survival was the bare minimum; survival is what he excelled at. It didn't feel like enough. He could have done more...He could have prevented this entirely.

Why. Why? That's what he wants to ask. Why is he worth this? He still can't see value in himself, especially not now. All he knows is that his heart aches as badly as his body. ]

... You should forget about me. I'm little more than a beast.

[ He was shown that when he couldn't stop himself from attacking Judar like he was prey, when he lashed out at Waver and badly poisoned him. Whatever progress had been made to remind him of his humanity has been all but erased. ]

I can't... [ His voice breaks as he shudders. ] I can't give you what you deserve.

[ua_duibhne]

[Berserker's words wash over him in sharp, needling waves, each one pricking him more deeply than the last. The tide of emotions- from both of them now that their Bond is reawakening- comes in hard and fast but it's more suffocating than liberating; Diarmuid's too busy drowning to take any of it in, let alone give it voice. Just for a moment, the lancer presses his forehead to Berserker's and closes his eyes, shutting everything else out.

He breathes.]

... good. A disgraced knight deserves nothing but pity. [He laughs so softly that it might even be mistaken for a sigh without the tired line of his smile as he looks back up.] You give me what I need. What I earn.

[With a dazed smile, he cups Berserker's cheek in his free hand, thumb catching the next few tears to fall and wiping them away. His mind is still a vacuum of self-worth but this, at least, he can say with absolute certainty.]

How could I ever forget about someone who makes me so happy? I've never doubted you.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Happy...He doesn't understand how he can make Diarmuid happy. He doesn't understand why this bothers him so much. The emotions churning inside of him combined with what he feels from Diarmuid once again make him desperately want to stop feeling anything again. That comforting apathy from before, the safe apathy...

Instead of giving voice to any of the questions he has (mainly why over and over again), he chokes back the doubts and pain to cup Diarmuid's cheek in a shaking hand. He kisses him desperately despite the fact his lips are cracked and dry -- he doesn't know how else he can respond to what he feels right now. He lets it linger, still trembling when he finally breaks it. ]

I will never understand why you stay...But I will always be grateful that you do.

[ Back to the reality of their situation, he looks down at his injured leg. ]

...We should get out of here, but I don't think I can walk.

[ua_duibhne]

[Even the escape of his kiss feels tainted by suffering; there's the ghost of blood on the rough split skin of his lips and it makes his chest ache when he knows he should just appreciate the moment after so long without him. When he draws back, he does so reluctantly, stroking his forehead and hair to try and prolong the contact.]

Maybe you don't understand now but you will. [Briefly, he places his hand over Berserker's.] I know you will.

[Less complicated, however, is the issue of working out how to get him to safety. The lancer takes a few moments to look him over, assessing whether he can try and just pour more energy into his healing spells to make it easier for him to walk before deciding against it. You can't brute force magic; it's esoteric on purpose, after all. But if he can't do anything to Berserker, he might be able to do something to himself. Murmuring the incantation, he instead channels his power into an enchantment- and a newfound strength fills his body.

With a huff of effort, Diarmuid picks him up, careful not to move his injured leg more than he has to or nudge into the shattered remains of his wings. Usually, while not an impossible task, he would struggle far more with carrying him but his enchantment does its job admirably.]

Is this alright with you...?

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Diarmuid's touch is so comforting that escape is still an afterthought; he would be content to die now if it meant he could savor his familiar touch for just a little longer. Well, it's not as though that matters now. It's a surprise when the floor he'd been curled up on is further away. Berserker had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he'd barely registered that the witch cast a spell. His full attention only returns when the question finally hits him. ]

It will have to be.

[ Gingerly, he puts an arm around Diarmuid's neck to steady himself. Everything hurts so badly he can barely think straight. Getting picked up didn't help the pain and he's sure getting jostled as they make their escape won't, either. It's difficult to hold onto consciousness when pain blinds him. He'll endure -- he has to. ]

...Go.

[ua_duibhne]

[Though Berserker is a master of masking and grimly enduring pain, Diarmuid isn't so easily fooled; with those injuries, even the slightest movement must be agony and being forced into such an awkward, uncomfortable position can only be making it worse.]

I'm sorry, I'll be as quick as I can. [He places a kiss to his forehead.] Hold on just a little longer.

[With that, he begins to make his way back through the basement- and it takes far longer than he'd like. Caught in between moving faster and hurting him and taking it slower and delaying greater treatment, Diarmuid finds himself moving between alternating paces, steps faltering as he reaches stairs or to gauge Berserker's condition in spite of himself. When they pass by the room from earlier, though, he stops altogether, stiffening at the sight. That pile of scales-]

... they will repay everything they took from you in blood.

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ Each step, no matter how fast or slow, causes a jolt of pain to wrack his body. He can feel his body giving out on him. His head drops as he fights to stay conscious.

Equally nauseating as the pain is the sight of the room where most of his torment happened. A metallic taste dries his mouth and a sharp shock of ... something he doesn't recognize snaps him to attention. Those are his own scales...Each one was not so carefully removed with a knife and pliers, wrenched from their place on his body. None of them remain on his body -- they'd been forcing regrowth with some foul-smelling concoction spread on the skin. It burned the raw, irritated patches of skin where it was applied.

The trauma is far too fresh for him to think about it without feeling instant revulsion. He couldn't do anything to fight it because they restrained him so thoroughly...That and they wanted him to react. They became more cruel because he didn't...He wouldn't be in as bad shape as he is now if he'd given them what they wanted.

Berserker has been staring wide-eyed ahead at the room, his body trembling slightly. He only just now noticed and suddenly jerks his head to the side, as if he has to tear his eyes away from it. Diarmuid's declaration passes almost without notice as far retreated into his own mind he was. When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet and resentful. ]

... Do for me what I cannot do. Be my spear to give them what they deserve.