☆ 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

[kuroi_taiyo]

Do you really wanna waste time carrying a faun that's almost your height?

[ Well, he's just a little over an inch shorter than Hiccup, but also... Judar was pretty light. Aside from being the lithe type of person, being here for almost a week has sapped what little 'comfort' weight Judar really had. He was still only about 140lbs, if not lighter by a few pounds, as so much of the new height was from the faun legs. Though him being like this isn't the most annoying thing about the faun right now. It's that any time Hiccup tries to get a better look at the shackles, even if it's to turn them a little, Judar's moving his arm to keep the shackles in one place against the skin.

At least it's not stopping the inspection, but he's not exactly helping either. It'll make sense, instead of him just being injured and troublesome. ]

They're meant to speed the growth of my antlers.

[ Antlers that were no longer there, mind you. Now they were indents hidden in the hair, filled with partially scabbed blood. ]

To make it more effective and direct, there's barbs on the inside. They used to scrape and lightly press in, but after getting the others out, it's more... In there. If you don't have anything to deal with that, it can just be left until I'm outside again.

[thisisamazing]

[Hiccup brushes it off, because while he may be thin, he's definitely tall, and he's definitely strong, from years of dragon-riding and blacksmithing.] And Newt's an inch taller than me, but I can still carry him. [They have that in common - they're both more than what they seem.]

If you want to wait for someone else, feel free. If not, give me your hands. [They're likely enchanted closed, and even if it's a traditional lock, he can handle that too. He's broken a few of them already on the way down here. As far as healing magic goes, that isn't his specialty, but he's got bandages and salve from the Phoenix Tear in a belt pouch - just in case.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

You do?

[ Then again, Newt is definitely the type of person that's so wrapped up in his work, he'd probably fall asleep with whatever he's doing, if it was safe enough to. And with how that guy determined safe...

Someone else... That's pretty much why Judar was being difficult and contrary, wasn't it? There wasn't anyone else, but he knew most people here were doing so because someone was taken. So wouldn't they rather finish that goal first? Not that he was in a place to think that this mild lashing out was only going to hurt himself in the end. (Plus, the reason he won't even admit, or acknowledge, is that the idea of being carried was embarrassing.) So, with a huff, he holds both arms out, so the shackles were just a few inches from one another. ]

Hard to want to wait for someone else when there's no one, anyway.

[ As long as the hands themselves weren't touched, he could behave. They looked bad, but actually felt even worse. Poisonous dragons, man... Combined with improper healing, there's enough obvious reasons as to why they don't look right. ]

[thisisamazing]

I can. And I will, if he can't walk out of here on his own.

[Hiccup stoops down to get a better look without moving his arms any. The tip of his tongue sticks out from the corner of his mouth as he works, drawing out a stick of charcoal to draw his enchantment-breaking spell across the metal. A couple of words, a breath blown across it, and the runes light up, then fade. From there, he's just got to get them open carefully.] What? There are a dozen other people in the basement right now. I'm nobody's only option.

[The rescue group is sizable, enough to bring them all out, between Mirrorbound and Coven Witches who had jumped at the chance to help. If nothing else, Mirrorbound stick together.

That's why he doesn't pause, fingertips tracing a lock breaking enchantment across the cuffs, feather light on the metal. They click, a soft light shining at the joins, and then he's reaching into his belt pouch for bandages to have ready.] They're open. Once they're off we can wrap your wrists. There are healers up top who can do more, but we should leave the cuffs. The others will be sweeping the place for evidence.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Well, seems like he'll be in for a little bit of amusement of talls carrying talls. Though Judar's still getting used to the fact that he's officially in the 'talls' club. ]

It's... Not what I meant. Not that you're the only option.

[ But it was a moment of bitterness that was rising up in a way that it didn't used to, in realizing some things about his life here. Bitter sadness, really, with a good helping of self pity. He's sure there were people that joined the rescue efforts because it was the right thing to do, but there were those that were extra motivated because someone they cared about had been taken. For someone that felt like people should go for their goals, it felt weird being in the way of the 'ultimate' goal, even if he was part of the general one.

Enough so that, despite the way the magic worked being one of his main interests, Judar wasn't even able to focus as the shackles were disenchanted, and then opened up. ]

Leaving it's fine with me. With the weight it felt like they had, the bleeding doesn't matter if it just gets them off quickly. It was starting to really hurt...

[ Not just for how close the dragon's teeth gnashed into the hands and wrist, but it's been long enough without it going anywhere. If there's infection as well, the faun wouldn't be surprised at this point. ]

[thisisamazing]

[Too bad if Hiccup has his way, Judar won't be around to witness him carrying Newt up the stairs bridal-style.]

I'm sure there are plenty of people who are going to be happy to see you're alive. [Maybe it's easy for Hiccup to say. He's been here since the first group of Mirrorbound, and he's a gregarious person who's made several friends in his time here. He's never really reached a point where he felt like no one would come to save him specifically if he were in trouble.

Once the cuffs are unlocked, he opens them up slowly, careful not to tear his skin any more than absolutely necessary for their removal. They're nasty looking things, and he has to force himself not to pay too much mind, nudging them aside for someone else to come by and pick up later.]

These people are sick. [He says lowly, more to himself than anything, unwrapping bandages from the roll he brought, doing his best to start wrapping the worst of it. Anything that's currently still bleeding. It's not a great job, but it just has to last until he reaches the healers up top.] They're being arrested now. I hope they get what they deserve.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ The unfortunate truth. ]

That'd require people knowing I was gone.

[ It would require people. Not that there weren't any at all, but the few that might've been in place were in the dungeons, being tortured as well. They already knew that the Rathmores weren't in the business of killing people, but getting what they could for a profit instead.

While the skin might have started healing with the barbs in place, getting them removed was just going to reopen it once more. The area already being a hot red, just a little inflamed, the blood isn't any surprise. Neither is the fact that Judar's keeping still for it all. At this point, he's learned to keep still, even if the pain was getting to be overbearing. ]

They'll get what's allowed by this city's laws. What they deserve is completely different. I imagine a lot of us will feel that way.

[ Execution and humiliation wouldn't even feel like enough. Though there really isn't much that would leave Judar satisfied. ]

[thisisamazing]

I'm sure someone does. After, you know, after everyone started noticing people missing, surely someone was making a list- [Not Hiccup, necessarily. He was a bit selfishly preoccupied with his friends' disappearances. Newt, Lex... And then when he wasn't searching for the kidnappers' trail, he was taking care of Newt's creatures and Lex's dog and his own dragons. So maybe he's a little bit of a hypocrite here, but he's understandably distracted and making an attempt to be reassuring for a stranger he doesn't know.

A frown.] Calling for more bloodshed isn't the answer, though. It's better if they face this place's justice system. That's what they deserve. And that way, no one can turn the anger around onto us.

[He doesn't know what's going on up there, upstairs, but he hopes it's what needs to be happening. It's not a current concern, though; he'll ask Theseus or Percy later. Hiccup straightens slightly.] Alright. Time to get out of here. On my back, over the shoulder, or bride style? [How he wants to be carried, that is.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

I think all the people that would've known how to look for me were also taken. Not that you'd tell Newt, but I didn't really set up a living situation when I left the clinic. I didn't make me easy for people to list.

[ So, aside from there being no one that wasn't kidnapped, Judar made himself a little difficult to track. Which he could see meaning that he wouldn't get on any list; just hoped and taken for elsewhere at the time. If there was anyone left out on those teams that he did know, Judar would be a surprise.

Which Judar brought upon himself, as he realized while stuck with everyone else that didn't get out the other day.

But there was a lot Judar wanted, and he knew a lot of it was because he was in so much pain, and this technically wasn't over yet. So he's not going to go into what his own personal justice felt like demanding- not in detail. What the society demanded was how it was going to have to be. At least at first, with a careful eye to make sure it was satisfactory enough. He won't like it, but the silence on the subject was him accepting it.]

I'd need some working limbs for the back, so over the shoulder is gonna have to be the only choice.

[ Besides, with the horrible state his legs were in, the bridal carry will just be a long trip of pain. Not that Judar would let himself be carried that way very easily. Too much pride, and despite not being a goat, this faun was stubborn. ]

[thisisamazing]

If you want that kept a secret from Newt for whatever reason, I'm not the best person to tell. [His Bonded can read him like an open book, not to mention he's a bad liar in the first place. Not that it's likely to ever come up between them, especially now that they'll have a lot of other things to discuss. Hiccup doesn't entirely understand the point of moving out, not having a place to go, not telling anyone where you tend to be, but it's not his place to judge. They don't know each other at all.]

Here we go then. This might not be the most comfortable thing, but I don't know how to do better right now. [And, hopefully, any damage Hiccup might cause pales compared to what's already been done. A small price to pay to get out of this awful dungeon. Hiccup's barely been here for thirty minutes and he already can't stand it; he can't imagine how it must be for those people held here for almost a week.

He bends down and wraps an arm around Judar's waist, hoisting him up over his shoulder. It's not entirely effortless, but it's not a huge strain either, just a little awkward. Still, it's about the only option, unless he calls Toothless down here. Unfortunately, he doesn't think the Night Fury will fit through the tight corridors.] It's just a short route out through the back, time to go.

[kuroi_taiyo]

I think you won't tell him because it won't come up.

[ And really, for as little as he knows you, he's picked up well enough that you don't go about bringing up subjects out of nowhere. He'd be screwed if it was something Newt asked about, but the guy's got enough on his mind, even before all this shit had happened. (Though if Hiccup knew the things Judar had done during his stay, he'd probably understand why the faun decided to leave, regardless of his own situation.)

There's a slow and seethed breath as Hiccup picked him up to go over the shoulders. No words for a bit, as he was using controlled breathing to manage the pain. ]

'S fine. I already knew there'd be no good way of being moved. I've already gotten an idea of how long it takes to get out, too. Helped the first group.