☆ 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

[towards_okeanos]

That so, hm?

[There was none who'd go looking for him? How sad. How wrong. How unthinkable. Iskandar takes Judar's hand in his own. Wrapped tightly in bandages it almost vanishes between Iskandar's large hands.]

I may not have a palace here but I do have a spare room. It can be yours if you'll ever need a place to stay. Or perhaps, a place to call home shall you ever want one.

[He would never force anyone to follow him. If Judar would wish to be left alone, Iskandar won't interfere. He'd still keep a watch and check on him. After what he's just heard, he simply could not do otherwise. But should Judar wish to come, Iskandar would be very happy to have him. To become a part of his ... household. He smiles. He almost thought his army but he doesn't have an army now, does he?
Yet.]

You may need to linger here longer than most. To fully recover you will need to keep your body strong and your mind unclouded. If I'll ask you to eat, will you?

[It may sound as if he was asking Judar to go to war for him. Yet, there is truth even in such an assumption. Recovering from wounds, fighting against sickness, what else is it other than a battle? Only the enemy is not external but rather internal. A small difference once one remembers that what really wins wars is not the strength of arms but will.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ This really wasn't the turn he was expecting. Not the heavily splinted and bandaged hand hidden between two giant hands, or the kind of offer Iskander was giving. Who would've thought that he'd get this kind of concern? It was an odd sensation, and...

Honestly, it felt kind of nice. Mind, the twisted side of his nature was tempted and ready to twist this all into a joke, which may or may not have been cruel to either of them. The original part of his nature, without even venturing to this whole Monster thing, wished that this was something he'd have so easily gotten back in his own world. ]

I guess I wouldn't turn down an offer to stay when it's said like that...

[ Though Iskander did say 'home,' and putting it with asking him to eat- Was this a case of having pity and not wanting to see someone waste away? Was it something else? ]

It's not that I won't eat, so much that I don't trust that.

[ To which he gestured at the soup. It certainly didn't look the most appetizing, but it may be the trust issues with the natives that seem to be running deeper, or was too fresh. ]

[towards_okeanos]

It is an honest offer. But first, you need to heal.

[Iskandar lets out a sigh. The medics, the nurses, even the doctor who brought him here, none of them had uttered a word of complaint against Judar not eating. They were worried, yes, obviously unhappy as it interfered with his healing process. For all that mattered, he was their patient and they treated the care for their patients very seriously. But they were at a complete loss what to do with the situation. No wonder they were so relieved when Iskandar showed up.]

And there's not a single person in this entire hospital that would blame you for this lack of trust. Especially, not the woman who made this soup.

[Iskandar doesn't know everyone, shocking, who works here but he knows enough to have heard the tales of the Witch in charge of the hospital's kitchen and what a formidable lady she is. She'd skin alive anyone trying to mess with her patients. Yet Iskandar doubts she would say a word of protest here. No matter how offended she would feel deep in her heart. Not after everything that happened.]

Let me try it.

[He lets go of Judar's hand and reaches for the bowl. He takes a sip. It's a simple vegetable broth. Very nutritious, not very tasty. Well, it is a hospital, not a restaurant.]

Hm, it's tepid [Good that he knows a heating spell. It's a very basic one but more than enough for the situation.] and a little bland but I assure you it's not poisoned. [He smiles.] My mother made sure I knew how to recognize all the poisons she could get her hands on. She was really worried I'd get assassinated before I'll be old enough to rule. [Also an expert on the use of said poisons but that's a tale for some other time.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ He may have agitated a few of the staff, but it was definitely in the context of him being so stubborn. Understandably so, but it's time that ate into how quickly they could get to other patients, and it affected the faun's own recovery on top of that. Recovery that he took to unusually well, but could constantly be stunted if he kept this fasting up.

Stubborn enough that Judar had a thought to say that there's no way that Iskander knew who made that soup. A thought, but enough sense to hold his tongue. The damaged trust is also what had him ready to say something, except Iskander went ahead helping himself to test the food. Which had him staring, watching in silence, even after the short review and explanation as to how the guy knew whether something was poisoned. Yet Judar waited a little, just to be a little more sure. ]

What would you have done if it was poisoned, after tasting it first?

[ There's a tone that spoke of light disbelief and relief, buried under the offended attitude. He really was ready for his luck to be bad enough for that stuff to be deadly, after that honest offer and everything. ]

[towards_okeanos]

I guess I was counting on my luck.

[Iskandar's thunderous laughter shakes the room. He half-expects someone to barge in and berate him for disturbing the peace. As nothing of that sort happens, he can explain uninterrupted.]

It's a simple calculation of probabilities. [While he always looks as if he didn't think through any of his actions it is untrue more often than not. It's very useful to be perceived as rash and impulsive when one is not exactly so.] My size works in my favor. As well as the intended recipient. So I have assessed the risk to be pretty low.

[He didn't even think of using magic to detect anything. It's far from natural for him. It would always be an afterthought.]

Though I must say, it tastes rather bland. [He puts the bowl away.] Say, what do you like o eat? I might be able to smuggle something in [His smile turns mischievous.] somehow.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Judar also waits to see if someone barges in to shush them down or something. When it doesn't, the faun leans back into the pillows to adjust himself for a bit more comfort. Said comfort may really just be him adjusting his tail, but all the same. ]

I'd believe calculations before anything about luck.

[ Even if the calculation involved him being comparatively light and in a weakened state. His infection was mostly gone, but the body had to recover that as much as anything else. ]

Mm. I like fruit. Pastries are pretty good here. Sokie went to this place that had a bunch of different fried foods that tasted pretty good, though it upset my stomach...

[ Which makes sense, if you think about it. Old world stomach with new(er) world food, not even adding the changes a faun's stomach might have. ]

[towards_okeanos]

Pastries, you say. Hm, I know one good baker. [He's a lot more than that but yes, baker he is too] He's quite far though.

[Iskandar scratches his beard looking through the window. It is practically the other side of the city.]

How about a deal? [He turns his gaze back to Judar.] You'll settle with soup for now - as it is clearly not poisoned, I'd be dead by now if it was - and I'll bring you some nice pastry on my next visit?

[Because sure as the day comes after the night, there will be another visit. Once Iskandar decided on something, it's close to impossible to make him change his mind.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Don't go on some long journey for pastries, Iskander. It's not like anything ridiculous has to be gotten. Just get whatever from this world's equivalent of Starbucks. That's, like, just down the street. ]

... Fine, fine. I might even be 'allowed' to have solid food by then.

[ He's not expecting constant visits. That'd just be too much. Judar understands that, just as he understands why he's stuck on a broth diet for a little while. ]

[towards_okeanos]

I doubt they will allow you solid food by tomorrow if they did not today.

[He shrugs. The doctors have their reasons, they always do. Sometimes those are stupid reasons but there's no way of telling. Though judging from Judar's state, this time around those reasons are most likely quite valid.]

Shame, the pastries will have to wait then. Soup it is for now.

[He picks up the bowl and the spoon. Now, be a good faun and eat. Yes, he absolutely intends to feed Judar himself.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

I mean, you said your next visit...

[ Ah. Well, who told him to just visit day after day? This was all taking a direction that Judar wasn't really planning- not that you could plan how your hospital stay could go, past 'getting better.' He can't even stop anyone, save for giving enough attitude, which seems like it wouldn't really work here.

That, and Judar was finding it harder to lash out at Iskander (people like Iskander.)

Even as he stared up at the redhead, with pupils just thin lines in the extra ring, as if there were raised hackles or something, he wasn't even trying to smack the spoon away. ]

... Fine.

[ He'll eat the damned soup. Ugh, he hates this bland broth stuff. ]

wrap?

[towards_okeanos]

That I did. So don't expect me today. [He sighs.] The nurses would most likely kick me out for the night.

[That's it's only a matter of a simple spell to heat up the contents of the bowl. A warm soup always tastes better than a cold one.]

A wise decision.

[Judar may be stubborn but he has met his match in King of Conquerors. For a man of such legendary ill-temper Iskandar has a surprising amount of patience. Clearly, it's not his first time tending to the sick.]

Wrapped!

[kuroi_taiyo]