eliana, a young girl.You have all spent roughly three weeks in El Minha, and many of you have dug up plenty of information on what has been happening in the city. Most importantly, you have made a name for yourselves -- many of you have introduced your mission, your purpose, and why you are here. Most people seem skeptical, but you all have definitely made some kind of impact . . . if anything, people don't see you as a threat.
But that is about to change.
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On the morning of June 1st, every single magical watch in the Circle will alight with a message. What sent this message is a mystery, but all over the city, the same message written in flyers and pamphlets will be posted. They will seem to appear overnight, with no trace of from who, or when. They will be nailed to any possible surface, and scattered in the streets, with the unmistakable sigil for The Syndicate on the back: a broken crown.
The peace has been broken, the first innocent blood spilled.
The Palace, nobility, and Crown’s Guards are corrupt, ignorant, useless, and cannot be trusted.
We are taking back our city. Enough is enough.
Eliana was four years old. We will not forget.
At first there will be whispers, a slow building tension across the city, but then - as if on the stroke of a particular hour - it will be chaos. People will pour into the streets, wielding weapons, demanding justice for this young girl named Eliana. It doesn’t take long for sporadic clashes to begin with the Crown’s Guard, who look as surprised and caught off-guard by the turn of events as all of you. People are angry, people are furious, and within hours of the flyers being spread through the city, martial law has been imposed. a message appears.It does not take long, after the scattering of violence has begin, for a second message to pop up on your watches . . . but it feels more invasive, than that. This message comes into your very mind, a whisper in your ear, a quiet caressing of your mind . . . and to those who have spent time talking to him, it is clearly the voice of the sitting King Kathashun: his tone calm and quiet, but insistent in nature:
People of El Minha.
The murder of Eliana, a child in Syndicate territory, is an unspeakable tragedy -- but violence is not the answer. I understand your anger, and your frustration, and I know that this fury has been present for some time. Believe you me -- I want to bring the individual who committed this act to justice, but I cannot do so unless I have a name.
I cannot help you unless you help me.
Once that message disconnects in your mind, the surrounding people around you -- the citizens of El Minha -- seem to have . . . varied reactions. Some scoff and continue to take to arms. Some seem to take pause, looking uncertain.
Most, though, regardless of how they react to the King’s beg of reason, have a single-minded goal: the Crown has got to fall.
make your choice.he War has begun, and it is time to pick your sides.
An inciting incident - the death of a child - has occurred, and The Syndicate has decided that enough is enough, and it is time to act. It has been enough of their corrupt politics, their unbiased arrests, the silent way they would rule through unfair laws, and ultimately, the wrongful death of a young girl, shot in the streets (allegedly) by a Guardsman.
While the Syndicate has been ready, though, the Crown’s Guard has also been preparing - for this moment, for this war, you’re not sure. But while the Guard seem to be shocked at the sudden uprising, they are also ready to fight. They’ve been preparing weapons, anticipating something . . . and that something, apparently, has come to pass.
You can try and discern what has happened, but the panic has already spread. Though some know the child Eliana, and will tell you stories of her wonderful smile, her curious eyes, her bubbly laugh. But, like it is with most orphans on the street, no one can really tell you where she lives, or where she’s been, or what happened. All you know, from both sides, is that a girl is dead. The Syndicate claims that a Guardsman shot her in the street in order to make a statement of power; the Guard denies this, and states that the Guard was under fear of his life from another individual who attacked the Guard from behind, and the girl was collateral damage from the ensuing struggle.
The Crown’s Guard will not be able to talk to anyone: their higher ups always watching, barking orders, and anyone who attempts to interrupt a soldier may be clapped with a set of irons and taken to prison for temporary holding while they attempt to quell the rebellion. The ‘suggestion’ is to stay inside, get to your room, and wait for more orders.
Should you talk to the people, however, they will voice their discontent. The Guard murdered a child, the King refuses to take a side, and the Crown must pay for these sins. The people, and the Syndicate, call for blood. King Kathashun’s head on a stake is a popular claim, though some members of the public (albeit a few) seem to be a little less thirsty for royal execution. They simply want justice for the girl who was killed.
However, every member of the Circle will be given a choice- whether they are contacted by the Syndicate, or the Crown’s Guard, each side asking are for their support. These are dire times, both sides argue, and these Circle members have made absolutely no secret of their offerings to help the population. You want to help, they say? Pick up a sword and come to combat.
What will you do?
As a group, the Circle will be left to make a decision - do you side with the Palace and Crown’s Guard? The Syndicate? Or do you feel that as outsiders, you have no room to interject? Do you have specific ideas of what you would do, in this situation? Do you not choose a side, but do something else that may turn the fate of the city?
The (potential) fate of El Minha is in your hands.
VOTE HERE: LINK TO POLL
mod's notes.(1) The official event log concerning the murder of Eliana will be posted on June 1st. Until then, you all have plenty of time to investigate whatever you wish to investigate . . . or, honestly, you could continue investigating it! Your character is by no means obligated to do anything with this plot, but your efforts in navigating the city may be impacted by what is happening as of June 1st.
(2) If you do not vote in the poll, it will be assumed that your vote will count toward do nothing.
(3) Voting will be closed by 12:00 AM EST on June 1st . . . but as the mods do, indeed, sleep, we may not actually check until that morning, so you late-birds or folks in different time zones have some extra time. ;)
(4) Please drop comments below in the appropriate top levels in order to let us know what you'd to do, or what your characters have been doing/planning in the interim! Use this post to plot, to plan, to figure out what you all have been doing with the information you've been given, ask questions of the mod team, and try to figure out what your character would do when the shit hits the proverbial fan.
(5) This is our first event post in the game, so we ask for patience and/or a willingness to offer a learning curve to your new mods. We promise we're working as hard as we can to provide a great playing experience! We are thankful for all of your involvement and excitement in the plot thusfar, and love how active you all have been!
(6) Have fun (and also don't forget to turn in your AC, due May 31 by 11:59 PM EST because we love you and want you to stay in the game)!
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acatalepsy_ooc2018-05-28 11:49 pm
QUESTIONS THAT INVOLVE NPCS.
For example, if you wish to try to get ahold of King Kathashun before the event, drop a comment here and we will tell you what the result would be! We figured this would be an easier option to get quick answers to further plots. :)
Re: QUESTIONS THAT INVOLVE NPCS.
He'll also try to see if any of the pickpocket kids hanging around the market will talk to him in return for some money. He's not going to bother being subtle about it with them and will point blank ask what they know about the area of the murder and what they saw the day of. Would he find anything out from these?
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Firo is certainly allowed to try and start smalltalk with some of the off-duty dealers at the casino. However, no matter how smooth or how subtle he might try and push, the dealers will look tense, on edge. The most he'll get out of them is that the Crown's Guard has always been out of line, and that no one is surprised, and some will go as far as to say that they're glad at least the Syndicate is doing something. But if he keeps asking questions, they will start to look visibly uncomfortable.
As far as trying to get information out of the pickpocket kids, they will certainly take his money. He'll get varied answers, most of which will amount to 'we weren't there, we were told to stay out of the streets'. The most helpful answer he'll get will be from a young boy. What he will hear is:
The area is dangerous. No one goes there or stays there for long. Syndicate members and Guard members are both seen there, though never before at the same time. He doesn't know why Eliana was there, but he knows that she sometimes used to pass through there as a shortcut through the city. He didn't see anything, though. Not while it was happening.
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A quick follow-up, if I may--he'd be curious about the "we were told to stay out of the streets" and would try to ask who told them that if it came up. Would they clam up at that point?
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no pressure, your highness.
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Funny thing! The King doesn't seem to be available . . . anywhere. You're not sure if it's because he's on lockdown or if he's being protected in some way, but some careful snooping will get you a pretty good idea as to what's going on. It turns out Kathashun is unavailable . . . likely not through his own doing.
The Crown's Guard, if you ask, are dismissive at best, but if you get close to the Palace Gates, you may overhear some chatter about the King getting into a rather nasty argument with some members of the nobility concerning the death of the girl. There's definitely some sort of disagreement between the King and the rest of the upper crust on how to handle this. You don't get much detail outside of that, but you know the argument was pretty bad.
And, if you're a careful eavesdropper, you might get the idea that Kathashun's message broadcast to the entirety of the city was (1) not run by anyone else or (2) using a powerful magical power that only he seems to have. Kathashun hasn't been heard from since that message, and nobody on the street has seen or heard anything of their ruler.
Finally, as you edge near the Palace, the Guard will have a general unease about them. Some of the older higher officers mutter a lot about spoiled and idealistic brats, the younger officers look hella uneasy at the message Kathashun delivered, and there is definitely a very real frustration from the Guard about the telepathic message sent out earlier. Probably because Kathashun volunteered to throw the dude who allegedly murdered the girl under the bus. That tends to make you wonder about your job permanence.
Either way, the King is not present for a conversation. But you don't walk away empty-handed.
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since abigail has no real experience with magic she is gonna think REALLY HARD at the king like this is some kind of x-men movie and he is professor x (SHE IS EIGHTEEN GIVE HER EVERY BREAK) and i expect nothing from this but i want you all to know that is what she thought to do. :)
1/2
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magic is bullshit.
swears loudly in her head to see if someone flinches lmao
thank you for this info!
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If arrangements have been made, Daylight will volunteer to guard it to make sure no one attempts to crash it or make some sort of grand speech for their cause. That is not the time nor place to do such a thing in his opinion and he will make it known if so.
If arrangements haven't been made yet by the time he asks, Daylight will offer his funding to have them arranged so Eliana's passing is observed and mourned properly. He'll let it be known that anyone can drop by the event to pay their respects to her long as it's to pay her respects. Anyone trying to make a point will get a word with a grumpy robot. Either way, Daylight will make a point of being at the funeral and he'll also keep a close eye for who visits and what's happening at the time.
And! Daylight has hung out a lot at the Fight Ring during his time here in El Minha and is curious about how it's changed in the wake of this event. When he visits the place after Eliana's passing and hangs around for a bit, what will the atmosphere be like and what sort of talk is being exchanged by the people there? (Especially in regards to the shadowy individuals who happens to be lurking about the area.)
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If the event is kept public, there will be a good amount who stop by. Whether or not they actually knew Eliana doesn't seem to be as important as the fact they are mourning a victim of unnecessary violence, even when the city itself is still a bit lost in the chaos.
There will be a few hooded figures, but no Crown's Guard who show up. However, the hooded figures will avoid Daylight at all costs and won't let him get close enough to ask questions before disappearing again. Jalin will also be in attendance at the service, but Kathashun will not. The biggest scene that will occur will happen near the event of the service, where someone who is just outside will yell 'The Syndicate will avenge her! No more will they walk over us!' but upon inspection, it will be impossible to find out who the source of the voice was.
As for the Fight Ring, after the announcement, it will seem almost deserted. There will be no hooded figures, and a lot of the regular citizens who used to frequent the place will have all seemed to stay home, and heeded the warning. Even Jalin will be unable to be contacted or tracked down. The general feeling of the few who are there is discomfort, of being on edge, and unsure of they should have made it out there at all.
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As for those who are still at the Fight Ring, Daylight will offer to escort them back home to wherever they live should they need to go back. He'll ask them if they have any arrangements/funds to not need to go out until this all blows over. (If they don't have the funds, Daylight will try to give them whatever money he has left so they don't need to risk going out anymore.)
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- Would the Circle be able to successfully track down the individual Vern mindread, assuming Vern noted their appearance at the time and where he encountered them? Would they have any new answers for the Circle or be a dead end?
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(2) Unfortunately, this seems to be something of a dead end. The city is a bit of a chaotic mess, and it's difficult to find anyone again in El Minha at the best of times, let alone the worst of times. It's hard to pin down where they went or where they live . . . or even if they're still in the city.
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1) Are the upper class/nobility clustered in a particular part of the city (separate from the Palace district)? Presumably away from the Syndicate-controlled portions?
2) While in the Palace district and around the Crown's Guards, who or what kind of people, if any, would she see traveling to and from the palace?
2) a) Ditto for her time spent in the House of Wisdom.
2) b) Is it obvious where they are headed if she does happen to see anyone interesting?
3) What is the supervisory structure of the Crown's Guards? She spends most of her time with the common soldiers, but I presume there would be some evidence of how their companies or squads are formed and run, who answers to whom, etc.
3) a) Is the head of the Guards an appointee of the King, of some kind of advisory council, or someone promoted from within its ranks?
3) b) Do they in turn answer to someone else, or do they have direct contact with the King?
3) c) Do they serve as the enforcement arm of any Justice or Law office or administrative bureau that deals with criminals, or do the lawkeepers have other people to handle that?
4) Is the Palace the center of government administration for El Minha, or is there another building (or buildings) that serves the day-to-day functions of keeping things running (not well) in the city (distribution of resources, law and justice, goods and services, taxes, etc.)?
4) a) Since the late unlamented King Kallathor imposed stricter laws, who was responsible for seeking out wrongdoers and executing them? Are they still in power (since it really hasn't been that long...)?
4) b)
Is there a formal jail/dungeon in the city?- Actually this was mentioned, I just want to know if it's within the palace or off-site...4) c) Are there judges, or are all determinations of guilt handed down from the monarch or some delegate?
5) I keep making jokes about this, but is there any way for Jing to find out how exactly succession works? Not precisely who gets the crown if the King bites the dust, but who is the point person/people when he's sick, or incapacitated, or out wandering around the city instead of making decisions in some capacity?
6) Does the House of Wisdom have storybooks or mythology around the First King and the origin of El Minha itself?
6) a) Is there a religious structure within the city that is notable/obvious, with corresponding attendants/priests?
6) b) How are people educated in El Minha - is there formal schooling, tutoring, some kind of academy?
...Actually after all this I'm not sure this doesn't just go in the Mod Questions top level. I was assuming Jing would just strike up a lot of conversations along these lines with the members of the Crown's Guard she's gotten familiar with, or with the chatty librarian at the House of Wisdom. Some of them seem like things that might be mentioned in passing by people she runs into now and again while visiting or working in the market as well.
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1) The Palace district is where the nobility live! There are a small handful of noble families that compromised the King's court. They all live in rather beautiful buildings on the outskirts of the Palace's actual property, in a semi-circle around the King's structure.
2) The Palace is mostly populated by Crown's Guard and folks in fine linens and silks. You would find similar people in the House of Wisdom -- the library and the institutions of higher learning tend to be for the richer folk and, by reason, they are the ones who tend to populate those types of areas. Nothing of real interest is to be said with the richer folk . . . they talk neutrally about Kathashun, not super jazzed with their new ruler, but also not disparaging. It's very much a "loose ships sink ships" atmosphere, and all of them tend to put on a perfect air that everything is fine and nothing at all is wrong whatsoever!! They tend to just remain where they are and wander back and forth between the places in the higher district.
3) There is a general of the Crown Guard, a burly looking man with one eye named Maliq. He, according to the lower guards, is a real son of a bitch who will kill you as soon as look at you. The General was the right hand of King Kallathor and, the Crown's Guard, by and large, seem fairly married to King Kathashun only because they have to be, due to his royal blood. Some Crown's Guard have direct contact with the King, but it's only his personal guard, hand picked by General Maliq. The Crown's Guard is the police, the judge, the jury, and the executioner . . . or they used to be, before Kathashun took over. The Syndicate is on the hit list, but King Kathashun hasn't executed anyone since he's taken control.
4) There is a tax collector in El Minha, but no one seems to know who he actually is. He's sort of this guy that shows up whenever you owe money, and if you owe, the Crown's Guard tends to be the ones who get it out of you, if you know what I mean. Anyone killed was either killed by the hand of the King or General Maliq. King Kathashun hasn't killed anyone since rising to power. There is a jail in the city, a construct off-site, on the very outskirts of the Palace's property. Nobody in the high district wants to see the criminals in their backyards.
5) You can definitely ask around! The General of the Guard is the right hand to the King . . . or he was, when King Kallathor was in charge. If the King is indisposed, the General maintains authority over the Crown until the King returns. However, if the King dies and has no heirs, the Blessing of the Phoenix transfers to the next in line -- someone related to the magical line, but not necessarily whoever is closest. The city must respect whoever has the next gift.
6) Yes! The first wielder of this gift was a woman, named Amaani. She was bestowed this gift by the goddess Thaamira, who wished the people of El Minha to survive. This city was built by Amaani, and Thaamira's gift has been passed down through her ancestors ever since. It presents differently in everyone. There's not really a religious structure in place like priests and whatnot, but the people within the city definitely pay worship to Thaamira, who is the guardian of the city. People in the higher-ups are educated by private tutors or the private academy, but the poorer people are pretty much shit out of luck if they can't afford it.
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After Eliana dies and the violence beings, Akira would probably immediately seek out the orphans in the Grand Market he made contacts with to ask a few questions! Mostly he'd try to see if he can get any information from them about who leads the Syndicate, or who can speak for the Syndicate. If asked why, he'd be up front: he wants the leader of the Syndicate to speak with the King so they can work together to find Eliana's killer, bring them to justice, and quell the violence in the city. Would his contacts with the kids give him any leads on this, or no?
Thanks in advance mods!
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Akira is definitely good to seek out the orphans he'd made contact and connections with over the course of his time here. They will all be a bit skittish and scared considering what is going on, but after Akira's work and help they would be willing to trust him.
They will be able to answer his questions - specifically, who do they know speaks for the Syndicate. Or at least, who of the Syndicate talks to them
Jalin.
At his mention of trying to bring the King and Jalin together, the kids will just kind of snicker, but won't explain why.
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I'm assuming the info about the King being possibly locked up against his own will will be disseminated/become shared knowledge with the coven, upon which Julius will start actively looking for him and maybe snooping into the palace. He's not that good with hiding, so he might ask a few other coven members to see if they can get any leads.
If he can't find out info about where the king is from lurking around the palace, he would try to ask Jalin, since Vern received the instruction. he wants to convey to the king about the possibility of combining their magic for mutual benefit and to get the truth about the girl's killings from his point of view.
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However, the one person who seems to know where he is (or, at the very least, seems mildly unconcerned about where Kathashun is), is Jalin. If you go to ask Jalin about where Kathashun is, Jalin will explain that there is a room inside the Palace that has some sort of weird magic shit in it. (That's an exact quote.) It's used to "control" people that are a bit too powerful for their own good . . . and it drains whatever magical ability you have. Jalin will also (helpfully) explained that without his powers, Kathashun is essentially a wet noodle, and he's not going to be able to break out of there on his own without some hefty firepower to get him out.
Additionally, Jalin seems to have some sort of telepathic/connection with Kathashun, and tells Julius that if he's willing to be patient for a few minutes, Jalin can give him a few more details as he repeats what Kathashun tells him!
Kathashun (through Jalin) will tell Julius that the room contains a powerful rune that will require either a powerful counterspell (which Kathashun is unable to do himself, at the moment), or an actual physical cracking of the marble that makes up the walls. He doesn't think magic will work to break the walls, as it has a nullifying property -- it will likely have to be elbow grease. Kathashun will also give Julius instructions on where the room is . . . which is in the very bottom dungeon of the Palace. He has no idea how many Guards are surrounding it, but he can wager that it is a lot, as if Kathashun breaks out of his binds, he can likely handle by himself whoever is guarding him. Strength in numbers seems to be the way.
Next, Kathashun will tell Julius he will join the Circle's fight against both the Syndicate and the Guard, if he is able to be freed from his prison. Kathashun believes that the girl's murder is an accident, but he also suspects the Guard is using this as an excuse to stage a coup against him. The Guard has been preparing arms against Kathashun's knowledge for the past week, and he hasn't known why. Almost immediately, the General Maliq seems to have seized control of the Palace, and Kathashun has no allies here. He warns against trusting anyone from El Minha, and that the only person Kathashun would trust in this war would be Jalin and anyone Jalin deems safe to trust . . . within reason. Do not trust the Syndicate. Do not trust the Guard. The citizens are the ones who need the protecting.
Finally, Kathashun also forces Jalin to tell Julius not to allow Jalin to tag along because he will absolutely fuck it up, which Jalin repeats with one (1) roll of his eyes, and an express assurance to Julius that he would not fuck it up, but he will respect Kathashun's wishes. You guys are on your own; Jalin has to man the proverbial fort.
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A few pre-emptive questions as I ask people and hash out details with them:
If Geir goes with them, can he smash the marble? Julius will likely try to help (if he's not tired out by the time they fight their way to the dungeon), and he would try to use his ability of plant growth combined with his core to use plants to force open the marble if needed.
Is it possible to use coven magic on the guards (and not the room)?
I imagine it would be hard to smuggle Geir into the dungeon, so can sleep gas (or an equivalent) be used (or temporarily a diversion caused by people making noise in another part of the palace) to reduce the number of guards around?
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(2) Yes! You can use magic on the guards and throughout the entire palace, but it may not be successful against the room itself, as the room is designed to ward off magic.
(3) You can certainly try!
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