abraxasooc | EVENT #10: AFFLICTION

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EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - WRAP UP

Event #10 - Affliction (Wrap-Up)

go to the IC event post or OOC info post

Similar to how things began, the effects of the Heralds don't fade all at once. For any variety of reasons, some characters will find they are free sooner than others - as early as a days, even a week. By the end of the month, around the 26th, the effects will disappear from the last person.

The omens will linger for longer, infesting the land into early November. Bit by bit, however, these signs will also fade and things slowly return to normal. At least, where the Old Gods are concerned.

Lingering Gifts

Every character who made a choice in that dream will find the object of their chosen Herald inside their domain: the dead moth in the rose, the teacup with the nightshade berry, or the cracked hand mirror with no reflection.

Try as they might, they will not be able to get rid of the item. The best they can do is bury it someplace where they can pretend it doesn't exist. How did it get here? Is it a gift from the Heralds? A sign that they're forever changed? The object certainly feels different. Touching it or holding it feels warm, almost comforting. As wary as some may be, the aura of the object is not sinister, at least not in the typical sense. It's familiar—like finding an old possession once thought lost.

Unease in the Factions

Although the infestation has passed, the natives of Abraxas remain apprehensive of the Summoned. Some of those apprehensions might fade with time, but things don't entirely go back to what they were.

◎ Thorne
In Thorne, while high-ranking mages treat the Summoned the same as ever, as though they've long been well-aware of what unknown potentials lie within these Summoned, apprentice mages, common guards, and regular staff in the Castle might be a little more hesitant to interact with characters. They won't be rude, just distant or less quick to befriend you. If you're the charming type, you may get them to warm up to you again.

◎ The Free Cities
In the Free Cities, attitudes span the gamut as always. Some behave no different while others will keep their distance. Others even take an interest in characters, as though they're a scientific curiosity. Portam Hall and higher officials are keeping a closer eye on everyone - but they've been doing this for some time. Much of this depends on the character. If you've made a name for yourself being helpful, most will warm up to you again. If you're a known troublemaker, they might continue to stay away.

◎ Solvunn
In Solvunn, the sense is closer to a cautious respect similar to how one might approach a beautiful but very large animal. Offerings will continue, but some might choose to bother the Summoned less, making sure that they only ask them for assistance over things that they feel are worthwhile. Even so, there remain some who won't treat the Summoned any different - mostly those who have taken characters into their homes as family. The Council, too, appears to take matters in stride. The will of the Gods is all that matters.

Interrogations ("Volunteers")

We're offering an opportunity for your character to be questioned (and possibly even arrested) by the factions! This is entirely voluntary on the player's end, but of course for the characters, it won't be voluntary at all. The combination of the Heralds sweeping through and tensions from the war means faction officials are beginning to keep a closer eye on the Summoned.

Characters can be taken aside for any number of things that fall under "dubious but not actionable." In other words, if your character will be noticed for conspiring to murder an official or something major along those lines, we ask you reach out to us on Plot Engagement as that's a full plot. However, if your character might've been spotted sneaking around on rooftops or eavesdropping on guards because they're only thinking about a major crime, then you can let us know here.

Characters will not be detained unless they are uncooperative while being questioned or raise suspicions by lying too much in an unconvincing way. (In Solvunn, this means being temporarily banished to the Tertiary Settlement.) Each faction will have their own methods of approaching matters. Characters will be able to interact with other characters even if they should end up being detained, and they will not be harmed at any point so long as there is no violence on their part.

Thorne

Characters in Thorne will be pulled aside by one of the castle guards and taken to a sparse but comfortable room. They'll be questioned by the captain of the guard or one of his officers. They will not be restrained and, if they have a fairly decent reputation in the castle, will be treated respectfully.

Depending on how characters answer the questions or behave, they'll either be thanked and sent on their way after an hour or so, or they might be arrested and sent down into the dungeons for a couple days to a week while officials "consider the situation." The dungeons, as always, have an enchantment that suppresses any magic or supernatural abilities that'll affect all characters while they're down there. They'll be fed three square meals of surprisingly good quality, and each cell has four beds.

Character can have visitors from any of the other Summoned. Further, if they're lucky enough to have someone on the outside vouch for them, they can be released into a form of "house arrest" where they'll be confined to their quarters for the remainder of their time instead of held in the dungeons.

Free Cities

Characters in the Free Cities will be pulled aside by one of Cadens' city guards and taken to a section of Portam Hall reserved for questioning. The room is small and sparse with no windows. They will not be restrained unless they resist from the start. The guards will be professional and polite. If you have a solid reputation for helping or otherwise being an upstanding citizen, they'll be friendlier - and some might even apologize for the trouble. If you're a known troublemaker or have caused problems in the past in the city, they'll be more stern with you.

Depending on how characters answer the questions or behave, they'll either be thanked and sent on their way after an hour or so, or they might be arrested on charges of obstruction (or whatever fits) and will need to spend anywhere from a couple days to a week in jail. These jails are holding areas meaning characters will have an unsavory roommate or three - drunks, petty thieves, etc. Only one cot is available, so they'll have to fight for it or just sleep on the ground. The food is edible but tastes awful.

If characters are lucky enough to have a friend on the outside, guards do in fact accept bribes and will let someone visit to bring in a few amenities including better food for a silver or two. For a bigger chunk of gold, one can even formally pay a "fine" to Portam Hall instead, thus granting the character an early release. This person must be willing to navigate the forms and lineups at Portam Hall, as well.

Solvunn

Characters in Solvunn will be approached by someone they know well in the commune. This may be their host family, the local baker, or anyone who is a native of Solvunn that would have a rapport with your character. If there is no one of that sort, then they would be approached by one of the kindly Elders in the commune. They'll be asked to walk or to come inside the home.

Depending on how characters answer the questions or behave, they'll be thanked for their help and sent on their way, or they will be told that this requires the Council's attention. The Council will then inform the character their behavior is disruptive to the health of the commune in a time of strife and be banished to the Tertiary Settlement for anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. They won't be alone in the Tertiary Settlement. Other outcasts of the commune live there long term and anyone from the other settlements can come visit them, as well. While there, they can make some money fishing if they're good at it or do a small bit of hunting or repairs around the land.

They must serve out their time in the Tertiary Settlement. No amount of convincing, money, or vouching will allow a character to return before their banishment is complete. However, once they've returned they will be welcomed back into the community as though nothing happened - and no one will speak of the incident again.

The mechanics for this will work as follows:

◎ Fill out the form and reply to this comment under the correct faction heading for your character.

◎ We'll roll for 2-3 characters at a time Don't worry - everyone will get their turn eventually. We'll only be using RNG to determine the order for who gets taken aside and when.

◎ When we reply to you, the "interrogation" will take place semi-IC. This means there won't be a full NPC thread. Instead, we'll describe the question your character is asked and possibly the behavior of the guards. To answer, you'll do the same and describe how your character will answer and behave rather than writing out a typical IC tag. You can add dialogue or any IC text you like, but this isn't required - just telling us will be enough.

◎ Characters can sell out someone else if they want. Depending on the information they choose to hand over or the person they're turning on, this might free them from being questioned or get both of them in trouble. Please be sure you communicate with all players involved if you choose this option!

◎ If your character will be lying or omitting vital information, we'll roll for how well their lie or omission is believed. If your upcoming reply is a lie or omission, please note how convincing your character is on a scale of 1-3 with 1 being poor and 3 being excellent. This will determine your character's number of dice during the roll.

We'll be rolling with a multi-sided die, meaning this is not a hit or miss situation. Rather, suspicion will increase or decrease on a scale as appropriate.

Questions and Answers

If after reading these you're still unsure about anything, or your question wasn't covered, please feel free to hit up our Questions thread below!

Will NPC attitudes impact what my characters can do or have been doing?: While the overall shift in attitude will be felt by everyone, on an individual day-to-day basis character interactions with the native NPCs can be influenced by any number of things such as rapport, charm, sympathy, reputation, and more. For example, if your character has been a loyal employee it's unlikely they'll be dismissed or demoted - but one or two customers might be less friendly than usual. Players are encouraged to write what feels realistic and reasonable for their character.
Can the gifts from the Heralds be changed or altered?: Fundamentally, no. However, characters may change the wilted rose into a wilted lily, turn the nightshade berry into poison hemlock, and so forth. In other words, characters can't change the thematic representation of the object, but they can adjust minor facets of it.
What if my character would behave violently or aggressively to being questioned?: If your character will get extremely violent or aggressive in response, please contact us on the Plot Engagement first before submitting. Factions do take violence towards their own seriously and consequences can be harsh, so we may need to work out a separate plot with you. In cases where the resulting plot may be especially complex, we may ask you to hold off for another time.
When will this be taking place? Can I plan ahead of time with my character?: There won't be a set schedule as to when characters are taken in for questioning. In-game players can time it in whatever way fits their plans. This will be an ongoing occurrence throughout the month and beyond. You do not need to line it up with when we contact you for the start of the encounter!
Do I need to list every potential dubious action or just the ones I want to come into play?: You only need to list the ones you want to come into play. Anything else will have flown under the radar. The only exception would be actions that are impossible to miss, in which case these behaviors will need to be discussed separately through Plot Engagement.
Can dubious actions include actions that might be the fault of another character?: Absolutely! Just be sure to work out anything involving other players with the individuals in question.
Does my character need to possess any ill intent to be cast under suspicion?: No, characters can be put under suspicion over a misunderstanding or something that's easily explained. They'll be given a chance to explain themselves regardless.
Could I include actions that took place outside of my faction such as Nocwich or during the Summit?: Yes! If someone from the character's faction might have reasonably taken notice, then you may include it.
What if my character isn't lying but they sound as though they are?: We're happy to roll for this as well if you'd like! If your character is the nervous sort and sound as if they're being dishonest even when they're not, let us know and rate how convincing they are as though they were actually lying.
My character wasn't detained, but they didn't completely clear their name, either. Will this have consequences in the future?: Possibly! We'll always communicate with players directly if any further explicit consequences might arise. Otherwise, you can assume the factions are keeping a close eye on them as usual.

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Player Name: Lena
Character Name: Rhy Maresh
Influence Rank: 2, entirely positive
Dubious Behavior:
- He sure spent like five days "sleeping" in his room (stuck in the Horizon) so maybe that was kind of weird
- helping out in Nott a lot. like as much as possible. spending a lot less time in the castle since the attack on Libertas, whereas before he used to spend most of his time within the castle walls
- potentially could have been overheard disagreeing with the queen's methods, questioning whether the king and queen care about their people at all, and otherwise disparaging the crown's choices surrounding recent events (he would not knowingly say this in front of native Thorneans, but he has talked to other Summoned about these topics, and he may have been less careful in Nott)
- he has definitely flirted with the castle staff

Late evening, Rhy will be approached while in his room by two guards. They will firmly request that he speak to a member of the royal guard over an important matter.

He has two options:

1. He can leave immediately with the guards. He will earn favor for his cooperation. They will escort him to a sparse but comfortable private room. Once formalities are out of the way, the guardsman will tell him that he was overheard making remarks of discontent and that he has also been spending an unusual amount of time in Nott. He will ask Rhy, somewhat pointedly, whether Rhy believes the monarchy is doing enough for Nott.

2. He can postpone the meeting to a later date, which will allow Rhy time to prepare if he wants. This will rouse some suspicion, but they will allow it. When he does arrive, the guardsman questioning him will seem displeased. He will ask Rhy the same question as above, however.

Rhy will agree to go with them right away instead of delaying.

He will listen to all they have to say politely without interrupting, and be cooperative answering. His response is diplomatically phrased, and they may get the sense that he's holding back a more passionate response, but he won't lie.

Rhy will explain that he's the crown prince of his own country back home and has considered the difficult questions and situations a monarch would face in times of strife. He thinks more should have been done to prepare in advance of the attack, after taking such aggressive action against an enemy they know they have a combative relationship with. The implication is that he disagrees with the attack on Libertas in the first place, though he chooses his words carefully to stop short of saying as much directly.

Of course, nothing can be done now to change the past, but he's sure they'll be better prepared to protect their citizens from future conflict, should it escalate further. He expresses hope that the conflict will not escalate, though, thus sparing further loss of life.

He isn't lying about anything directly, but he's using politician's phrasing and leaning on his charm. Overall, he's about a 2 at convincing -- though he's careful not to blame anyone outright, he doesn't ever say he thinks the crown is doing enough for Nott.

Rhy's diplomatic answer fails moderately. Though Rhy's diplomacy has helped smooth any ruffled feathers, the guardsman is unfortunately familiar with the avoidance tactics of many nobles and aristocrats that occupy the Castle.

He tells Rhy he appreciate the concern for the kingdom, then asks Rhy directly, seeing as he has experience as crown prince, what Rhy would have done differently to address the assassination of an important Thornean figure while still protecting the Castle and its lands in their entirety. Perhaps they could learn from each other?

Rhy may find it wise to look for a way to avoid implying he would take any action different to that of the Queen, but the decision is up to him.

Unfortunately, Rhy takes the question sincerely. and as such he answers in good faith and honestly. Which means that he... doesn't say he'd do what the queen did.

He says that he understands how dire the situation is, and that an assassination is inexcusable. However, if it were him, he thinks he'd take the situation a little more slowly, make sure there was a thorough investigation, and if the investigation yielded solid evidence of a specific malefactor (he avoids saying the Free Cities in this case, explaining it in theoretical terms entirely), he would consider further action. First, he says he thinks it's always worth attempting a diplomatic approach to avoid risking any more loss of life, because once the fighting starts it's difficult to contain war. He would focus more on figuring out who carried out the assassination within castle walls and how, and announce it, putting pressure on foreign governments to speak up, since such an overt attack would obviously be cause to ramp up into potential war and theoretically leaders would wish to avoid that and come to some sort of agreement outside of that escalation. The threat of an attack can be leaned on and leveraged before firing any shots. He stops short of saying directly that he thinks direct attacks on civilians shouldn't have happened at all, but it's not difficult to infer.

If it comes down to it, and fighting becomes inevitable, a formal declaration of war should be given. Before such a declaration, internally the kingdom should prepare itself for war, making sure to fortify defenses, stock up on necessities and food, and warn all leaders in the kingdom's regions.

tl;dr though he's unerringly polite in speech and keeps a good lid on his temper throughout, he super disagrees with the queen's approach, actually.

The guardsman is polite throughout Rhy's explanation. He is almost too polite and is listening quite carefully. If Rhy is perceptive, he may notice the guard expresses a small amount of surprise. It's possible he expected another diplomatic tactic rather than Rhy's sincere reply.

He will ask next why Rhy believes an investigation would be necessary when Thorne has found, as they officially claim, solid evidence of the "specific malefactor" on one of their own Summoned. The guardsman appears to be using this term to refer to the nation responsible as a whole, not an individual.

(sorry for the delay!)

Rhy explains this evidence doesn't strike him as reliable enough, considering all three of the attending factions' representatives were attacked in Nocwich. That can't be a coincidence, and all of those attacks should be investigated -- Thorne has it in their control only to investigate their own, so he's not pushing for them to overreach. But he feels that in order for a declaration of war to be truly on the table, in his opinion, the evidence that the attack was planned by the Free Cities government has to be unassailable.

As it is, though the evidence seemed to point from someone with access to the technologies found in the Free Cities, to his knowledge, there's no evidence that this was a planned and coordinated attack by the Free Cities' leaders or military -- and here he also mentions he understands perhaps he doesn't have all the facts, clearly leaving it open that should anyone wish to provide more evidence he would like to hear of it. This doesn't sound like it's his expectation, though, merely pointing out that his opinions are based on the knowledge he has currently.

Finally, he mentions that he also hopes the Free Cities won't continue to escalate things as they already have (not putting the blame solely on Thorne). With the hash winter ahead exacerbated by the Heralds (taking direct blame off the queen alone as well), he expresses concern that Thorne's citizens in all its regions will be in need of extra supplies and support. This isn't to say the monarchy is against providing such support, of course -- only that he can't help but worry for the winter and wants to do everything he can to help as well. He offers his time and services, mentioning he's been studying healing apprenticed under the mages of the castle infirmary, and that while he's been able to help some people on the ground in Nott, if there's anything he can assist with that isn't overstepping his role as "a guest of this castle," he would very much be willing to do more.

The guardsman is quiet as they consider Rhy's words and the intentions behind them. They will then stand and ask that Rhy give them a moment as they step outside and have a conversation on the other side of the door. Low voices can be heard but words not understood. The guardsman and a colleague will both reenter the room after a minute or so and remain standing.

The original guardsman will thank Rhy for his input but ask that he remain in Thorne for the time being. Since he is studied in magics, they present him with the opportunity to help fortify the defensive wards around the castle. While it is stated as an offer, there is a clear undertone that they expect it to be accepted.

Although the guard has not specified a period of time, Rhy has two options: he can ask for clarity as to how long, which will raise some further suspicion and result him in being given a time period of 3 weeks. Or, he can accept the vague suggestion that he "be more present" around the Castle, and limit his visits to Nott for about 1-2 weeks, after which he can slowly increase his visits once more.

Edited 2023-01-09 04:29 (UTC)

He's able to pick up on the fact it's not really an optional request. Rhy will mildly point out that defensive wards aren't an area of magic he's ever studied before but promises he'll do his best to help since he is apparently needed around the castle more than he realized -- a slightly passive aggressive way of accepting he should remain in Thorne for a bit. He doesn't ask for how long. For now, Rhy will stay in the castle and castle town for about two weeks, and assist with the wards, putting in about an "average" amount of effort as he learns the spells needed.

I have a few questions about the warding process!

1. Who will he be working with, and how frequently?
2. Is it magic that'd be really easy for the Summoned to pick up on? He wasn't lying when he said he's never studied that.
3. Is there opportunity to chitchat with the castle mages (apprentices?) who are also working on the wards? He would be friendly toward them and try to make some connections if they were friendly in return.

Since Rhy has agreed, the guards will let him go without any further statements. They will thank him for his time.

1. He will be working with the other Castle mages, mostly apprentices and a lead mage or two that will help organize and delegate.

2. While this magic is not difficult, involving drawing sigils and some incantations, Thorne's primary purpose is to keep Rhy close to better watch him. Therefore, if he proposes an alternate task he'd prefer, such as gathering herbs, doing research, brewing healing potions, or anything else that's helpful around the castle, they'll accept his suggestions. Just let us know so we can keep track of what he ultimately chooses to do!

3. Yes, he can chat with them! They won't be any different than the usual apprentice mages and workers moving around the castle. They'll answer questions he has about the task he's chosen or been given. On the whole, they'll be friendly and polite in return.

Thanks, mods!

Regarding #2, he will choose to learn how to cast the warding spells, and in addition will propose helping the mages in charge of casting and organizing in whatever way they need support: bringing them food or water, getting any supplies needed for the spellcasting, taking over for people when they need breaks, etc.

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EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - WRAP UP

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