event: a gentle explosion

[thestewards]

I see a world just out of reach
With shoulders of giants at my feet
There’s not a challenge I’m afraid to meet

► The OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

► Direct all questions to the mods at this link.

STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND
You wake, warm and comfortable, and realize that you’re no longer where you were when you went to sleep. The dream was real. As you clamber out of bed and open your door, an impassive footman greets you and leads you to breakfast in a large hall filled with many, many people. They sit around a hodgepodge of tables in a mishmash of furniture—nothing matches anything else, and no two chairs are the same.

The woman from your dream catches your eyes. She stares at you with open shock. “Well,” she says, as a number of males turn to her with withering looks. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” She smiles at you. “Welcome to Draega, Stranger. Please, join us.”

Join them at the table and have your breakfast, Stranger. There isn’t much to offer: porridge, water, a bit of milk, some wrinkled fruits, and bread. Coffee, thankfully, is not in short supply. Meet your fellow Strangers, both the ones choosing to live at the Queen’s Residence and those who arrived in the night with you.

As breakfast draws to a close, the Queen’s Steward, Prince Loren Sorey, explains that you may choose to find your own home or stay in the residence for as long as you please. Those who stay will receive a modest stipend but are required to participate in Allairavar’s morning trainings every day. At dawn. Before breakfast. Those who go will need to find their own homes among the ruined buildings of the city and make their own money.

The court begins filtering out of the Great Hall, dispersing to attend their many duties. Linger, Stranger, and overhear…

“What did you mean?” The man leaning over the Queen is Prince Allairavar. His membranous wings flare around him, and his expression is menacing. “This wasn’t supposed to happen?”

Queen Fayura doesn’t look at all alarmed by the massive man caging her against a wall. “It was a one-time spell,” she says. “The web was—” Her eyes go wide. “I need to go look at the web.” She ducks under Allairavar’s arm, which could put a tree trunk to shame, really, grabs Prince Verim, and drags him from the hall.

Allairavar bares his teeth at the wall and snarls. The sound rumbles through the room, and dark temper washes briefly through the residence before all the tangled webs tucked in corners absorb it, leaving the building peaceful and clean of psychic feeling once more.

A TALE OF TWO IDEALS
At exactly 5:46pm, an explosion rocks the city of Draega. Black clouds belch fire to the northwest of the city. Concurrently, in Old Town, a mob of landens armed with Breakers and Muters descends on The Last Meal. They surround an older, Blood woman.

i. Black Out
The power plant maintained by the Tinkers and the Elektrics has exploded. Across Draega, e-line appliances shut down and the city plunges into darkness—the sun set some 45 minutes ago.

Prince Loren reaches out to approximately half the Strangers, asking them to go to the power plant. He shares a mental map with them so they know how to reach the building, as well as the Craft used for air-walking. The tutorial is quick and hardly complete, but now you’ll be able to run above the city to reach your destination.

The power plant burns. Black smoke pours into the air. Master Elektric Doriah organizes the Tinkers and Elektrics who were able to escape on their own. A quick glance reveals how absolutely exhausted she is. When Strangers approach, she sneers but isn’t about to turn away good help.

“There are still people inside. The Blood who did this trapped us in shields.” She hesitates only a moment before collecting Breakers from guildmembers carrying them. “Take these. Your Jewel may not be able to break through the shields.”

Inside, well-ordered building is a mess of fire and melting steel. Airwalking protects your feet, and shields can keep out the heat, but you’ll need something more to protect your lungs. Put out fires, stop systems from overloading, save the machines from complete destruction, and rescue missing workers who are suffocating and cooking inside shields. The guildmembers trapped in the power plant will assist the Strangers who free them, helping mitigate the damage done to the plant and keep it from exploding the rest of the way.

ii. Death of a Councilwoman
Councilwoman Vera enjoys dinners at The Last Meal, and this is well known by everyone in the city. Today, public knowledge of her schedule doesn’t work so well in her favor.

As she approaches the restaurant with her family, a group of landens descends on them. Muters prevent the Blood from taking any action that isn’t purely physical, and this is enough to throw most of them off their stride; they’re used to relying on Craft to fight. The landens separate Vera from her family in a short-lived brawl. She shouts and screams—“Let me go! Don’t you know who I am? The Queen will have you executed for this! Your families will be thrown out of the city! You’re making a mis—”

A shot rings through the air.

The landens peel away from one of their own, a young man gripping a Breaker in both hands. He trembles as he stands over Councilwoman Vera, whose expression is frozen forever in shocked disbelief. Her body crumples to the ground, blood from a gunshot wound on her chest staining the white fabric of her blouse.

In the silence that follows the shot, Allairavar shoves free of the crowd. “Go home!” he snarled, Craft powering his voice.

No one moves.

Except the young landen man. He takes off at a run, and the crowd is still too horrified to do much to stop him. Allairavar wastes no time. He plunges after the young man. At the same time, he reaches out to the minds of the Strangers closest to Old Town. *The Ebon Council is, collectively, a sack of reeking shit, and Lady Vera was a bitch,* Allairavar tells the Strangers. *But if we don’t get between the Blood and the landens, we’ll have another war. We can’t afford another war. Keep them from killing each other while I deal with this idiot.*


AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you’re spinning the dial on your own device, you’ll hear…

the news
…angered local landen families by her hard-line position that Blood homes should receive priority as the city continues to recover from the fires set by the Hunter Guild last month. [The man speaks at a brisk pace, hurried and harried as though he has too much to say and not enough time to say it.]

Councilwoman Vera is known for her vocal disdain for the landen Guilds, isn’t that right, Garret? [Another man, nasally in tone. He doesn’t sound rushed so much as put upon.]

[Garret:] Correct, Wilt. She—excuse the interruption, but we are just now hearing— [The feed abruptly cuts off. Static pours from the Far-caster regardless of what local channel it is tuned to.]

Comments

[portable]

[ then he will keep leaning. parado doesn't care about the table or whether he ends up bumping haein or not, he's got the long reach of a decently tall person and he's gonna use it.

however he does pause and affix haein with the most poisonous glare (which is actually pretty damn poisonous) he can muster at that comment. How Dare You. ]

No wonder you're no fun.

[portable]

[ red suits his colour scheme pretty well, too. the sword appearing makes him smile beneath his mask - a variety of weaponry was good, and he was used to fighting alongside a sword-user. ]

Let's just wing it. There's probably a bunch happening in there, so we can just go with what we see.

[thedarkbond]

[Ren's not exactly in the best of shape by this point either, but he's determined and a determined Ren is generally a bad idea for anyone to get in the way of.

At Molly's remark, he tilts the Breaker slightly in his hand.] If you weaken it enough, I might be able to shatter it with this to save you some energy. I don't know if I could load a second shot in the middle of all this, so doing it in one would waste less time.

[Better to try getting rid of it in one and not have to have his first musket reloading experience in the middle of a flaming building. As it is, while Molly's magic definitely catches his attention - particularly what he does with his weapon to initiate it - Ren pushes down his curiosity for now and steps to one side, aiming the weapon slightly to one side of where the tip of Molly's sword is.]

Tell me when. [He figures Molly will have a better gauge of when it's close to caving if he's physically attacking it.]

[thedarkbond]

Well, I think that would be pretty different for most people... [It's not as different for Ren as it could be, but he's still looking oblivious on that front for now. He takes another sip of his coffee, having no visible reaction to how bitter it must be having it straight.]

Was your world different to this one too? I'd kind of like to hear more about where everyone came from.

[thedarkbond]

I meant craft that would purify air and make at least a little of it safe to breathe, not forcing them to do it. [Ren points that out somewhat gently, as if hating to break it to him considering how passionate he seemed about the other point.

Ren eyes up Rhus for a moment when he holds his arms out. The prideful part of him doesn't want to be completely useless here...but the reasonable part of him says Rhus' build is a lot more suited for carrying a person. They really don't have additional time to burn for the sake of Ren not feeling like he's dead weight, so it's only a second of hesitation before Ren offers the worker over.]

Right...I came from that way, and it was about as simple a path to the door as I think we'll get right now. [He points over his shoulder, to where there's a doorway that looks like it leads into a short tunnel. Not the most fun route with things as they are right now, but if it gets them through quickly, Ren considers that the priority.]

[sunborne]

[ daylight's winglets hitch up in defensiveness at the words because hey! he hadn't harmed anyone since he arrived to the power plant to help out!!

he wants to argue but the distant sounds of people yelling and screaming for help all but squashes down the petty urge of his. now isn't the time for him to be grumpy or pouty about this. he wants to help and this guy wants to help and, at the end of the evening, that's what matters.

so he sighs and nods, trying to look serious when he gives a little salute. ] Yessir!

[ uncle leeds would be proud of him remembering this stuff. ]

Come on- I think I hear screaming coming this direction! It might be the workers that haven't been found yet!

[sunborne]

[ hit it?? is that safe???

daylight looks at the shield and looks back at his partner, wondering if it'll be safe for him to try and punch and kick it. hmm... would shooting work? he has his arc gun and that can pack a mean punch.

thankfully- the folks in the shield are frantically shaking their heads. it seems they can hear what's going on outside the barrier and, um, they're not cool with the idea of two boys - one a pratcial giant - whacking at their bubble while they're helpless to defend themselves. good intentions or no.

instead, the man still standing is pointing at daylight. daylight's waist, specifically, because he has something strapped around it- ]

Oh! [ he looks down and sees the strange tool he had been given when he was rushing into the fires. ] Oh yeah... I forgot I was given this.

[sunborne]

[ daylight looks, frankly, aghast at the coldness the guy is showing off here. someone died and seriously?

seriously, it seems.

he frowns again but, this time, it's from puzzlement and bewilderment at the attitude more than anything else. his winglets pull back almost in a show of disapproval, disappearing from view as he tries to formulate a response. ]

Because...! Someone watched a loved one of theirs die. That's a terrible thing for anyone to go through. No one deserves to see someone they care for be ripped away from them like that. It isn't fair to anyone.

[ folks are watching haein and daylight now. not only because of daylight's.... everything, but because of how impassioned and emotional he is. some folk do look like they're taking his side, while others grumble under their breath about strangers siding with the council of all bastards.

but it does have an effect one one person, for they call out: yeah! she was with family. most of them left, but i think one is around. ]

Thank you for telling us! [ daylight's winglets flare out into view now and he looks stubbornly determined in this moment. ] Come on! We've got to comfor them-!

[sunborne]

Oh.

[ he takes a bite out of his porridge and thank goodness it's bland. his tanks churn at the thought of folks being angry with him for being around. not a fun thing to experiene, let him tell you...

trying to hide his worry, he grins and wiggles his winglets to give off an air of confidence. ]

Guess we gotta prove we're worth keeping around, huh? We're here to help them out after all! It's why I'm-

[ he stops, remembering to modulate his voice so he isn't 'booming' to humanoid standards. ]

It's why I'm planning to help out with these 'Guilds' I've been hearing about a lot. Probably going to see them tomorrow or the day after.

[thricefold]

[ the fact she's having a lucid and coherent conversation with her patient is a good sign in zita's opinion. it allows her to breathe more easily as she begins to dip the clean towel into a nearby bowl of water, after she made sure the water is warm and sterile.

but she can't rest because of that. remembering what doulas had taught her, she knew she had to be thorough for her patients' sake. ]

I'll get you water to drink after I clean the blood and soot from you, alright? First - I need to make sure there are no wounds on your head.

[ she's about to reach out and begin to clean her face up but she stops herself. ]

... Will you allow me? [ she gestures to the towel in her hand, indicating her desire to help fix her up. ] I'd hate to impose myself on someone and if you're more comfortable cleaning yourself up, I'll be alright with that.

[mekhanikos]

[ he, too, has ran from a fair amount of police officers in his lifetime, so the reaction perhaps isn't all that surprising.

the mention of a place to crash at reminds him what he forgot about, before falling asleep, and he swallows a swear. ]

Oh no, I need to let Percy and Jason know — [ that he's no longer in the power plant, that he's okay and fine and all that. then, after realizing he's just talking to himself, he flashes a smile at alex. ]

Thanks, but I've got a place. I was too tired to make it there, but my friends're gonna be worried.

[mekhanikos]

[ at least hanging out with him is never boring??

while emil shouts at the person they're trying to save, leo instead tries to flash them a smile, aiming for reassuring, hoping that it can be seen from inside the shield, still. ]

Sounds like a plan to me! On three? [ his grin gets even brighter as he starts, ]

Uno, dos, tres!

[mekhanikos]

Not a bad plan.

[ applying more pressure at the same time, enough times to weaken the shield and hopefully break down whatever magical molecules are holding it together. ]

Ready to see if it works?

[mekhanikos]

Trust me, it was. I may not have been there but I know tragedy, and eating a candle is definitely one, like, right up there with stuff like Hamlet and the fact that they didn't stop at three Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

[ that's..... yeah. super relevant, to be sure. ]

What kind of a place do you even come from, if eating candles was a thing there?

[mekhanikos]

Good, you shouldn't, why prank people if you're gonna feel bad about it?

[ this is also mumbled as he tries to somehow shake himself to feeling at least a fraction more awake. ]

Uh, yeah, I was heading there... I think. I was kind of tired, if you didn't notice.

[song_of_ice]

[He didn't even fully see who it was before he was shouting an order. When he saw it was Sansa, it didn't make him hesitate or frustrated, there was nothing in his mind but those trapped. He had always been single focused against the threat ahead, this was no different.]

Just be sure to lead them further away from the blaze.

[He didn't expect her to go in and wasn't going to ask her to. His green gem would be enough to break the shields.

Without another word, he charged inside. After a few minutes, he emerged, coughing a bit as he helped a group of men emerge from the building.]

It does!

[song_of_ice]

[There were a few people at Jon's side, coughing roughly as they raced from the blaze. The sight of Piper was a relief, remembering her from before. He nodded at the people, urging them to head towards the other groups that had flocked farther from the blaze.

He glanced behind him, trying to catch his breath.]

There are a few more trapped in there. Do you think that you can help me? Between us, we can get them all out in one swoop.

[song_of_ice]

[He had hoped that others might know, but it seemed that many came from times similar to him or a background like his. Once again, he was struck by the idea that he was nothing more than a pampered lord, never having to earn his way before.

Even at the Watch, while they had to work, there was always a guarantee of food. It never depended on earning enough.]

I can hunt. [It's the first thing he reaches for, knowing that swinging a sword won't bring him any coin.] Train others in combat.

[song_of_ice]

[He wasn't assigned to the builders, but he knew repairs and basic handiwork as all hands were needed. Whatever her first comment meant, her second one kept his attention and at least offered some hope.]

I know a little.

[Maybe the rest they can teach.]

Was there a lot of damage to the city?

[theladyofwinterfell]

Practice might come to us easier than trying to read about it or just watching someone else. It usually helps me, anyway.

( Sansa beams a smile at him, brighter than she usually smiles. )

I believe it will come to us in time.

[theladyofwinterfell]

( The men with Jon seem as if they’ve inhaled quite a bit of smoke. Sansa leads them further away from the entrance and the streams of people going in and out and to a grassy area that she decides will serve for triage and treatment. It’s strange to use her jewel to heal but as worried as she is, she cannot think about anything but helping. )

I have these in hand - Jon, bring anyone else you can find! I have enough energy to keep healing.

[mollymocked]

No, no... That's just flair. [He cups his hands around the light and it snuffs out.] I sort of... think about it? I need a light and light appears. [He snaps his closed fingers open again and another ball of light appears. He may be enjoying this a bit too much.] It's gonna really liven up any act I perform should I decide to take the streets for some coin.

[arrogator]

Don't sound so enthusiastic about it.

[Not that she sounds particularly enthusiastic about being right either. Not this time anyways.]

I just hope the food doesn't end up worse, can't do a lot if we're all fighting for scraps.

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa thinks of it the way he’d described: she needs a light and wishes for one to appear. After a moment, a glowing ball of witchlight appears and she gasps, startled. )

Oh! I didn’t imagine I would actually be able to do it. I thought surely it must be harder than that and here we are.

[illequipped]

[He actually looks down at himself, like that will illuminate some innate Something about him that's so offensive. Ugh!!]

What's that supposed to mean!!