thestewards: (Default)
the stewards ([personal profile] thestewards) wrote in [community profile] agentlelog2019-02-19 07:00 pm

event: a gentle explosion




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.]

theladyofwinterfell: (it comes with a price)

[personal profile] theladyofwinterfell 2019-03-27 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
I certainly hope so. I do want to play the game with you and if we need four to do it, then I shall find our four. I know more than four people here. I am absolutely certain of that.

( Sansa laughs a bit and looks at the cards, touching the faces of them to learn their marks and names. They're a little different from Westerosi cards but Sansa imagines she could paint a set of those from memory, if she had to. )

We used to read cards in Lady Margaery's solar sometimes. It was just something fun to do in an afternoon, though. I don't think anyone can tell the future.
theladyofwinterfell: (Default)

[personal profile] theladyofwinterfell 2019-03-27 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
That's very true. I would imagine she could see who'd have the ability and who wouldn't, if she had the magic to bring us here. It wouldn't be of use to bring those here who couldn't use Craft if we're meant to use it.

( Mary has given her something to think about, something Sansa will have to puzzle out on her own after she gets some time to herself. )
sunborne: (031. - 🗺 - WAIT WHAT.)

[personal profile] sunborne 2019-03-27 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ daylight has the chairs set up around the designated spot when haein returns with the rope. it seems he's also finished arguing with some people, shooing them away so they would stop gawking at the spot where a councilwoman had been slain.

in the background, vera's daughter can still be heard crying now and then. thankfully(?) it's a faint sound, though it's almost eerie in its quality. now that the place is almost abandoned given the recent events, the sound almost echoes when she moves from one spot or another.

when daylight sees haein has returned with the rope, he looks relieved and happy to see a friendly face after his bout of fighting with the people. he waves at him, trying to still his best to be approachable in the wake of what they're doing. ]


Thanks for your help again. [ daylight takes the rope with a nod, beginning to connect the chairs together by using the ropes. ] I'm sure she'll appreciate this.

[ ...

when he's finished with getting a barrier around the area, he looks over at haein with a thoughtful expression. ]


Um- Hey- If you need to go, you can go. [ he rubs the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. ] Thanks for sticking around so much even when things got kind of, um, intense.

I want to stay here and make sure she has company before she leaves or someone gets her but... If you've got to leave, you can leave now. You did a lot as is.
mollymocked: (⚔ and buried in your bones)

[personal profile] mollymocked 2019-03-27 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
That sounds like a woman I know. [He seems delighted, even if underscoring the delight is a little bit of unhappiness at Beau not being here for him to realize he's been telling people how awful she is.] But she's awful. You don't wanna be like her.
mollymocked: (⚔ every night i lie in bed)

[personal profile] mollymocked 2019-03-27 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly. And what's a little pleasant peace disruption when people are getting murdered or arseholes are picking fights in places they shouldn't. We ought to be thanked for our contributions to society.

[He's mostly being facetious, because these aren't things he cares about, but he seems to be overplaying it for Zita's benefit. He's wise enough to know she was shaken by all of that, and as her friend, he wants her to feel better and more comfortable.]
mollymocked: (⚔ but don't you stay that way)

[personal profile] mollymocked 2019-03-27 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Molly has just decided that laying down is the best possible option and drops like a sack of potatoes onto his back, embracing the feel of cool grass and a little bit of uncomfortable gravel. Well worth it, though.]

I feel like you could fry an egg on my chest if you were so inclined, but otherwise... Superficial damage- emotional and physical. I'll be fine.
theladyofwinterfell: (Default)

[personal profile] theladyofwinterfell 2019-03-27 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I do try to make sure that people don't think of me as awful. I'm sure that some do, you cannot please everyone, but I try to cultivate a general air of kindness and good cheer.

( It helps bolster the spirits around her and with a war coming, the men need morale more than anything. She must seem strong and secure in her position. )
thequitecontrary: (over the shoulder)

[personal profile] thequitecontrary 2019-03-28 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
I am able to use the shield to protect others as well, so that has been a benefit. [ She has to be relatively close to them, but she can shield both herself and the person who is fighting. ] Some of the natives at the Queen's residence have been able to help me, and I do train with the guard in the mornings, but I feel as though I have learned more in the library.

[ Which is a bit surprising, as she's not particularly bookish. ]
inducings: (i'm not gonna write you a love song)

[personal profile] inducings 2019-03-28 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...if you're not supposed to stand on air, then screw 'supposed to be.'

She gives a quick smile, and is more herself and inside her own skin in that moment that she has been since Molly showed up. It's a mischievous, almost reckless flash of teeth. ]


It'd be a shame not to use this to appreciate the view.

[ And she takes a step up, as if she's climbing a stair, and ascends a foot higher. ]
inducings: (that then I scorn to change)

[personal profile] inducings 2019-03-28 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ She raises her eyebrows, interested. ]

Oh yeah? Like what?
hardlyanangel: Relaxed (Default)

[personal profile] hardlyanangel 2019-03-28 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
In a manner of fashion. [She paused to think on how to phrase it.]. The have a Realm of their own, and are not overly friendly on the whole. A complicated affair in some aspects.

[That response coaxed a laugh from her lips.]. Yes pleasant. Her standards may vary from the norm but she was intrigued by the young mortal. Aithne leaned back enough and studied him more. ] What ever you wish to share, what history you know, your kin and kind, and the ways you keep.

Not that I am asking overly much.

[Again she smiled, this was just fascinating to her on several levels.]. Histories and stories are very important, you have a good friend.
romancekiller: (pic#8640832)

[personal profile] romancekiller 2019-03-28 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
[clarke knows the moment that the man starts shouting back at her and lashing out further in anger that her words were falling to deaf ears. she barely sees it coming when he aims to hit her and zita seems to activate a shield of some sort. she knows that magic is common here but it was always strange for her regardless since it didn't exist where she is from.

she just watches as the man and his friends leave but not without throwing threats at them in process which she kind of expected though it hardly helped the situation any with calming them down]
Yeah. I can get you a chair— are you sure you're okay to stand on your own for a bit while I do that?
sunborne: (043. - 🔥 - HUGTIME.)

[personal profile] sunborne 2019-03-28 08:22 am (UTC)(link)
Awww- That's disappointing to hear. It would be nice to not be the only one who's ever seven feet.

[ but details, details. daylight leans closer - close he can get, without causing the table to tip over - and lets his winglets wiggle. ]

Can you tell me more about him and what it means to be a guardian? Like- Does he have rules and stuff he has to follow? That sounds really cool!

[ plus- it'll let him ask more information if names and terms he's never heard of comes up. that'll be allow him to ask more questions and learn more about rhus along the way.

rhus seems like a really cool guy so day would love to get to know him better. ]


[ ooc; I think this is a good place to end! We can say it's a fade to black where Rhus tells more about his world and Day hangs onto his every word. Can't wait for us to have more threads with them...! :> ]
arrogator: (lights are not all on upstairs)

[personal profile] arrogator 2019-03-28 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll be...

[Wince. Okay, maybe she's not fine, she's going to say she is, because she's a tough knight and those don't usually need healing or help or anything like that. Unless it's some sort of story where they do and she didn't have any of those. Or any stories or legends either for the most part, just kind of the one.]

...fine.

[She's gritting her teeth a little, sitting back down and trying not to look like she needs help. It's kind of a losing battle here. Like a lot of things, this was a lot easier when she had a Master instead of this jewel thing.]
thedarkbond: (knight of nullity)

[personal profile] thedarkbond 2019-03-28 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[That is about all the time Ren is willing to keep his head up for, so it flops back onto the grass once Molly confirms he's okay.] Mmm, that's good, then...remind me how much I didn't like this if we ever find out who was behind it...

[Not that he'll probably need reminding, but it'd be a very good excuse to pick apart somebody who deserved it for putting him through the experience.]
thequitecontrary: (eh?)

[personal profile] thequitecontrary 2019-03-29 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Not that I'm aware of, though I suppose one can do a lot of things with advanced Craft.

[ There are so many things that Mary wants to learn to be able to do. She's able to use books, which have been helpful, but probably not as helpful as a live teacher would be. ]

I simply mean that the food and lodgings aren't what one would expect from a Queen's palace. Plus, we must do training every day. [ Jon can probably tell that Mary's not built for battle. ]
thequitecontrary: (glow)

[personal profile] thequitecontrary 2019-03-29 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
A very good point.

[ Which means there's possibly hope for Mary and her spells that go awry. Eventually she ought to be able to control the power of her jewel. ]
romancekiller: (pic#8611951)

[personal profile] romancekiller 2019-03-29 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
Likewise, Sansa. [she smiles slightly at that before turning her attention back towards the woman she was healing] So you're a seamstress then? You know, if you want, I can teach you some basic first aid.
verstoned: (Staring into the eyes of the shell of me)

[personal profile] verstoned 2019-03-29 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Rhus sprints across the last remaining distance between himself and the doorway, only coming to a stop the moment he knows he's under open sky and clean air.

... Relatively clean air. He still smells smoke and dust and fire, and everything else in the power plant, but also the sweetness of fresh air, and he sighs, almost sagging with relief. He does lean over however to place the man he's been carrying around this entire time on the ground, rolling him onto his side. Then the Miqo'te adjusts the man's arms and legs in a very specific manner, and monitors his pulse with a hand on the throat, just under the jaw.]


Safe, still breathin'.
mollymocked: (⚔ a million dreams)

[personal profile] mollymocked 2019-03-29 03:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I absolutely believe it. [He grins and scoots out his chair, bowing a bit theatrically as he does so.] And it's been a pleasure meeting you. I hope your stay here finds you well, and if you need an amiable guide... Well, you'll find me.

[He gives her a wink and then saunters off, as mysteriously as he came.]
mollymocked: (⚔ or you can do like me)

[personal profile] mollymocked 2019-03-29 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[Molly does the same.] There is that. I figure once I get really good at this, the performance art possibilities are gonna be endless. [He spreads his hands.] Mid-air somersaults. I'd just need a spot with good reflexes.

[Note to self- ask Jon.]
song_of_ice: ([Jon] Admires Surroundings)

[personal profile] song_of_ice 2019-03-29 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[He isn't sure about being the best, but he's not going to argue over it. He had seen so many different men fight over the years, he could no longer appreciate it the same way he had when he was young. Fighting was the same, some were luckier than others.]

In place of magic? You think someone would want to learn combat when they could use their jewels?
song_of_ice: ([Jon] Realization (Fearful))

[personal profile] song_of_ice 2019-03-29 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[He nearly skids to a halt as he catches sight of who Piper meant. Quick to keep his speed, he darts towards the man, helping pull him from the shattered shield and towards the group. He was coughing and hacking. Without thought, Jon pulled off his scarf and gave it to the man, urging him to breathe slowly.]

We need to get them out now.
song_of_ice: ([Jon] Beams)

[personal profile] song_of_ice 2019-03-29 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[He nearly laughs at that, but holds back, not wanting to offend Mary. The food and lodgings were the last thing he really thought of, preferring privacy and some semblance of freedom.]

I've had worse.

[Old meat, horse and whatever they called the food at Castle Black.]

Training isn't something I'd advise missing. It might save your life someday.
shiftinglikeclay: (2)

[personal profile] shiftinglikeclay 2019-03-29 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[Alex tilts her head from one side to the other, giving Piper a measuring look.]

Goddess of beauty, right? I could see that.