event: a gentle arrival

[thestewards]

I won't give up so don't give in
You've fallen down but you can rise again

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

► Direct all questions to the mods at this link.

SWEET DREAMS AREN'T MADE OF THIS
The dream isn't unpleasant, just strange. Mist curls around you long after the woman fades. You hold a Jewel in your hand, marveling at its multifaceted surface and feeling the thrill of new, untapped power. Anticipation surges in you: that feeling of wrongness that so often accompanies a nightmare you can't wake from. Anticipation becomes fear. You look up, certain that at any moment the mist will pull back and reveal something gruesome and terrible.

A scream. A piercing wail, that sound that accompanies a violent death. The sound doesn't come from your dream, and it jolts you awake. You…

i. Are alone in your room, and have a moment to gather yourself. Wherever you laid down to rest, you've woken up somewhere different. Somewhere strange. There's a comforting weight in the air—a feeling of welcome, of belonging. Then another scream pierces the night. In your dream, the woman asked for a hero. Maybe you already consider yourself a hero or maybe you don't, but now seems as good a time as any to either be one or start pretending.

ii. See a dark shape looming over you. You have no time to assess the place you've woken up, though you have a quick flash of insight that your dream must have been more than a dream and the woman to whom you spoke has brought you to her world and her home. There's no time to marvel at this. The shadow above you draws back, a pistol Breaker in their hand. Even if you've never seen a gun before, you can somehow taste their malice and hatred. They're pointing a weapon at you, and your scream might be the next to tear through the midnight darkness.

Landen Hunters have infiltrated the Queen's Residence. How stalwartly you choose to fight them off is up to you, but you'll quickly encounter members of Fayura's First Circle defending against the attackers. Allairavar rallies the people of the court, ensuring the most vulnerable are well guarded in the massive dining hall. Loren maintains a Green shield around the room, and only those of the court or the Strangers can enter. There, Healers tend to the wounded, and the children who live at the residence are kept safe.

Amidst the turmoil, you overhear snippets of conversation:

A Healer, quietly, to her patient: If the Lady isn't here, she and Prince Verim must be working some spell to protect us. Rest easy, Prince.

Lord August, speaking quickly to Prince Lachlan as they rush by: —monsters find out the Queen would be bringing help to us tonight? Who told the Hunters—

An injured footman, worried: —see the flames through the window. Landens live in Old Town. How unsurprising that the Guilds would come up with a distraction that hurts their own, too.

FLAME AND FURY
Beyond the Queen's Residence, the Old Town Bazaar burns. Horrified faces gather at the east-facing dining hall windows, and distraught whispers fill the air. Someone cries out that their sister lives in Old Town.

Loren reacts first. He calls for volunteers from the Strangers, and you have the distinct impression that he measures you by your response. "The Hunters—" He grimaces, realizing the Strangers probably don't know what he means. "—landen assassins came in the night to kill you. They've lit part of our city on fire to prevent us from following them. We don't know who, specifically, came for you, but we know where they've gone to ground, so we don't need to chase them down. What we do need to do is stop the fire from spreading. The First Circle will stay here and defend the residence. Who among you Strangers, those of you who came here tonight, will help with the fires?"

Those who agree to help are sent with Allairavar to put out the flames. As you travel with him, Allairavar provides a crash-course in creative application of Craft.

*You wear the Jewels, so you can shield. You should know how, if the Lady's spell worked. Shield yourselves to protect from the flames. Use Craft to shield the buildings and starve out the fires,* he says on a psychic thread so that everyone can hear him and he doesn't need to waste his breath by shouting. *Rescue anyone trapped in the buildings regardless of who they are. Be on the look out for Hunters—the assassins Loren mentioned. They're sneaky bastards, and they'll use our focus on helping the people to put knives in our backs if they can.*

Put out fires, use your powers or Craft to support buildings before they collapse, and rescue landens and Blood alike from the damage done by the Hunter Guild. Be wary and alert, and try not to damage the city more than the fires already have should you encounter Hunters. Blood families will go with the Strangers more easily than landen families, but Allairavar makes it clear that if you have to physically remove someone from a burning home or one that is about to collapse then that is exactly what you should do.


REST FOR THE WEARY
Dawn breaks on the horizon, painting the city of Draega a hazy red. With little wind, the smoke hovers around the city. In Old Town, even buildings that didn't burn begin to smell like the fire.

A somber weight falls on the Queen's Residence. In the aftermath of the night's events, Loren introduces himself to each of the Strangers individually if possible but to groups if he must: He is the Queen's Steward, and his Queen was the one who worked the spell to bring them to Draega. He apologizes for the circumstance of their arrival and that the Queen is currently indisposed. Everyone, he explains, can stay in the residence for as long as they would like, and he makes it clear that by no means are the Strangers required to remain in the residence nor will they be viewed with suspicion or distrust by the court if they decide to find their own homes.

Those with medical skills or healing powers are brought to the dining hall to help the Healers. The Healer in charge is a young, Yellow Jeweled woman who has exhausted her Craft and desperately needs assistance. Anyone who inquires about her position within the court, either to her or others, learns that she is highly skilled and spent her childhood in the landen Medico Guild before taking a chance on her half-Blood heritage and making an Offering. While she wears one of the lightest Jewels in the residence, even Allairavar submits silently to her attentions and he offers no excuse when she chastises him for getting injured.

Midway through the day, Allairavar and Loren make the mistake of having an unshielded conversation near the dining hall. Anyone nearby can overhear…

"I spoke briefly to Verim," Loren says, voice low and urgent. "They weren't caught in the fire, but Allairavar…"

A muscle in Allairavar's jaw ticks. His massive, membranous wings fan out to fill the hall before he pulls them tight to his back. "She's injured."

Loren nods. "Badly. The backlash of power struck her hard, and Verim couldn't help her absorb it." Tension lines Allairavar's body, and Loren quickly adds, "You can't kill them. She brought them here to help us—"

"Our Queen is vulnerable," Allairavar hisses. "There are strangers in our home." A dangerous, wild look fills his eyes. "Does she plan on doing this again? We're not letting her." He rocks back and forth on his feet with the nervous energy of a man contained and about to explode.

"So we'll strand these people here?" Gentle concern fills Loren's eyes. "She'll need to do this once more to send them home."

All that nervous energy abruptly vanishes, and Allairavar bends a sleepy-eyed, malevolent look on Loren. "Would you ask our Queen to destroy herself for these people?"

Violence cloaks both men, but the threat of action rests solely on Allairavar. Loren keeps his voice gentle. Soothing. "Do you really think she would have made the offer if she couldn't send them home? Do you think she would truly be so cruel as to demand they come here with no chance of ever returning home?"

Allairavar is quiet for a long moment. The tension slowly flows out of him, leaving him looking weary and exhausted. "Yes," he finally says, tone grim. "Because to her, the price is worth it to save the world. And she would accept it for any of them if they asked." He runs a hand over his head and sighs heavily. Without another word, he turns and walks away. Loren does not call after him.

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…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] Just because the Blood have no law against murder doesn't mean you can kill anyone on the street—or in their homes, isn't that right, Lord Aren?

[Aren's voice is chipper and bright. He sounds more like an eager boy than the full-grown man he is.] Quite true, Evandra! Unless someone has done something to merit execution, wanton murder is generally frowned upon. A Queen can demand a price for the death of someone in her Territory or court.

[A thoughtful hum from Evandra.] So, the Hunter Guild's attack on the Queen's Residence last night isn't illegal, but it was incredibly gauche. And now they face possible retaliation from her and her court. How ghastly!

[Aren agrees.] A dreadful affair. Remember: just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[Evandra:] Quite so. Something for us all to consider. As always, I'm Evandra.

[With solemn dignity, Lord Aren says:] I'm Aren, and you've been listening to…

[Together:] Etiquette with Evandra and Aren. [Jaunty outro music plays. Perhaps they should reconsider this particular tune on dark occassions.]

the weather
[A soft-spoken man's voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He's pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] …overcast and snowy days with temperatures hovering around freezing during the day and dropping at night. Need to tune up your e-line heaters? The Elektriline Guild is offering a limited-time discount this week to ensure you stay warm around the clock.

the news
…distressed to hear of the incident at the Queen's Residence. [The man speaks in a slow, smooth voice. His words ring with heartfelt sincerity.] Though Lady Fayura and I don't often see eye-to-eye— [He chuckles at this, as though he's made a joke. Another man, presumably an interviewer, chuckles along with the air of someone who isn't sure this is a joke they should be laughing at.] —I condemn the actions taken by the Hunter Guild. Destroying people's homes is simply unacceptable.

But one wonders what that surge of power was just prior to midnight. Craft, surely, but to what end? Was that the spell the Queen used to summon these… Strangers from other Realms? Surely we can agree that such action, taken independently of the Guilds and the Ebon Council, much as we don't get along, is cause for concern. I believe the Lady has overstepped, and it is my firm hope that Lord Grejor issues an injunction against her for such flagrant disregard for the law.

[The interviewer speaks, and his voice is faintly strained.] Thank you, Grand Master Niall, for talking to us on this issue.

Comments

[mekhanikos]

[ leo's head whips to look at percy so quick it's actually pretty amazing he's not dislocating his shoulder. the surprise turns into a wide grin. ]

Sounds like another Tuesday, right?

[ with the whole people-trying-to-kill-them thing. and the fire thing. and, you know, a weird lady transporting them to a different place thing. ]

Man, am I glad to see you.

[phykios]

Me too.

[ is it time for a quick hug? it's time for a quick hug, leo, you gotta deal with it. he'd expected to wake alone, and there are few people he trusts to have his back like fellow members of the crew of the argo ii. not that leo had been just any member of the crew; his power, and his skills, had brought the ship to life from blueprints. it was his more than anyone else's. ]

Though, uh, You were supposed to be back home with Apollo and Calypso. What happened?

[ kind of putting a crinkle in his wish, valdez, though he doesn't admit that out loud. he just frowns slightly as he pulls back, as though bracing himself for bad news. up close, his torn sleeve might be more noticeable, dried blood underneath -- a sign his awakening wasn't too peaceful. ]

[mekhanikos]

[ for a second, leo is caught off guard, before he hugs back. he knows well enough that they're hardly the closest of friends; if there's any two people on the argo ii he doesn't know so well, they're percy and annabeth... and he did spend a whole lot of time with annabeth, back when he was still building the ship. so really, it's only percy, but didn't they already establish he's a stand-up guy? enough so to not even hesitate hugging him, something that makes leo feel extra bad he even considered disliking him at one point.

... though percy does have a good argument there. one that leo hasn't quite puzzled over himself, either. ]

Good question. I'm guessing the same as to you, weird lady talking about heroes, life and death, a dying land, blah blah blah. And then I woke up to a dude pointing a pistol at me.

[ there's a frown on his face, too, as he looks down and then says, quieter, ] ... I hope they're okay.

[ did he agree to come here? he must have, and yet how could he have, when he knows just how important the quest is? but then, saying no to the lady had seemed like an impossibility. maybe it was. ]

[phykios]

[ leo's easily the demigod aboard the argo ii percy's spent the least time with. and, truthfully, the one he's still most awkward with. especially after getting the chance to clear the air with nico, after the second war with the giants. after talking to leo and calypso, percy feels better about a lot of things, but...it's still kind of weird.

weird or no, it's more of a relief than it should be to have a friend here. percy had to meant to take on this queen's request alone, but they're stronger working together. ]

Yeah, that sounds about right. Down to the gun-wielding psycho.

[ he almost asks if leo's okay, but he looks okay -- well, or at least unhurt.

(there's an unpleasant thought that strikes him: is leo here because of his wish? he'd wanted information and help with their quest. maybe the queen thought this is helping, somehow.) ]

Of course they are, [ he says, more confidently than he feels. ] Apollo's, uh -- well, don't tell him I said this, but his poetry's so bad it could kill any monster, literally. And Calypso's tough.

[ speaking of weird: talking about calypso to leo. but percy's with annabeth now, and calypso's with leo now, and everything's kind of worked out. ]

Plus, there's still everyone at camp there to help. They'll be okay till we get back.

[mekhanikos]

Oh man, you too? Tell me you blasted him off with a water-gun.

[ he still manages to sound somewhat enthusiastic about that as he bumps percy's shoulder with his fist.

he grins at the comment of apollo; then nods with a dimmed smile about calypso; and finally exhales and nods one more time about the camp. it's not enough to make him feel like he's abandoned the quest, like he's first made calypso choose to be mortal and then just left her behind... but he can't help it, now. ]

... yeah, you're right. Besides, they've got Festus, he's gonna take care of things. He's getting really good at barbecuing stuff, I mean, sometimes stuff he's not meant to barbecue, but I have faith in him!

[phykios]

Yeah, I'm still not Aquaman.

[ there was a time he might've sounded grumpier while making that joke -- about half a year ago, when he knew even less about leo, when tartarus weighed heavy (heavier) on his mind -- but now, he sounds pretty good-natured.

the truth is, he feels the worry as keenly as leo does. apollo, leo, and calypso had a seriously dangerous task ahead of them -- isn't that why he made his wish to the queen in the first place? and while he's glad leo's here with him, he isn't too thrilled about leo being involved in whatever dangerous stuff is happening here. percy'd kinda meant just to volunteer himself, not put anyone else in danger.

which is another thing. hadn't he just turned down apollo's offers to go on the quest with him? like, a lot? he'd promised annabeth not to get into too much trouble while she was gone. he'd promised his parents he wouldn't go on any more scary, life-threatening quests. he'd lost so much time to the war with the giants, and now he was finally home. he had a baby sister on the way. his mom was finally gonna publish her book. hadn't he said he wanted to stick around for those things? that he didn't want to scare his loved ones again? how could he turn around and do just that?

(she'd said, my land is dying. she'd said, my people need help. she'd said, one wish. )

but leo pulls him out of that train of thought, and percy can't help cracking a smile. ]

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of one of his blasts. And I say that as someone who has been. You should've seen him stomp this entire nest of Myrmekes.

[ this was back before leo arrived at camp, before even the battle of manhattan. this was, in fact, during a game of capture-the-flag. normal camp things, you know. ]

[mekhanikos]

Hey, you could be! I've always said it's just a lack of ambition.

[ has he though...

his joking grin softens into something quieter as percy speaks of festus, and leo is simultaneously glad that he's back home with apollo and calypso, and achingly sad that he's not here with him. ]

That's my boy. An entire nest? Man, Festus the best.

[ in his completely unbiased opinion. ]

[phykios]

[ has he though....but percy just laughs. ]

Yeah, just about. He saved a bunch of us during this game of capture-the-flag.

[ and nearly killed them after, but you know. details. and speaking of details: there's an ache in his chest to look back on that memory. it'd been him and annabeth, yeah, but also silena and beckendorf, and on the day they finally became a couple. one of the weirdest things about his friendship with so many aboard the argo ii, and so many new friends in general, is all the people they never knew.

he blows out a breath, then looks back towards loren and the other court people running around here. ]

So, what do you think?

[ about all this; about going out there. ]

[mekhanikos]

See? He's always been on our side.

[ he can't believe anyone could have thought about destroying festus, ever, no matter what. but maybe that's just him, and the fact he got along better with his dragon than half the living people he met.

at percy's question, he sighs and runs his hand through his head. ]

Honestly? Trying to make people get along is starting to feel a bit old. You don't think we could just, I don't know, make them wear get-along shirts, bake some friendship cakes, and call it a day?

[phykios]

Uh, sure.

[ "always." ""always."" """always.""" but he's not about to, like, crush leo's dreams or anything. ]

Yeah, I wish, [ he says, frowning. ] Honestly, I'm kinda hoping the queen wants us to help with this her-world-is-dying problem. That sounds like an easier fix, if you ask me.

[ it sounds like something a good old-fashioned QUEST could fix, yk ]

[mekhanikos]

[ look here perseus, in his heart festus was always on their side and loved them, he was just! misguided!!

and because great minds think alike, leo says, wryly, ]

Maybe we could find our very own oracle here and get some prophesies going.

[ or not. this is going to be difficult no matter what. ]

[phykios]

[ percy shudders. ]

Ugh, pass. I'm sick of prophecies.

[mekhanikos]

You and me both, man.

[ besides, prophesies just make him think of apollo, and home, and calypso, and he already went down that road once, no use in doing it again. ]

... I guess we should do something about those fires first. You ready to play firefighter?

[phykios]

Yeah, I'm ready.

[ he might not be as good with fire as a son of haephestus, but the oceans in his blood give him a few tricks up his sleeve. ]

Let's go.

[mekhanikos]

Awesome, [ leo declares with a wide grin and holds his fist for percy to bump. ]

Let's go put out some fires, Aquaman.

[phykios]

Don't call me that, [ he. sighs. but it's sort of fond, because he really did miss you, leo valdez.

aaaand fistbump ]

aND THEN THEY GO FIGHT FIRES

[mekhanikos]

[ he loves you too, jackson. ]