epidemiology | EVENT ★ SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

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EVENT ★ SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

Following the sudden entrapment of a group of ALASTAIR diplomats, it's clear the true threat to Chantes is still afoot. The sun's disappearance may have been what was on the mission tin, but the man behind the plot is still alive and kicking.

On the day the people inside the castle go incommunicado, King Christophe's head is unceremoniously tossed out from one of the towers. The word travels like wildfire from there: the Order of the Chimera's leader, Michel, has taken roost on the throne. But he doesn't seem keen on leaving much to rule — he's been busy littering the city with symbols from his grimoire. And with the king's death, they begin to stir.

If ALASTAIR sent the recruits here to save Chantes, Michel and his rituals are why.

THE DEMONS

All around the city’s landmarks (and a few within the castle), runes have shimmered into existence. Remember those? Bothersome little things that nullify powers. But they’re not nullifying powers this time. These runes shimmer a low, sinister red, even by the bright light of midday. They wait, complacent, not really doing much of anything… that is, unless you try to destroy one of them.

The moment a rune is tampered with in any way it flares brightly, and a thin red mist seeps out into the air. Each entity from the rune is a little bit different and fights in a different way, but all of them are unquestionably demonic. Some of them manifest physical forms and attack with claws and bolts of energy, but many of them are not so blunt. In fact, most of these demons are much more insidious, as recruits will quickly discover.

POSSESSION

Most of these creatures use possession as their main tactic, although their methods vary. Some demons keep themselves invisibly after that initial red leak of mist, choose a target, and begin to whisper in their ear. They’ll promise anything — power, riches, fame. Their words alter what might otherwise be sound judgment, making their target believe that not only are these demons perfectly capable of delivering, but they will impart their gifts just as soon as the recruit takes care of this one little task. Attacking your friend isn’t really so much to ask, right? Just think of the reward, just around the corner!

Some demons spark a frenzy in their target. An unquellable rage rises within them, urging them to lash out at anyone around them. Maybe they see a nemesis from their past transposed over a friend, maybe they’re trapped in an unpleasant memory and trying desperately to fight free of it — whatever it takes, these demons relish provoking an uncontrollable need to fight.

And finally, some of them will outright inhabit the body of their target and control all of their actions and words. The recruit will be fully aware of their actions, but unable to prevent any of it. They can only watch as the entity within them does whatever it takes to disable the friends around them — treachery, outright attack, whatever is needed.

In each case the demons can be exorcised if you happen to be with someone with a knack for it, but otherwise impossible to drive out. The demon will remain in its host until someone else successfully destroys the rune it came from, which will finally kill it. The demons know this, of course, and will focus all effort on stopping any damage to their rune if it seems under threat.

The destruction of runes inside the castle will open a thin breach in the barrier spell over it, allowing those inside to slip out (or those outside to slip in). They’d better move fast, though, as the breach will heal itself again in about 30 seconds. Miss your chance and you’ll have to hunt down and destroy another rune. (NOTE: Characters trapped within the castle may escape with enough time to take part in the possession aspect of the event with the rest of the game.)

Anyone with a sense for magic can easily tell that the longer these runes go without being destroyed, the stronger their energy pulses. Eventually even ordinary folk will feel it. Townsfolk in the area become uneasy and restless, and proximity to intact runes will begin to fill you with a sense of dread and unnamed anxiety. Something is coming. Something that must be stopped before it can be let into the world.

THE SUMMONS

No matter how quickly the recruits move, there always seems to be one more rune to find, one more demon to defeat. And still that energy is building. When the town clock strikes 12 noon, the runes are at full strength, and they begin to launch into a coordinated ritual. A summoning spell, to be exact. The demons disappear, their energy sacrificed to bring forth something even worse.

All over the city portals begin to open and beasts begin to claw out of them. These are chimeras, straight from myth, each one half the size of a building. They have vast wings and three heads a piece, a lion, a goat, and a dragon — plus a live snake for a tail. The tail’s what you should really look out for. A bite from the snake turns the bitten limb into solid stone, which will take either three days or a splash of blood from one of the chimeras to return to flesh and blood.

It can be discovered that these monsters have an odd vulnerability to pure iron. If struck or stabbed by something made of iron their skin blisters and burns — enough of this could prove lethal to it. Or you can murder them the old fashioned way, if you’re good at killing giant monsters.

Attacking them isn’t the only thing to be worried about, though. They’re smashing down buildings and attacking indiscriminately, so some characters might find their time well-spent evacuating citizens rather than partaking in the fight directly. The structural damage might be inevitable, but it’s at least possible to mitigate loss of life.

THE AFTERWORD

A few hours after the final chimera is killed, un-summoned, exploded, whatever its fate might be, recruits will find their ALASTAIR-given jewelry coming to life. It looks like they’re finally breaking their silence. Words scrawl across whatever surface you see them on, written in ornate purple script:

On behalf of this land, thank you for your diligence and hard work. You have ten days to settle your affairs in this world before your return to Oska.

Just that, then the jewelry dies out again. It’s a bit of an underwhelming show of gratitude, but it gets the point across. Say goodbye to any non-recruit friends you’ve made here, get the last word in on any arguments with the locals, settle your bar tabs — or rack them up, as per inclination.

In ten days every ALASTAIR recruit will simply fade away into a white mist from the perspective of the locals. But until then the city is yours, and most importantly, safe.

OOC INFO

Welcome to the concluding log of Chantes! There's been quite a few pieces to it, so here's an overall list of the week's noteworthy plot posts:

Peaceseeking player plot

Loki and Ahad addressing Michel's disappearance

A request from Arthur

Event follow-up with the fate of Michel. Please note that regardless of Michel's end, we will be reading player suggestions and taking them into account for the overall fate of Chantes.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The demons are gone, the chimeras down, and Riza finds herself shaking on her feet as she travels towards Sieglinde's temporary set up a good distance from the ruins of their impromptu battlefield. Rest is probably the best treatment afforded to her at the moment, but it's something she'll manage after she gets the gash on her arm looked at, bright red and still seeping blood.

Sieglinde's petite figure is easy enough to locate - and blessedly free of other patients, and once Riza sits herself down she lets Sieglinde poke and prod at her with little resistance put up. She only speaks up after a few moments have passed, to ask quietly:]

How long have you been at this?

[Sieglinde's world has gradually narrowed to the people around her, blocking out the rubble, the chaos beyond the first aid center she's set up, and even the patients she's passed on to others- ones she's assessed and judged manageable by the others working with her.

But this patient she's not about to pass on- not just because she's wounded, either.

She's relieved to see her alive, another person on her "list" she can check off, greeting her with an exhausted smile and getting her sat down on one of the chairs she's had dragged outside, kneeling before her and gently moving to examine her arm.]

Quite some time, now... there are many wounded.

[And it shows, in her voice, weary, and in the fact that she hasn't gotten off her knees since the older woman arrived- not for balance, but because her legs couldn't support her anymore.]

What happened here... ?

[But the work kept her going, and she poured a potion out over Rizu's wound. It would sting, but purify the gash before she moved on to other forms of healing.]

[Even the children are put to hard work here. Truly, ALASTAIR is a harsh taskmistress. Sieglinde's hardly the first person here she's seen with eyelids fluttered low in exhaustion and face smeared with sweat and dirt, but to see such suffering in such a small body pains her in a different way, deep in her heart rather than her arm.

Dutifully she keeps her arm out, teeth leaving small nicks in her lips as she tries to not wince at this fresh wave of pain. Once it subsides, she lets out her breath in a small shudder.]

One of the demons. I didn't move fast enough.

[Though it would have taken inhuman speed to escape some of the demons. Sieglinde must have inhuman endurance, to be able to keep going for so long. Too long, in Riza's opinion.]

Please take a break, Sieglinde. Just for a few minutes.

[More than endurance, what Sieglinde had access to was an apothecary, a good supply of smelling salts, and other less than savory herbal methods of stimulating the body. Even knowing well that she'd crash eventually, that the recuperation time would be substantial... These hours gained now, in the immediate aftermath, were far more important to the wounded.]

I am not sure my heart will allow such a thing, I am afraid.

[But she says it at least with a tired smile, hoping to pass it off as mere effort rather than drugs and risk the worry of those around her who ought to be more worried about themselves, carefully wiping away the blood and filth dislodged by her potion with a mostly clean rag before laying hands on Riza's arm, one at each end of the wound.]

As I see thee weltering in thine blood, I call upon the goddess who governs, whom I beseech to aid thee now...

[ALASTAIR's magic required no wand nor spell, but it helped her focus, gave her something to imagine the magic into being, old languages woven skillfully together in a murmer above the wound, drawing her fingers down in a firm pressure as the magic seeped in and closed the wound, reknit the muscle and flesh, leaving only old blood behind when she pulled her hands away, alighting instead to the chair arm, gripped a bit tight.]

There- best not to let a demonic wound fester...

[Sieglinde's words hardly sit easy with Riza, but she can hardly chastise the younger girl for it when she herself has done far worse. Instead, her frown simply grows deeper, more unhappy, as she watches Sieglinde work her (now literal) magic on the gash. It's such a strange feeling - and such a strange sight! - to see the wound closing on its own, and she can't help but pull her arm in close once Sieglinde's done for a closer inspection.

The dull ache of any inflicted wound is still present underneath the surface, but she might as well have simply nicked skin from a cursory glance.]

Thank you. [The words are quiet but overflowing with appreciation.] Please let me return the favor, and at least help you for a little bit.

[Fetching additional supplies, getting food and water for Sieglinde, cleaning the place up so bacteria doesn't spread like wildfire, wrapping bandages around simple cuts. Sieglinde's heart might not allow her to rest, but Riza's heart won't let her stand idly by and watch.]

That would be most welcome... Sebastian has gone... Somewhere.

[Normally she wouldn't have to worry for those sorts of things- fresh water, clean bandages laid out, blood cleaned up, surfaces sparkling... But since she'd gotten free of Michel and the castle there wasn't any trace of the butler... And coming so soon on the heels of his revelation to her that he was indeed a demon... she feared the worst, knowing he wasn't contractually bound to her, bound not to harm others, or change allegiances...

And that worry was another weight on her shoulders, another furrow in her brow.]

If you can gather supplies... Or help transport the wounded...

[She could focus on remaining awake until everyone she could treat was seen to.]

[Anything and more for Sieglinde.

The name Sebastian only rings the faintest of bells; she vaguely remembers a handsome and well-groomed face on the network, but as to his personality and profession she hadn't yet had a chance to inquire. Clearly he's of some importance to Sieglinde though, if she'd seen fit to mention his presence (or lack thereof).

Riza gives her arm a few experimental shrugs - no point in tearing the muscle apart right after mending it - but doesn't move from her position next to Sieglinde just yet.]

Will he be back soon?

[There's enough to be concerned about with their current situation without adding a disappearance into the mix.]

[Would he?

She was too tired to hold back the sigh that escaped her at the thought, trying to think about the possibility of that happening. Sebastian had never failed to answer her call when in need... but it wasn't like he was bound to her, not with a contract like he was to his master.

The only thing that bound them was a demon's "kindness". Which she knew was likely akin to simply "being of use" to a demon.

Did the runes call to him?]

... I have no idea.

[To have that possibility hanging overhead... it wasn't promising. Not with what he was capable of. But she kept the demon part to herself, pulling a jar closer to her and unscrewing the lid, sticking her nose in and taking a deep breath of the pungent odor.]

But until then, I am down a butler.

[Not a very promising answer, but not one completely without hope. Perhaps he'll return and perhaps he won't, struck down in the battle of only hours prior or pulled away in some other manner, but there's nothing they can do about that other than wait for his return. For now, there's plenty else to be done.

With as much certainty as she can muster in her tired state:]

I'll have to substitute for the time being then.

[Even if she's nowhere near strong enough to carry Sieglinde around with ease. That they'll have to find someone else for, but as for the rest, she'll do what she can. Her legs protest as Riza pushes herself back up - the only particular cure for that infliction is rest, and lots of it - but she endures it without any protest.]

What do you need done here first?

Any help you can provide is appreciated.

[Sebastian she would have to worry about at a later date. Even if she would view his actions as her responsibility should anything demonic occur... she could do nothing to prevent it. Anything she could have done, that window had passed.

Again, by her ignorance.

She pushed it from her mind, though, instead moving to take care of the next patient, shuffling this way and that on her dirty knees, shooting a last weary smile Riza's way.]

Let us rest well after this is over.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

gimme the d (i mean—)

sieg has a dirty mind be careful with that

what if i want dirty talks, what then

then you better buckle the hell up

buckles up and puts on my helmet B)

Maybe not here but I'm gonna getchu

no worries, i have Plans

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