epidemiology | 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

[Was that was it was, to be seduced by a demon? Not in the sense of the bedroom, but the mind, that could make even someone who had been her caretaker for months seem as her worst enemy? The person she hated most in the world?

She tries not to cry, like he says, blinking the leftover tears from her eyes with a sniffle as he gently pushed the hair from her face, pressing her forehead likewise against his, gulping down the reaction to panic, to reject what had just happened, instead looking down at the wound concentrating.

Now wasn't the time. She had to accept it. It happened, and now all she could do was react. Fix what she'd done.]

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

[The old languages wove together, the spell forming from her palm, pressed against his injured side, and spreading outwards, flowing through his blood and veins to reknit the torn flesh and muscle, stop the bleeding and leave only that which had left him already behind, slick and warm on his ribs and on her fingers.]

Mm... I'm glad the Head of Oushuu is sturdy... and strong-

[And here with her.]

[ it's hard to face things we've done that were not intended. Masamune knows this too well from his own experiences. A world that overwhelms even an adult whether in their twenties or in their eighties. For a child to be alone after stepping out from a fake world she was born and raised in, everything must seem infinite—

—and relationships like priceless glass and crystal never possible of being mended or replaced. How to say she won't ever be alone again no matter what happens or what she does?

Those are not words for someone like him to say. Masamune, although twice her age, is barely considered old enough on the battlefield to be heeded with any wise reputation. His five years mean nothing compared to the decades the other grand generals carry. No matter how good he becomes, he has a long way of proving any such worth.

It's okay to say nothing, then, right? He can reside on her level and be a pup, too,needing to crawl and dog his way through learning still. They can learn from each other.

Her healing spell creates a relief both mentally and physically: one less injury against him and one less thing to worry about. He smiles more now at her words, hugging her a little tighter so he can lift her up with him without separating. ]

You, too. As a princess of Oushuu you'll be just as much before you know it. [ this is a part of being dragon family. lifting his head, he presses his lips to her hairline before pulling back and adjusting his hold with one arm to better demonstrate he's now fine. ]

See? Good as new, thanks to you.

...Besides, I'm proud of you for facing your fears back there. [ not necessarily the stabbing part but just the general effort to stand her ground. ]

[Sometimes saying nothing was better. Unlike the last time she'd been hit with the realization of what horror she had wrought, now Sieglinde has the ability to actually do something about it. The ability to fix it, to make it better.

Not like the Ultimate Magic... finding a cure for that... she didn't know how long it would take her. Years, perhaps.

But she fixed it- and he offered her words like family. A thing like kin, to someone like her whose only blood relative she had just been prepared to kill, or kill herself to prevent being in her grasp once more.

Someone like her.]

Mm.

[She nodded, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes with the hand not stained in his blood. She didn't know what to say- wouldn't, until she had actual time to sit and process what had even happened, but... she nodded, burying her face against his neck, holding tight.]

- I'm sorry.

[But she at least had to say that, even if she didn't want him to say he didn't need it, or that it was alright. Fixing something didn't change that it had happened...

But it would do for now.]

Can we go?

[Away from here, from that rune.]

[ he closes his eyes when she buries her face against him and apologizes, wondering how he's supposed to reply, if at all. But not saying anything seems dismissive and he doesn't want to do that. ] I accept your apology.

[ even if she didn't need to do so even if it was all right. He turns away from the area they had ended up wandering to, perfectly happy to go anywhere that isn't here. ]

Yeah, let's blow this joint. [ He'll walk even still but give a sharp whistle all the same for his horse to pick up on and come find them. ]

EVENT ★ SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

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