⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 1

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 1st - 7th, 2017
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: Memories begin returning to the displaced as the fall gets chillier. How the hell did we end up here, again? Also, apparently, the fair is in town.
Warnings: Individually marked!

PORTLAND BY NIGHT↴ Memory regains will come into effect at the beginning of October, to whatever degree you've decided upon, and may be regained at whatever pace you desire from then on. For those with their full carnival memories, it will be like waking up in the body of someone else - for those with half and half, it will be like rapidly recalling sets of memories from a totally different life. Those with full amnesia will simply feel as if this is how it's always been. Unfortunately for you, memories aren't the only thing you have to deal with. The supernatural community of Portland is bustling all of a sudden - could your presence and these events somehow be related? ► THE OUTER CIRCLE: As of the start of the month, the Portland Circle of Enlightenment will find itself starting to get swarmed with members from other chapters. Most notably, it would seem that a small cabal of top mages from the North American Enlightenment Council will be making their home in Portland's HQ. For anyone but the highest of ranks, the purpose behind their visit will be unclear, but it seems like something is definitely up on a metaphysical level. The Circle will be buzzing with rumours of unique planar activity and threatening omens. It seems that it all started with an unusual flare of activity in the planetary ley-lines, starting approximately a week ago. However, even if you would usually be the type to keep tabs on such things, you will find that you oddly have no memory of observing this phenomenon yourself. ► THE ANIMAL FAIR: Good news, the fair is in town! Or, at least, it would be good news... if this was a regular fair. Instead, what's being observed is a bunch of nearly identical flyers, spread all around Portland - each of which bears only the words "THE ANIMAL FAIR", a seemingly bloody paw-print of unknown origin, and the directions to a vague forested location outside of the city. It's dated for October 7th, and all instances of its posting having been discovered with a scattering of rose petals, crow feathers, and pre-burnt matches laying on the ground around them. Most are taking this to be some kind of bizarre viral marketing campaign, but others may know better. ► THE EARTH SPIRIT: If you have connections to The Pack or any of its many variations, you'll probably hear whispers of something very odd that occurred last week - according to the elders, it sounds as if the Earth Spirit, the magical and spiritual center of the planet, has suddenly taken a wound. It's not clear why or how, but there is a fair bit of concern among spiritual types, as it is werebeast belief and nebulous magical fact that the magical forces within the earth are the source of all magic here, as well as the source of life. While many werebeasts claim to have felt the Spirit succumb, you strangely have no memory of such an event occurring. Though things do feel strange, if you know how to tap into the Spirit yourself. ► THE WAR CRY: Though Anath's rain of terror across North America lasted for the first fifteen years or so of the Severing, most independent demons have had enough time to start taking the arch-demon's relative inactivity for granted. For that first while, the warrior queen had seemed determine to rebuild an army on earth by forcing her scattered brethren into service - only for her to gradually settle down in a fortress somewhere in Texas and dig in her heels. Of course, this was too good to last - it sounds as if she and her demonic legion have begun tearing their way up the west coast, their goals remaining a mystery. Their destination, however, is almost certainly Portland.

Comments

► SANCTUARY OVERRUN (AFTERNOON, OCTOBER 6TH)

[ringleaders]

Though the black roses that grew in were removed a few days previous, various samplings of them have been taken from the plants, some of which were brought into the Sanctuary building and examined. In some cases, they were even planted, by both player characters and NPCs.

Unfortunately for everyone else, on the afternoon of the 6th they will begin to grow out of control. Though some of the previous seedlings had grown at a surprisingly fast rate, this will outpace all of that immediately - everything from trimmings to rose petals will sprout into terrible thorny vines with black roses, taking the Sanctuary all the way to Sleeping Beauty territory in a manner of minutes.

The black roses will begin to bloom, and the aroma of them will cause lethargy and induce sleep in even the strongest of the residents (that means you, angels), thought it can be fought off with willpower and tactics that help you to avoid breathing in the smell. The vines are as difficult to cut and break as very thick rope, and they are also very difficult to burn, like freshly soaked wood. They also appear to be intelligent, and will be going after certain individuals more than average.

The thorns will be seeking out Ginko, Steven, Rita, and Allen. They will also be particularly drawn to anyone with fae magic on them that isn't currently directly aligned with the Rose Queen. It will attempt to snare its specific targets and envelope them into itself, while with others it will mostly be attempting to choke, smother, or stab them to death with thorns.

It can be fought off, but it's a hard battle, even for the powerful members of Sanctuary. All threading about the vine spread can be dealt with here. If your character is doing anything to significantly fight back the vines, let a mod know so we can take it into consideration, but ultimately the Sanctuary should be able to come out triumphant if they fight valiantly enough.

If any of the targets are completely buried in the vines, they will be disappeared into the fae realm.

OPEN

[espigeon]

Iuliael has no idea what's going on, which on the one hand is the usual state of things, but is a lot more alarming when vines are covering the Sanctuary! He - there have been more memories of some human life and 'Julien' was probably a boy, so Iuliael is trying out those pronouns - stares up at the outside of the Sanctuary, confused and dismayed.

Whatever's happening, it's probably bad. There must be people in there. Iuliael takes flight, forgetting that it's a spectacle when a dazed-looking person unfolds into a mass of wings covered in eyes, and rises above the building. There are some vines stretched up on the roof, but it's not a priority yet. They circle, fretting, not sure what to do. There are people in there, but what can Iuliael do? He has no sword, no terrible claws, the flames that are so essential to a seraphim are metaphorical in his case...

A moment of insight strikes. The angel considers the roses and recognizes the effect of their numbing sweet perfume, and flies in through an open window singing the first upbeat remotely relevant song that comes to mind. If you can hear the heartfelt acapella rendition wake me up before you go-go, the rose-drowsiness is easier to fight past. The vaguely birdlike shifting shape singing this may also try to help physically, but will probably be ineffective. Obviously, pulling on a malevolent thorny vine doesn't go too well.

[amusicaladventure]

Who uses ridiculous peppy songs for magic, honestly?

Still, that was just what she needed. Ash pulled herself up from her heavy lean on a table as awareness penetrated her brain -- this things had either a supernatural or atmospheric attack, something she hadn't been prepared for.

Ugh.

Yanking out her cell phone, Ash tapped an icon on the home screen that did nothing more than being up a curious runic symbol. Said symbols were merely external tools to focus a mage's mind and concentration, so Ash, who understood this, needed nothing more than its electronic form to pattern a spell of shielding. Magic barriers slammed invisibly down around her, filtering off the atmospheric influence.

"Damn it," she said conversationally, as she quickly pulled up her library app.

[espigeon]

Iuliael flutters, singing all the parts of the song without manifesting nearly enough mouths. He spies Ash and draws closer, still able to sing while speaking.

"You're a mage! What's happening? That won't work, I didn't make any vital organs!" This last is addressed to a slim vine sporting several thorns nearly a foot long, which has whipped around to stab him in the center of mass and cling there. Clear ichor with a golden tinge wells up out of the punctures. "Unless you're trying to pull me down. Um..."

The angel is fluid and starts flowing around the thorns trying to pull away, but there are several other vines now, striking and wrapping.

[amusicaladventure]

"It might have something to do with the plants crawling around here like something out of Lovecraft, ya think?!" Ash was well aware she was sassing some sort of powerful supernatural creature -- ask her if she cared. "Force plane, force plane..." she muttered as she scrolled through a list. "Here we go!"

As soon as the pattern for the spell popped up, Ash locked it into her mind and focused magic in that particular formation with her will. A flick of her fingers lashed a practically two-dimensional line of force through the air, neatly severing a few vines.

OTA

[hippocarnival]

So much for safe practice. Yuya's already in the Sanctuary when the vines erupt, having been practicing throwing around and stacking pinecones. Pinecones, incidentally, are very ineffective against fae vines.

Once the chaos really picks up, Yuya's running around the halls with a room he snatched from one of the closets. His panic's given way to determination, and when he catches someone looking lost or trapped he just about charges to swat the vines away and help make a path. If he finds anyone younger, they get special chauffeuring to someplace safer and the most reassuring expression Yuya can manage.

Of course, brute force isn't enough to cull the vines at all--but there are people more equipped for that somewhere around, aren't there? Yuya's concern is finding people trying to escape and getting them out.

"Hey! Is anyone down here!" he calls as he runs down the halls.

OTA

[amusicaladventure]

With her shields up and her magic surging, Ash stalked the halls of Sanctuary, looking for the heart of the infestation. In one hand, her pocket Raspberry Pi displayed a large symbol, which she paused every so often to change by adjusting the underlying equations -- but for the most part, she kept her other hand free to direct a practically two-dimensional plane of force through encroaching vines.

"I shouldn't be helping for free," she grumbled, without stopping.

OPEN

[anti_nonsense]

Since the previous appearance of the vines, Rita's been staying at the Sanctuary to try and keep an eye on the situation. Of course, she can only be there half the time, with much of her days being taken up by her stakeout shifts with the Renegades.

The incident happens while Rita's in the library, sitting with a book. She has her glamour active, and wears her usual biker jacket. At first, she doesn't notice anything wrong. But gradually, the natural light in the room seems to grow dimmer, prompting her to glance up at the nearest window... where she sees a thick wall of vines, blotting out the light. She drops her book and jumps to her feet, reaching for her cell phone. Immediately, she calls Pearl, as the vines start to creep in through an open window, the others pressing heavily against the closed ones.

As soon as she can hear Pearl picking up, she doesn't waste time in explaining the situation. "I'm at the Sanctuary. The vines are back; they're out of control. It's got to be the Rose Queen." Her voice is tense, and punctuated by unnatural pauses as she steps back from the vines, watching their movements carefully. But just while she thinks she's still far enough to be safe, a window shatters, and from it, several thorn-covered vines suddenly shoot out at her. "I need backup! Hurry and--" There's no time. She dives out of the way as they swipe at her, but her phone is knocked out of her hand, smashing on the floor.

Glancing back at the phone, Rita hisses. But there's no saving it now. She needs to save herself... no, maybe not just herself. If the Rose Queen's here to take back her runaway changelings... Rita can't just stand by and watch.

She takes off out of the library and down the hall, sprinting as the vines creep after her. When she gets to the common area, she slams the door shut behind her. "Anyone in here!?" she calls out into the room.

[bananaspeedrider]

Fortunately or unfortunately for her, there certainly is someone who's also made his way into the Sanctuary. Three pairs of angular crystals that most likely act as wings for this angel shine with their brilliant light upon the immediate area.

"I am! And because of the situation being so, I say... no wait- proclaim that you have nothing to fear...!"

Despite how difficult the thorned vines have been to push back so far, someone sure seems lively and confident. But well meaning intentions doesn't override short-sighted actions- the heavenly 'dragon' finds no problem with zooming forward towards her, for the purpose of attempting scoop Rita up into his claws.

With the same enthusiasm and bravado he goes on talking. "And a huge part of aiding the Sanctuary during their plight is to ensure everyone inside escapes safe and sound."

... How strange that this angel happens to come off as a teenaged boy doing their tryhard best to sound sophisticated.

[anti_nonsense]

Immediately, Rita's eyes narrow. The last thing she expected to walk in on was some dramatic hero type. She's tempted to turn right around and take her chances with the vines.

When he tries to pick her up, she swings out with her fist, throwing a punch at his face.

"What do you think you're doing? Who says I need your help, you dragon freak!?" There's something vaguely familiar about the insult she just blurted at him... but it's probably nothing.

[bananaspeedrider]

He could almost spout the same about the familiarity of getting punched in the face, but such a thing has even more reason to be brushed off as nothing. Rita's fist makes contact, though the hit doesn't appear to do much other than make Hugo flinch and pull back while shaking his head. But hey it still did the job just fine, nice punch.

"O-oi! What was that for...?"

[starseedling]

Steven is. The common room is where he's been spending most of his time, taking comfort in the presence of others - a feeling he couldn't manage to maintain when alone in his room.

Of course, as soon as he sees the vines... he realizes that it never would have made a difference. Hope begins to crumble at a pace that is staggering, the second he sees those tangles of thorns start to creep around the corner. He knows he need to run, to warn someone, to do anything, but... he can't.

He feels paralyzed with fear, knowing what's coming, knowing that it's his fault. When Rita comes across him, he won't be responding to her shouts. Instead, he'll be crumpled onto the floor, staring a the vines creeping beneath the door ahead of him. He can't even breathe.

[anti_nonsense]

When she doesn't get an answer, Rita grabs a lamp, smashes it against the floor, and wedges its stand between the door handles. She doesn't know if it'll hold or not, but it's better than leaving it vulnerable to getting shoved open by the pursuing vines.

She then runs deeper into the room, where the cowering changeling catches her eye. "Steven!?" Rita runs over to his side. She thought he might be targeted, but she didn't expect to find him in this state. "What are you doing? We have to get out of here!" Her gaze flicks over her shoulder, following his stare. The vines are coming from over there, too!? They'll be surrounded if they don't start moving soon.

[starseedling]

"I-I'm sorry," he babbles, tears running down his cheeks as he continues staring at the doorway, apparently having some kind of complete breakdown. "This is all my fault. She's coming after me."

His voice breaks, and his wings hunch behind his back, his entire body shivering. This has to be some kind of nightmare.

[manycharms]

"I am!" Marinette calls back. Pure white wings spread from her back, glowing white as she hacks through some vines with her sword. A bandanna is tied around her mouth and nose, stopping the flowers scent from affecting her. She has a supernatural sense for trouble, still, when she came to the sanctuary tonight she hadn't expected to see anything like this.

"Do you know where they're coming from?" She doesn't know who Rita is, but she doesn't bother with introductions. It just doesn't feel like there's much time for them to chit-chat. Though she keeps cutting through the vines as they come at her, more and more of them seem to keep moving forward to take their fallen comrades place. If they didn't get to the root of this problem soon, they could be in for a lot of trouble.

[anti_nonsense]

Ugh... So this room's full of them, too. Is the whole Sanctuary overrun with vines?

Rita doesn't know who this girl is, or what (A were-bird? No... with that glowing, could she be an angel?), but it looks like they're on the same side. Rita dashes over to the stranger, then uses a quick series of gestures to conjure magic flames to burn at the vines on one side of them. That sword can only chop so many at once, but maybe if Rita holds them off and lets her focus on a few at a time, they can make some progress in fighting back.

"Not sure. They just came into the library from outside. Maybe they're growing out of the dirt somewhe-- GAH!" Rita's cut off as several vines lash out at her at once. Some of them get caught in the flames, but one wraps around her ankle and pulls, throwing her off-balance and knocking her down.

OTA

[dontpokethat]

Oh for fuck’s sake.

It wouldn’t actually be accurate to say that Ginko is too tired to be scared by now. He is definitely tired, of course - tired of not being able to sort out his own mental state, tired of all this fae crap happening at once, tired of worrying.

But he’s also scared, make no mistake. This is pretty obviously a fae thing, and he most certainly does not want to go back, not if he can avoid it. Worse, though, he knows there are other escaped changelings here - kids, even, and at least one of them pretty much just got out of the fae realm.

That fear, and the determination that comes with it, are a big help as far as keeping himself awake. He keeps his hat pressed over his nose and mouth, filtering out as much of the scent as he can, as he moves through the building. Avoiding the vines while looking for others that might need help is a bit of a struggle, but he’s pretty much managing it. ...So far, anyway.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya's been running around with a similar determination. He hasn't run across as many of the roses since he's failed to stay in place in one room for more than a few minutes at a time, so his charge down the opposite way of the hall, broom in hand.

He skids to a stop when he sees Ginko and waves him down. "Hey! Are you trying to get out?"

[dontpokethat]

"--What?" He looks up, then shakes his head hurriedly. "N-no, I'm... there are some people I've got to find."

He can't leave, not yet.

[small_reservations]

Axel's scared too, but he's not scared of. He's scared for. He's scared for Ginko and Steven and Rita, scared for the people he may not reach. He's scared for anyone who's taken. But not for himself. Not until the vines grab his arm, anyway.

He manages to cut them with a white-hot flame, burning his hand in the process, but they've already somehow grown in, the thorns like hooks. He's bleeding heavily, but the vines are holding the cuts shut enough that he doesn't want to risk cauterizing them, either. It hurts, it hurts a lot, but it's not life threatening, so he keeps going, determination and a thin sheet of fire all that's keeping the smell from reaching his brain.

It's in this state that he stumbles upon Ginko. The building's only a little bit on fire, but the smoke makes it hard to see. At least it also dilutes the flower smell. "Ginko?! Have you seen Steven or Rita? You've all got to get out of here!"

[dontpokethat]

"Axel?!" Oh no. He's already injured, and that's just going to make it all the more difficult for him to avoid the vines. Ginko takes another couple steps toward him, starting to lift his free hand slightly, as if he could actually do something.

"No, I-- I haven't seen them yet. Axel, you're hurt, you've got to get away!"

OTA

[small_reservations]

The very second he feels the rise in fae magic, Axel's on edge. He gets a whiff of the roses, coming down the hall, and sways, barely catching himself on the very chair he just rose from. So that's her game, is it? He can't pull the fire alarm, can't get mundanes involved, not yet, but he can at least protect himself. He puts a film of fire a few inches from his face, to burn off the smell. It's hot, it'll burn him if he uses it too long, but it'll do the job.

With that done, he leaves the sitting room at a fast jog, keeping his eyes open. He's got to find and get out as many people as he can. But his special focus lies in the other changelings. He knows Ginko and Steven are here, and he swears he saw Rita for a moment. They've got to get out. They've just got to.

That doesn't mean he's not going to help others, of course. Anyone who's out cold, he'll shake awake; anyone who's fighting, he'll help. He can't let anyone be taken. Not again. Not by her.

CLOSED TO STEVEN

[fragileandsoft]

After the escape from Nightshade's realm, Greg had expected to spend the rest of the day lying low--maybe getting a good alibi, or just snatching some well-earned rest. The powers that be seemed to have other plans.

Word had already spread fast about the attack on the Sanctuary, and Greg didn't think twice before rushing to the scene. He'd been too busy over the last few days to stop by, or he would have heard--when did those vines start growing? Why would she go after a safehouse like this now?

So Greg arrives on the scene, conveniently equipped with a bottle full of weedkiller, a raised scarf to ward off the airborne effects of plants, and looking harried enough that one might mistake him for having been at this for much longer. It would not be wholly inaccurate.

[starseedling]

Steven has been trying. This entire time, he's been trying the hardest he can - ever since he got taken to his mother's realm, it's just been a constant struggle to stay alive and stay sane, but even when you're doing your best sometimes it feels like it isn't enough.

That's what it's starting to feel like, here.

Rita had managed to snap him out of his panicked meltdown, but after they got separated, it seemed like his mom's attacks just kept cutting him off from anyone who would help him. He didn't know how much control the Queen actually had over her vines, or if they were just following a spell - but functionally speaking, it's nearly impossible not to imagine her very personally attacking him, her will behind each and every grasping vine. How many of his friends has she gotten already? He doesn't know.

This is really his fault, isn't it? They'd tried to be kind to him, to protect him, and now this entire place was getting wrecked because he came here.

He's ended up wielding a fire iron of all things, the handle wrapped in a scrap of fabric from his torn shirt. This fire iron actually was iron, apparently, and so while it was better at smashing the vines, it was causing his hands to ache and burn at an alarming rate, even with the layer of protection. The thorns couldn't tear at him anymore, but they've ripped up most of his clothing, and he has bloody knees and bruises from the places he's been grabbed.

He's running out of places to go. He's cornered by them, now, and he doesn't know where anyone else is, and it's hopeless. Maybe he should just give up now? Maybe if he does, she'll hurt him less once she's taken him back.

He didn't even get to see his dad.

It was all he'd wanted. It was everything he'd escaped for. He just wanted to go back to his dad and be safe again, but he didn't even get the chance to do that. Tears roll down his cheeks, obscuring his vision, until finally one of the vines gets him around the legs. He falls, dropping the fire iron, helpless to do anything but watch it skitter away across the floor. He's tried to fight this with his own powers, but he doesn't feel like he can do it anymore. That was his only chance.

"Dad," he whines to no one. He tried. He really did.

[fragileandsoft]

There's utter chaos. It's near impossible to make heads or tails of the situation looking at the people fighting back against the assault, so Greg focuses on what he's best suited for; the vines. They grow thicker this way, surging thicker and stronger. That's their goal, and that's what Greg has to cut them off from.

He finds the thicket of them already forming, the fire iron still rolling across the floor away from the victim. He can make out the figure--someone small, too small, a child. He catches glimpses of strange little wings, thorns--a changeling. The Queen is stealing uet more defenseless children away. Again, again, and he won't let her do this.

Weedkiller douses the vines, and the effect is felt rather than seen. It's not enough to wither plants sent from Her Rosiness, but magical energies cut through the guided attack on the child. Their grip slackens and movement slows, resembling great sleepy snakes. It's enough for Greg to dig through the mass of them, grabbing on to the bloodied and shuddering figure underneath.

"I've got you, it's all right." His voice is rough, hoarse from the stress of the earlier rescue, but he speaks softly to the child as he pulls them loose. Thorns lazily cling at him, drawing thin lines of blood. "It's all right, I'm gonna get you outta here, c'mon."